Fort Building
Fort building is one of those creative play activities that can be done from ages 2 (with lots of help!) up to the teen years.
When my sons were little adventurers, they delighted in creating enchanted forts - whether at school, in our backyard, or right in the heart of our home. I discovered that having supplies neatly tucked away nearby sparked their imaginations, leading to frequent building sprees. Our living room often transformed into a fantastical construction zone, where sofa cushions became sturdy walls, kitchen chairs turned into towering turrets, and every sheet and blanket was draped like the finest silken canopies. Soon, the entire space beneath became a secret hideaway, where they and the neighborhood children would crawl in, bringing along their favorite toys and books, ready to embark on the grandest of adventures.
Our Playclips are small and easy for children to use to build their own magical fort! They will clip and securely hold Playsilks, blankets, and sheets onto tables, chairs and sofas.
Our new Playforts are the newest addition to our fort building collection. We've heard from parents and teachers how much they love how lightweight and easy the Playfort set is to build and take apart - each Playfort set comes in its own canvas bag for easy storage! See how our friend Liz and her little ones put together and decorated their Playfort here.
Secret play forts are magical places where childhood memories are made. Being given the autonomy to help create their own play space is incredibly meaningful for children - and with simple fort building tools like Playsilks and Playclips, it's easy for them to bring their dream play space to life!
I hope you'll share some ideas of how your children build forts in the comments below. We will randomly choose one winner that will receive a Playfort Kit of your choice on 8/19, closed! Melissa Alfred you won!
Everyone who enters will also receive a coupon code for 30% of Playforts on 8/19 through email
We love seeing the many ways our community uses Playsilks to make their own beautiful forts! Indoors and outdoors, big and small, here are a few examples to inspire your next fort building adventure:
Left to right:
My girls love forts! They play princess castles and secret caves. Always a great time!
Maryellen on
My two little ones are always asking their dad professional fort builder to help make them a fort. Favorites are the couch cushions propped on anything and everything!
Sarah on
We use cushions, furniture and quilts and blankets we have around the house to make forts, just like I did as a kid. We’re just getting into building forts, can’t wait for my son to start building them on his own.
Frances on
Hi there,
my husband is from the US, We live in Germany and always ask the grandparents to gift your beautiful playsilks for any occasion such as birthdays, Christmas etc. Our two girls have lots of Waldorf toys but the silks are BY FAR their favorites.
They build forts anywhere, usually, however, in the living room using all chairs, the dining table, the sofa. They use the silks to create separate rooms as well, or an add-on beach or „nearby“ river, for example. Fort-building is a daily routine at our house.
Antje on
There are two beds in my sons room, and he drapes blankets between the beds to create a fort. It becomes anything that he likes! It has been a bear’s den, a hideaway, a treasure cave. Children’s imaginations are truly the best!
Katie on
My kids love forts! They get so creative in what they use to build and how they play in the forts. So much imagination! I feel like the play clips would be a game changer!
Laura on
My little girls LIVE for making forts! Every day seems to be a new opportunity for another creative version. Forts began years ago with silks and clips and now also include a variety of beautifully patterned thrifted bedsheets we’ve collected over time, along with dining room chairs, stools, couch cushions, baskets, books and even the puppy’s crate at times. Forts can be found in our home in the middle of the kitchen, a corner of the living room, right across walkways and doorways, outside, and overtop of beds to mention a few :) They range from simple and sweet to intricate, complex works of art containing many rooms. Favorite additions include lanterns and snacks!
Katie Petry on
We currently just use the traditional tried and true method of draping blankets over chairs, the chairs being the posts. We also take off the couch cushions, balance them and drape blankets over the top.
Alissa on
While my son does not yet own a Playfort, he gets creative using a variety of materials and media that he can access to create and build his own version of a fort. He’s used couch cushions, pillows, blankets, cardboard, tape, etc. sometimes he even paints the outside of his forts to add extra details or decoration. I love to see him in his imagination while playing in a fort. We’ve built forts inside and outside in the past. He’s pretended to be Link in the Legend of Zelda before while building me a fort to hide me away as a princess he was set on protecting. Something about creating a fort is such a fun way for kids to get innovative, inventive, and artistic with their original ideas and imaginations which I love!
Molly Watko on
My son has a house frame floor bed and we love to drape blankets on top of it. We use his play scarves as curtains for any gaps between blankets!
Alysia English on
We love building forts with our silks and letting them billow in the wind!
Amyie on
What a beautiful and creative Playfort! My kids have tried many options…from cardboard boxes to couch cushions and blankets, but definitely nothing as inspiring as this!
Dana on