I am one lucky mother. Tomorrow, I’m expecting an appliance delivery which means one important thing: we get HUGE BOXES to create forts. As a kid, I could just about live in a refrigerator box with small windows cut out.
The following guidelines to build a totally sweet indoor fort (for those of you not willing to purchase a new fridge) are excerpted from our new book Stuff Every Mom Should Know.
I searched for an old photo of Holden hanging out in a particular fort that Took Over our Living Room (with only his tushie hanging out while he played chess), but after an hour, I gave up looking. Then I spent five minutes building a new fort that will blow my kids’ minds when they get home from school.
What’s easier to build than a treehouse? With materials available in any hotel or grandma’s house? It’s a blanket fort. Once you master the basic skills, you can tweak it into a cozy den for one or many.
A blanket fort is fun to play in and easy to build.
Materials needed:
Soft things:
- blankets
- bed sheets
- pillows
- sofa cushions
Connectors:
- binder clips
- rubber bands
- painters’ tape
- safety pins
Construction Steps
- Survey your landscape and choose an area that is out of the way of traffic, but fortified with strong furniture. Your foundation can be a bunk bed, dining table, chairs, or a flipped-over couch.
- Begin with your foundation, spread the blankets and drape over other pieces of furniture. Use additional sheets and blankets to add more room in the fort. Use your connectors to join sheets and blankets together to keep the sheets from falling down. Wherever you see sags in the sheets, simply bring in another chair or support to get the sheet to the desired height.
- Create a door so you can enter and exit without having to take the fort apart. Leave an opening on the side of your fort for a door or prop up a tunnel using couch cushions. Pillows are good for seating and propping up walls or doors. A quilt also makes a good fort floor.
- Stock your fort with necessary supplies. This will include whatever age-appropriate items your kid wants: stuffed animals, snacks, sleeping bags, flashlights, puzzles, or books.
Step back and enjoy your awesome creation. It’s time to play. Whether used as a cozy place to snuggle with your child or the nook you send your privacy-seeking little one, a blanket fort is a terrific way to pass a sick day or rainy afternoon.
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- Tucking in excess blanket into the bunk
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- Using painters tape to secure blanket to bunk
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- Using a binder clip to secure blanket to chair
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- View of fort from the inside
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- Finished fort kicks ass
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- Books by the front door
Sometimes we feature excerpts and inspiration from our second book, Stuff Every Mom Should Know, available on Amazon.
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Want another DIY project for parents? We have a bunch on our Makin’ It series page.
I have so many pix of the kids in their forts! They love being served lunch while inside, it’s like room service in the world’s smallest hotel room. We just got bunk beds and I know that there will be a fort installed within the first 24 hours the beds are put up.
Big boxes are especially awesome for fort foundations and other playtime adventures. I swing by the local appliance store for large empty boxes. I can fit a dishwasher box in the cargo space of my CR-V, but a van or truck would be necessary for a refrigerator box. (Or a new fridge!)