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:
We love using our pikler triangle for forts! The giant playsilk works over the triangle climbing sides to create a cozy little reading fort underneath.
Lianne on
When my daughter discovered her own love for forts, it started with a simple game of hiding under a blanket, giggling in the dark. Watching her creativity unfold was magical. Inspired by our own fort-building experiences, dad and I wanted to foster her imagination even more. We started using blankets and pillows to build in her room, sparking hours of play.
To support her creativity and keep the adventure alive, we dream of a fort kit like Sarah’s Skills. It would transform her room into a magical space for building new forts daily, enhancing her playtime and endless imagination. Winning a Playfort Kit would be the perfect way to fuel her creative journey!
Char Gaines on
We kids like to hang playsilks on our Pikler triangle using the play clips! The different colored and themed silks change the type of fort they’re in.
Katherine on
My toddler loves to use her old swaddling blankets across the dining table – we add pillows, stuffies, and a flashlight for a complete secret fort!
Christine on
My kids LOVE to make play forts! It happens almost daily. They currently use couch cushions and pillows mostly but have used everything from kitchen chairs and blankets to their bunk beds with blankets tucked in the top bunk hanging down, to large sticks and tree branches with tarps outside to create their magical worlds.
Alyson on
Every day, we take all of the cushions and pillows we can find together and build them wherever my little one picks! We will usually use throw blankets or muslin blankets inside and as covers!
Veronica on
My daughter loves forts made of couch cushions and sheets!
Angelle on
We love building forts here with our Nugget and Giant Playsilks! We also love using the wooden clips to attach the playsilk to chairs.
Kristal on
I love the size of the giant and double playsilks. My grandsons put them over the front stairs and play dragons / knights with the silk swords. Their mom showed them they could use the space under the stairs in the basement to make a cave they could leave up – and she got her front stairway back!
Grandma G on
From bedroom pillow forts, dining room tables & chairs, to brush overhanging a small dirty pad, even clothing racks in stores, yikes! My kids have been building forts for 20+ years. I discovered silks with my youngest who is coming into her for building years. She loves having a giant rainbow silk draped over her bed. Her six year old sister makes forts daily and we’ve recently been collected long branches for a teepee. It’s my favorite part of seeing the make-believe world through my children’s eyes.
Rebecca on
My children are obsessed with building forts. They will do it for hours.
Robyn on
Our girls, 5 & 2 will build out of anything….. nugget, couches. Favorite play activity! Love this new play fort idea, ideal for endless play without having to tear apart our home 😊
Celeste Lesco on