Nature forts
Whether it’s indoors or out, making a cubby house or fort is a favourite activity for many children. The structure itself can range from simple to elaborate and creates opportunity for all kinds of learning and fun. Resilience, teamwork, imagination, and independence are just some of the joys that can be found inside a fort!
When you think of making a fort, with your children or when you were a child yourself, you may fondly recall cosying up under a blanket balanced over the dining room table. Warm and dry inside, possibly escaping the wintery weather outside. But have you ever thought to take the fun outside? Outdoor or nature-based forts are a just as much fun as indoor ones, and the cushions can stay on the couch!
The creation of these spaces, and the play that takes place inside them, opens up a world of learning and opportunity for little minds.
Resilience and teamwork
Think about the process of a real house being built. Who is in charge of design? What materials do we need? Who makes sure it’s functional? Are the people who build the house the same people who will live in the house? What happens if it falls down!? Building a fort in the backyard or local natural space is just the same. All that planning, decision making, and negotiation promotes children to work together as a team and builds their resilience as they work through challenges that arise.
Independence
For a young child, a cubby house or fort is more than just a game. It is a space that is all theirs, and one where they can make the rules! Children will often shut the “door”, block adults from coming into their fort, or create rules about who can go where and when. This is all part of their learning boundaries and independence, important skills that they will carry for the rest of their life!
Imagination
A child’s imagination will run wild in these spaces. Given the time and space, a child will turn an old sheet draped over a branch into the most wonderful place on earth - a shop, a fairy garden, a hospital, a train. The possibilities are endless, as are the memories being made.
To get you started, here are some ideas of things you could include in your outdoor fort building: pegs, sticks of all shapes and sizes, some bigger branches, old blankets and sheets, logs or stumps, rope or string.
