Creating Kids Sleepover Forts for the Ultimate Hideaway
Posted December 31, 2017 by Fort Magic
For most kids, sleepovers are a rite of passage. They’re an opportunity to get together with their best friends. The focus is on telling stories, watching movies, eating together, and enjoying each other’s company. And your kids are probably always begging you to let them sleepover at a friend’s house, or allow their friends to come over to yours. This typically starts for 8-year-olds, tweens, and for 13-year-olds. The only issue is keeping them happily occupied. Thankfully, there are ways that you can set up fun sleepover activities with these ideas that your kids are sure to remember for years to come!
Sleepover Activities & Ideas
One idea is to help them build a sleepover fort. Building a fort can be one of the best ways to keep your kids busy at a sleepover, and this can be for 8-year-olds, tweens, or even 13-year-olds. Plus, they are also developing lifelong skills and memories. Forts are the perfect additions to any child’s slumber party. Everyone gets to sleep in a unique location that’s entirely for kids. And they can design their sleepover fort to be the perfect hideaway with no adults allowed! (No need to mention you’ll be trying to listen to the giggling and good times in the next room.)
1. Let the Fort Building Begin
To build a sleepover fort, merely grab a Fort Magic fort-building kit and let everyone get creative! Before you set out to create the fort, talk to your kids about what kind of design they imagine. There are many options to consider! Kids can make nearly anything into a “sleeping” fort, from a princess castle to a ship. Help them as needed but also step away, so they learn about teamwork and problem-solving.
During the construction process, kids will also have a great learning experience. Which part fits into which? How do they know? What step comes next? Suddenly kids are using critical thinking, planning, and basic engineering. And they didn’t even step into a school classroom to learn!
2. Decorating the Sleepover Fort
After the frame of the fort is set up, it’s time to cover and decorate it. Gather together as many sheets, scarves, and blankets as you’d like. The idea is to make it cozy, so the more, the better, especially in the winter months when it’s likely to be cold. Start by draping the sheets over the frame of the fort to make the walls. Roll up the sheet, so it fits perfectly over the fort. Then attach the rolled-up ends to the frame with clips. You can roll them down a bit to cover the clip and make it look natural.
Once this is done, you can add blankets to the sides for insulation, or save them for the inside, laying them down on the ground to create a warm covering. Add several pillows to make the fort more comfortable. And, if there’s room, hang up some tea lights for a soft aesthetic. Your kids will love how easy it is to sleep in their new fort, and you can get some great photos of them reading or playing inside.
3. It’s Time for More Fun
Once you have a fort set up, there are countless activities and ideas the kids can enjoy together during the sleepover. To start, you can have them craft together, using simple materials like pipe cleaners and construction paper to make costumes for themselves. Then they can act out scenes from their favorite books, movies, or TV shows. Hold a costume contest or a “fashion show” for them to show off what they’ve made. Or have each child guess what the others are supposed to be. Make sure to include games, snacks, and cool prizes for everyone!
You can also designate the sleeping fort a “reading fort” where they can read stories to each other before going to bed. Kids often enjoy using flashlights to read, as it creates more of a spooky and intriguing atmosphere. Make sure to have plenty on hand for everyone. You can have the kids take turns, or you can read to them yourself, before letting them (try to) fall asleep inside their cozy sleepover fort!
How do you use fort building to create super kids sleepover parties or have other sleepover activities and ideas that we haven’t thought of? Share your ideas with us below!
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Photo Credits:
The Artful Parent Blog: One of our absolute favorite creative blogs for children and families. The Artful Parent blog is filled with simple ideas to fill your family’s life with art and creativity. A must-see blog for sure.
Learn With Play At Home Blog: An inspiring educational blog created by a primary teacher that strongly believes in making learning FUN & seamless through childhood playtime ideas and activities.
Fort Magic Customer Photos via Facebook: Visit our Fort Magic Facebook page to see our customer creativity shine with fun pics and videos of families enjoying their Fort Magic kit during playtime.
Fort Magic Customer Photos via Instagram: Visit our Fort Magic Instagram page to see our customer creativity shine with fun pics and videos of families enjoying their Fort Magic kit during playtime.
