How to Make a Fort at Home
Homemade forts give children a sense of having a space of their own to hide, play and use their imaginations. When your children are bored and looking for something to do, you can help them create their own fort with items you already have around the house. Put the fort in a bedroom, playroom, basement or living room and the kids can entertain themselves for hours. You can use some homemade forts outside as well.
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Things You'll Need
- Rope
- Blankets or sheets
- Clothespins
- Cardboard box
- Markers
- Razor blade or utility knife
Instructions
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Blanket Fort
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1
String rope across the room from one piece of furniture to another. Chairs, beds and dressers make good choices. If you can, tie the rope around each piece of furniture. Otherwise, wrap it around a protruding part, such as a chair rung, bedpost or drawer knob. This creates the framework for the fort.
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2
Drape lightweight blankets and sheets over the ropes and furniture so the blankets and sheets hang down and create the tops and sides of the fort. Use clothespins to clip blankets and sheets together for a solid wall.
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3
Use various odds and ends, such as broomsticks, chairs or pool noodles, to hold up parts of the fort that sag due to further distance between the ropes.
Cardboard Fort
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4
Keep a cardboard box from a major appliance purchase, such as a refrigerator, washer or dryer.
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5
Flip the box upside down so the sides are the walls and the bottom becomes the roof. If the bottom was cut off, leave it right-side up so the top is the roof.
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6
Ask your child to draw a door, windows and any other features he wants on the fort.
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7
Cut out the door and windows with a razor blade or utility knife. Cut only two of the sides for the door, leaving one side attached so the door can open and close.
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8
Attach several boxes together, cutting out the sides where they connect to create an even bigger fort with multiple rooms.
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Tips & Warnings
Let your children help you design the fort to give them a sense of accomplishment.
Bunk beds make for easy forts by hanging blankets or sheets down from the top bunk to enclose the bottom one.
References
- Photo Credit Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images
