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DaddiLife

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Family Fun

Best Children’s Playhouse (Ultimate Guide For Parents)

written by DaddiLife 28th June 2018
best children's playhouses, wooden playhouse, best playhouse for toddlers, best playhouse for kids

Playhouses are great for child development and - most importantly - loads of fun. So which one is best for you and your children?

Children love having a space to call their own, a secret den just for them. In Summer they love to set up “house” in the garden and hang out away from boring mums and dads. In winter, a playhouse can be a cosy home within your home.

Studies show that the sort of pretend play encouraged by playhouses can also help children develop creativity and social skills. Here’s our parents  guide to the very best children's playhouses around.

Table of contents
Why playhouses are great for children
Wooden Playhouse or Plastic? How to choose the right one
1. Command Post Playhouse
2. Little Tikes Town Playhouse
3. Tiny Land Teepee Tent
4. Eco Playhouse
5. Plum Wooden Teepee Hideaway
6. Dunster House Lil Lodge
7. Little Tikes Cape Cottage
Take me to all the reviews

Why playhouses are great for children

They encourage imaginative play, helping to develop creative skills. That's an area that can start in children at a young age, and keeping that sense of play is vital as they get older too.

Playhouses also encourage collaborative play, helping to develop social skills. Get 2 or more children in a playhouse and watch how quickly their team building skills start.

According to a number of studies, and even the Wall Street Journal (!) playhouses encourage autonomous play. This helps children independently develop interests and passions, and gets them working problems out for themselves.

Wooden Playhouse or Plastic? How to choose the right one

A good playhouse is a great investment, but you need the right one for both your kids and your surroundings. There’s a few questions you’ll need to ask yourself:

  • First of all, how do your children play? If they’re all-action heroes, a wooden fort or clubhouse might be the right choice. If they like “playing house,” something simpler would be more appropriate.
  • You ofcourse need to take into account the space you have. A lavish recreation of a medieval castle might be a bit much for a small apartment.
  • Other things to take into account include storage and maintenance. Does it need regular painting or waterproofing? Does it need to fold away to save space? Can you safely assemble it yourself, or might it take two of you?

With all that in mind, here’s our review of 7 of the very best playhouses for children.

1. Command Post Playhouse

£319.00 from Shedstore
best childrens playhouse, command post playhouse, wooden playhouse
Latest price on Shedstore ▷

If they’re fighting aliens, monsters or the forces of darkness, your little troopers need a place to store weapons, discuss strategy and stop for a nice drink of juice. This wooden playhouse is a great little hideaway in the garden, with three windows and two opening observation points (so no baddies can sneak up unobserved). But it does take a bit of assembly and an annual wood treatment.

Material: Wood

Assembly and maintenance: 3-5 hours (2 people) and annual treatment

Suitable for: 3+

PROs
  • It blends in well with pretty much any outdoor background.
  • Excellent for fighting/action games.
CONs
  • Less effective for games that are like 'playing house.'
  • You have to remember to treat the wood every year.

2. Little Tikes Town Playhouse

£329.99 from Early Learning Centre
best children's playhouses, little tikes, little tikes town playhouse
Latest price on Early Learning Centre ▷

At the front it’s a school, on one side a shop, on the other a petrol station and round the back a ballgame court. This great little playhouse has been made with little imaginations very much in mind, featuring four fun-packed ‘around town’ zones for countless play scenarios.

Material: Plastic

Assembly and maintenance: Flat packed - some assembly required, weather resistant

Suitable for: 2+

PROs
  • Different zones mean most children will love it.
  • Easy assembly.
CONs
  • Colourful plastic is great - but it’s no attractive garden feature.

3. Tiny Land Teepee Tent

£63.99 on Amazon
Latest price on Amazon ▷

This cosy teepee tent provides a great place to sleep, read, draw or play, both inside and out. It gives kids a sense of safety and privacy, letting them create worlds and adventures that are entirely their own. Best of all, it’s easy to put up and take down.

Material: Cotton and Wood

Assembly and maintenance: Minimal, and the cotton is machine washable

Suitable for: 3+

PROs
  • Makes an attractive bedroom feature and blends in well with most room decorations.
  • Very easy to live with.
CONs
  • Not sturdy enough for any rough and tumble action games.

4. Eco Playhouse

£29.99 from Notonthehighstreet
best children's playhouse, eco playhouse
Latest price on Not On The High Street ▷

Sometimes all kids really need to fire their imaginations is a big cardboard box. This one aids the process with readymade doors, windows and a roof. It’s easy to put together and is shipped plain so that your children can personalise it with paints or felt tips. The playhouse is made from tough recycled cardboard and easily stored when not in use.

Material: Cardboard

Assembly and maintenance: Easy assembly, inspect regularly for signs of damage

Suitable for: 18 months +

PROs
  • Very affordable and a great starter playhouse, especially for early years.
  • The clue is in the name - it's eco friendly.
CONs
  • It's a basic design so it won't last forever, but it does make for a great starter playhouse.

5. Plum Wooden Teepee Hideaway

£399.99 from eBay
Best children's playhouses, Plum Wooden Teepee Hideaway
Latest price on eBay ▷

This fine wooden wigwam is perfect for a wild west adventure, and makes an attractive feature for any garden. The sustainably sourced wood is pre-treated so you can paint or stain it in any colour you like, or leave it as it is, and there’s a fabric door so kids can use it as their own private hideaway. Be aware that it will take a couple of adults the best part of a day to put together, though. 

Material: Wood

Assembly and maintenance: 2 adults, 6 - 8 hours.

Suitable for: 3+

PROs
  • It really does look AMAZING in your garden.
  • And is made of excellent quality.
CONs
  • Not the easiest to assemble, with some parts that are best tackled by 2 people.

6. Dunster House Lil Lodge

£399.99 from Amazon
Latest price on Amazon ▷

It’s not cheap but this high quality playhouse comes with a balcony, ladder and slide, and it’s elevated position gives kids the illusion of being in their own private clubhouse, far from the adult crowd. The pressure treated timber is low maintenance and hard wearing.

Material: Wood (house) and Plastic (slide)

Assembly and maintenance: 2 adults, several hours. Comes with 10 year guarantee

Suitable for: 3+

PROs
  • Long life guarantee.
  • Made of excellent quality.
CONs
  • Not the cheapest, and there's a few more steps than average.

7. Little Tikes Cape Cottage

£358.78 from Amazon
Latest price on Amazon ▷

This fine, compact design is great if you don’t have much space, and features working doors and windows with shutters. It’s durable, easy to assemble and put away, and the Cape Cottage’s detailed brickwork design make it look like your child’s very own home.

Material: Plastic

Assembly and maintenance: Easy assembly, no maintenance

Suitable for: 2+

PROs
  • Hard wearing. Long lasting.
  • Really excellent for smaller spaces.
CONs
  • Not necessarily a 'con' per se but it has a simple design, and smaller interior than some of the others.
Best Children’s Playhouse (Ultimate Guide For Parents) was last modified: August 25th, 2021 by DaddiLife

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