The Playful Parent™

Fort Fun

It’s pretty common for kids to have cool outdoor play structures these days—even ones that have rooms or “forts” built in. But even if you have one of these fancy pre-built huts there’s something great about building your own. Let the young architects and dreamers in your home explore and invent—and join them in the fun.

Summary: Build a fort together!
Best For: Preschool through preteen
Supplies: Whatever your imagination tells you you’ll need as you create!

Ready to Go!

Making a fort can be as easy as tossing a sheet or blanket over a table and crawling underneath, or as complicated as building something with boards, hammers, and nails. But for today, think on the simpler side. You don’t want to have to get a building permit!

Get inventive. Big boxes are a BLAST! Cut windows in them, tape a few together to make rooms and tunnels, and decorate the walls with crayons. Blankets, sheets, and couch pillows make nifty hideouts—and are fun and cozy to sleep in as well! A board or two that you can lean against something works, or go outside and lean big branches against the side of the house or garage, then sneak behind it all and spy on the neighborhood. If you’re small enough, under the bed is good, or hang sheets from the sides of the bunk bed to make a hideaway under the top bunk.

Once your fort is done, get in with your child and see what adventures you can have. You can play cards, watch cartoons through one of your windows or peepholes, squirt someone with a water pistol, pretend you’re in a castle or flying an airplane, and so much more! Let your imaginations go!

Bonus

If you can fit a pop-up tent inside your home, it will make your kids squeal with delight! Set one up in the basement or another large area on a rainy day. Eat all your meals inside, play games in there, and even take a nap inside. Doing something that’s meant for the outdoors while you’re indoors makes it seem like an adventure—so make it one.

--Mike & Amy Nappa

Why We Play

Research has shown that the ability to play is a critical part of maintaining a happy lifestyle, of sustaining social relationships, and fostering a creative and innovative personality.

Play actually shapes the neuron paths in the brain and makes us smarter and more adaptable to life circumstances.

Additionally, a healthy play-life as a child is a surprisingly accurate predictor of career success as an adult. 1

And...it's fun to play. So what are you waiting for? Use this Playful Parent idea to share a little bit of play-life with your children today!

1. Source: Play by Stuart Brown, M.D. (New York: Avery, a member of the Penguin Group USA, 2009.) Pp. 4-13