Yes, you can buy indoor tents, castles and forts. These mass-produced nylon edifices can rise up from a crib or bed, often featuring television cartoon characters, or they are simply erected on the floor. They are usually available in the shape of castles, sun domes, etc. But where is the fun in that? Plus, they are often rather costly and frankly there is just no need to throw your money away on such a toy. I guarantee that you have enough materials laying about your home right now to make a stellar fortress/castle/cave/tunnel/igloo/whatever your child wants to pretend it is.
Gather up the pillows, blankets and sheets and make a homemade indoor fort for your kids today!
Here is what we use to construct ours:
4 tray tables (we do not have a coffee table, but rather a four pack of tables. We use all four as the corners of this simple fort).
1 large sheet (king or queen is preferred for the roof – the size of the roof will also coincide to the total surface area)
1 large blanket or comforter (the floor)
Pillows! As many as you can gather!
Stuffed Animals, Friends, anything your child will want to put inside.
Build the structure anyway you can to give your kids a decent amount of room underneath. Your tallest child should be able to sit inside with some headroom, which is my general rule of thumb for optimal height. You do not want their noggin pushing the roof upward, which is awkward for them and would really distract from the aesthetically pleasing look of your creation. Certainly, you can add windows, doors, even skylights if you really want to get into it.
We let our little girl be the architect and building site supervisor when we work on forts. She will run around telling us where she would like the door to be, how big she wants the playhouse and she will test the integrity of the walls, roof, and such. She really gets into being the boss and being creative with the ideas behind the construction of her fort.
Be careful not to use anything extremely heavy or dangerous to weight down the edges of the roof. One false move by your children and you will likely have a messy and painful situation inside. We have only big pillows sitting on top of the side tables. This is more than enough to keep the roof stretched out flat and secure.
You may find that your kids will spend all day inside the fort. My girl likes to take in her flashlight, tray table, paper and colored pencils and draw, draw, draw! She also enjoys having lunch and a snack inside.
Have you ever built an amazing fort? Ever try to make a fort two stories tall? Share your memories from your own childhood fort building.
More Indoor Fun:
Family Relays
Indoor Playtime, Outside the House