Summertime is here, the kids are sleeping in some, running around and playing outside, soaking up the sunshine, and enjoying the sweet outdoors. A break from school is needed for kids but as parents, we often worry they may forget some of the things they have learned over the course of the school year. You may be looking for ways to keep the kids learning while having fun this summer. You may not have thought about a Fort Magic fort building kit for summertime learning. Forts are a great way to keep your kids learning and having fun at the same time!
Summertime Learning with Fort Building
Forts are a great part of childhood! Children as young as 3 can start the building and learning process. If you have ever sat and watched your kids build a fort, you can see their eyes light up, how they get inspired, and how they make the structures. They will be engaged for hours with the design, building, and play that comes with forts.
Anytime we can give our kids an opportunity to have fun, stay engaged, and support their learning and development, we tend to jump at the chance. Fort Magic is this opportunity. So how can they help kids learn?
Fort building is an awesome way for kids to think like an engineer. As your kids engage in the process of planning, trying new techniques, and making adjustments to the designs, they are exploring STEM concepts and are learning problem-solving.
Expanding Critical Thinking Skills
Forts also make your kids use critical thinking skills. Transforming everyday objects like old sheets, towels, curtains, and clothes into a fort castle, house, spaceship, or cave supports their divergent thinking. This is a skill that helps with creativity and helps kids come up with solutions to their problems. These are skills they will need throughout life in all types of situations.
As your kids are playing together in the fort, they will learn how to share and work together. As they play and get a little loud and rowdy, the fort covers tend to fall, a side may come off, or even the top. They may have a loose end too. They can work together or work on patience, not getting frustrated, and develop persistence as they build and rebuild and rebuild.
Have Kids with Sensory Issues?
Forts can also help kids with sensory issues. As they maneuver their bodies and heads in different ways to crawl through all the tunnels and openings, they help activate the senses that support balance, muscle coordination, attention, and focus. They will use their hands to connect the pieces of the fort and this will work on their hand-eye coordination.
The inside of forts seem to be less stimulating for kids and gives them time to sit, relax, wind down, and have a good time. A summertime learning fort can give your kid a chance to escape the real world and have a few minutes of quiet time. This can teach them how to destress, clear their mind, and enjoy alone time.
How You Can Help
When it comes to fort play and summertime learning, there are several ways you can help. Help your kids gather the materials they may need for fort building. Old sheets, towels, and blankets are great for fort covers. Another thing is a notebook and a pencil to design forts and draw them out. If the kids want things to add to the fort, you can help them gather those materials.
As you are gathering materials, ask your kids open-ended questions. Ask them how they will use the sheet to build the fort or what design they think will be their favorite. Help your kids think outside of the box to come up with forts ideas. Time them to see who can build a fort the fastest. Invite them to use their imagination and problem-solving skills. Have them come up with materials you didn’t gather for fort building.
Make sure you encourage and welcome any and all ideas the kids may have. Teach them that persistence pays off in the long run and eventually they will build the perfect fort. Have them try out different construction techniques, sizes, and shapes to see what works the best.
More Summertime Learning Fort Ideas
Here are a few of the ways we think your kids will have fun playing and building forts:
Animal play – have your kids pretend to be their favorite animal and build a special home they would like to live in.
Playschool – have the kids build a school fort. They can playschool and not even realize they are actually learning.
Cooking- give your kids some extra plastic bowls, cups, and other kitchen items you have. Have the kids pretend to cook or even make a simple thing such as cookies and lemonade. Gather the ingredients together they will need and have them play cook in their own special fort.
Eat a meal – kids love doing things together as a family, Why not have a family dinner in the fort? Eat a small snack together or a simple dinner of pizza in your kids’ secret hideaway.
Fort Magic Fun
This summer when the kids seem to be bored, think about bringing out the Fort Magic fort building kit. Our kits are loved by teachers. educators, parents, and kids, and are multi-award-winning. The kits come with everything you need to build the perfect fort. Over 300 pieces and a full-color manual is provided to get you started.
What will your kids build first? Let us know! We would love to hear from you! For more fort ideas visit our website and read our older blogs.
Photo Credits:
Kids Activities Blog: A tremendous resource on all things kids-activities based, you can explore hundreds of ideas for learning and playtime for children and families ages toddler – teens.
