Try a Make-A-Fort Kit for Creative Play

A boy playing inside his living room fort from the Make-A-Fort kit

Thanks for Make-A-Fort for sending us a free kit to try for this post!

Fort building!

Are you wanting to keep kids busy over their break and during the cold winter months? May I suggest fort building?

When I was young, my brother and I were master fort builders. We stashed our stuff in our forts like pack rats. The grands are even better fort makers than we were.

How can fort building get any better?

Well, not far from me in central Kansas, a grandpa was pondering how to engage his grands in creative, hands-on play. A man after my own heart! He watched the grands build forts and set off to design a way for them to build forts that was re-usable and fun. Maybe he and his wife needed their kitchen chairs back, do you think? Ha!

Well, Kent nailed it after a year of working to perfect the design and materials. The result is a Make-A-Fort kit.

A whole new level!

Make-A-Fort is a new company that takes making a kid’s fort to a whole new level. It is a boxed set of 18 sturdy cardboard square panels, connectors and braces that allow kids to assemble a cardboard fort in whatever design they imagine.

Kent sent me a Make-A-Fort kit to try out with my grandkids and it was a hit!

A child piecing together the Make-A-Fort Kit

The perks of a Make-A-Fort kit

I saw a number of things that I appreciated as I watched the kids assemble their designs, tear them down and re-assemble their next design.

Problem solving

First off, the kids had to figure out how to put the Make-A-Fort kit panels together. They got all of the parts out and studied (with a bit of help) how the connectors and braces held the panels together. You could almost hear the gears in their heads turning.

Cooperation

There was definitely cooperation that needed to happen as they came up with an idea, conveyed the idea, then assembled the design. Then after some time playing, another idea was hatched and the structure was taken apart and re-assembled into the next design.

Architectural design aspect

Make A Fort has the same feel as Legos or Lincoln Logs as far as the almost architectural design aspect. I couldn’t believe the ideas that the kids came up with. The fort became a tall castle like structure, then a tunnel, next a maze and then a house with bedrooms where they slept for a couple nights. It was so cool.

A girl putting the hinges together on a Make-A-Fort Kit

It would be really cool to have more than one kit to make larger structures, but even one kit provided a lot of options.

Living room castles and mazes

Of course my living room was overtaken for a couple days but that was completely worth it to see their imaginations and cooperative play ooze out!!

When we were done, the kids just pulled it all apart and packed it back into the box to store until the next time we use it. I’m planning on taking it with me to visit another set of grands on our next trip.

You can check out the Make A Fort company through my link by clicking here. I don’t recommend anything that I don’t endorse and I am a fan of this one.

More fort ideas

More ideas for use keep popping up in our minds, I’m sure you will think of more as well.

It would be fun to use the fort for a Nerf gun contest or target practice.

Also, the kids can color on the panels if you want them to and each panel has some printed designs as well as open space for coloring.

Great as a gift

This would make a great gift to give for a birthday and the company is offering a deep sale right now as of the time of this publication.

Of course, the traditional fort making is also a favorite of mine and I hope you use this idea on a shut in day to encourage play that will last for hours.

Take a look at another fun time of epic fort building with blankets and chairs by clicking here.