Family Quarantine Ideas: Building the Ultimate Furniture Forts

If you have kids, furniture forts can be an unavoidable part of your life.

If it’s in their nature, as soon as the kiddos are mobile, they begin making forts out of blankets, sheets, and furniture. They may be simple at first, using a few sofa cushions and whatever blankets they can find; but as your little architects grow, so does the size and complexity of their forts. Before you know it, your living room features multi-room structures made of pillows, tables, sofas, chairs, blankets, sheets, towels, boxes, and other “building materials” you never imagined could be used to build a fort.

As long as it is done safely, most parents don’t mind their living rooms becoming a construction zone. After all, building furniture forts can keep children occupied for hours, all the materials are readily available, and it’s an outlet to express creativity.

A time-honored rainy day activity, furniture forts are having a renaissance as one of the best quarantine ideas ever.

Furniture Fort Ideas for Family Fun

Furniture forts aren’t just for kids; adults can play, too. There are plenty of reasons to get involved: it’s great bonding time, teaches teamwork and collaboration, and provides tons of unstructured play for the kids. These things are wonderful for your child’s development, but the best reason to build a furniture fort with your kids is that it is pure, unadulterated fun.

Your children may not need directions on how to build a fort out of blankets, sheets, and furniture, but you might want a refresher. Here are some ideas to get you started.

General Supplies for Furniture Forts

• Blankets and sheets
• Couch cushions
• Dining room chairs or table
• Books for weights
• Pillows, comforters, and/or sleeping bags
• Clothespins, clamps, or large hair clips
• Twinkle lights and other decorations

Blueprint 1: Basic Furniture Fort

If your furniture fort skills are a little rusty, the basic blanket fort is an excellent place to start. This fort is so easy, you’ll probably find everything you need already in your home. You’ll need 3–6 armless dining room chairs, a few blankets or sheets, and pillows.

Step 1: Line the chairs up in two rows, approximately 4–6 feet apart, depending on the size of your room and your blanket.

Step 2: Use a chair for the back wall or build the fort next to a wall or couch.

Step 3: Add some twinkle lights, a comforter or two, and some pillows to make it cozy.

Blueprint 2: Table Tunnel Fort

This is another simple furniture fort that doesn’t require much prep and uses materials you can easily find around the house. You’ll need a dining room table or desk as the foundation, depending on how large you want your fort to be, or where you want to build it.

Step 1: Cover the table with blankets or sheets so that they puddle on the floor a bit.

Step 2: Anchor the blankets on top of the table with stacks of books to keep them from slipping.

Step 3: Pad the floor with a comforter or sleeping bag and bring in some pillows.

Step 4: Decorate with twinkle lights.

Blueprint 3: Couch Cushion Fort

This easy fort requires three couch cushions and blankets plus comforters and pillows for flooring. Choose a couch with sturdy cushions, or else you run the risk of your walls collapsing.

Step 1: Use two cushions for the wall and one for the back.

Step 2: Brace them with pillows or piles of books.

Step 3: Spread the blanket over the top and down the sides.

Step 4: Use extra blankets, comforters, and pillows for comfort inside.

Step 5: Bring snacks.

Remember, no two forts are the same, and you are only limited by your imagination. Once you get these down, consider building a two-room furniture fort!

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