eParenting is supported by our readers. When you purchase through a link on this page, we may earn commission.
Did you love to hide away in a play house, Wendy House or play tent when you were young? Did you maybe build a pillow fort or create a den from chairs and blankets? You could pretend it was the clubhouse for your secret society or that you were lost in the woods and found a gingerbread cottage...
Maybe you just wanted a few minutes peace and quiet, hidden away in a quite corner, or perhaps you wanted to squash as many friends, toys and siblings into your den as possible.
Allowing a child to create a little space of it's own is an important part of imaginative play and role playing, and a playhouse or playtent is the perfect way to encourage this without the kids totally rearranging the furniture and stripping the beds.....
Pop-up playhouses can be assembled instantly and are quick to fold up and store at tidying up time. Cardboard playhouses can be decorated by kids with paint, pens, pencils or crayons and while fabric playhouses including shops and cottages are quick and easy to assemble as well.
Boys and girls will love these indoor playhouses, which promote imaginative play for children as part of role-playing games.
This traditionally styled Fabric Play Hut With Cat Design from Vertbaudet is made from cotton with a wood frame. Along with the adorable cat and garden design on the outside it has a window with a blind that can be closed, and the opening can either be tied back of closed as well.
Or is you prefer, the 3 sides can all be rolled up to open the house up completely.
Made from 100% candy pink cotton, the Gingerbread Cottage playhouse is appliquéd and embroidered with cupcakes, gingerbread men and lollipops.
The windows and door are edged with pretty pink gingham and have pretty lace curtains. The playhouse comes with a light aluminium frame and its own storage bag.
Get under the sea with this cute and adorable Mermaid Playhouse with it's mermaids and octopus, swimming away in the seaweed.
Also available in blue, this tent can accomodate 3-4 children and has windows in the roof, round side windows and comes with a padded playmat and curtains.
This robust Recycled Cardboard Rocket is great for creative kids as it can be decorated any way you like, with pens, pencils, collage or paint. Then it can be folded away easily afterwards for tidy storage.
This beautiful 2 in 1 fabric Rose Cottage and Tea Shop Playhouse from Kiddiewinkles really does have two identities - on one side is a cottage with a picket fence, the other a tea shop, both of which are appliqued and embroidered.
The curtains can even be opened and closed and the whole thing is 100% cotton .
Available in 4 colours - orange, pink, grey and purple - the Castle Play Tent quickly pops up anywhere and folds up small for storage.
Lovely as a hideaway or a reading nook, this playhouse can be easily wiped clean.
This calm neutral Playhouse Tent from Kid's Concept is made from 100% cotton with a pine tent frame, which you tie the playhouse to.
You could also roll up the sides and transform it into a shop or cafe, with their play food. Take it outside and use as shelter on a sunny day, or invite all your toys over for a tea party!
Let the kids get creative and save your furniture and favourite cushions from destruction with the Toobeez Giant Fort Construction Set!! This set of rods and ball connectors allow the kids to build their own fort structure in any configuration they want. Just add blankets...
Use the lightweight, durable tubes and chunky connectors to build dens, play forts and more! The construction system is simple to use and completely reusable so you can use the 34 tubes and 20 connectors again and again.
Not only is the Early Learning Centre UV Sun Tent a fun pop-up tent that folds up really small when not in use, in the summer it will make a great retreat for the kids to keep them safe from the sun in the garden or at the beach.
This official Volkswagen Camper Van Kids Pop Up Tent with it's pop up construction and take down just as easily, so they can start playing in their very own campervan play tent with ease. Can fit up to three children inside. Also available in pink and blue.
Perfect for boys or girls this lovely calming Handcrafted Fabric Playhouse is lovingly handmade to heirloom quality, this playtent will offer many happy years of play and is designed to be treasured and passed down through the family.
The fabric is 100% cotton and the frame is easy to put up. When required the play tent packs away neatly into it's own storage bag.
The large, sturdy corrugated Fire Engine Playhouse stands more than three feet tall and four feet long and is covered with vibrant, full-color artwork.
Packed with playful details, such as hoses, dials, and an exciting dashboard with GPS, the playhouse includes back doors that open and close, warning lights on the roof, a gas tank that opens for fill-ups, and windows on all four sides to let in lots of light. There's even a free-standing corrugate fire hydrant!
Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, this Wigwam Teepee Play Tent has Native American design motifs, wooden poles and is made from robust canvas. Easy to assemble and put away. Just keep an eye out for the cowboys now......
Prepare for battle and slay the dragon! Brave knights and fair maidens will have a real adventure in this Medieval Castle Playhouse from Little Mischiefs.
The play tents are designed in the UK and hand made in rural India by a fair trade company.
Shaped like a camper van, the Peppa Pig Camper Van Playhouse can be used indoors on rainy days (once they've finished jumping in muddy puddles of course!) or in the garden when the sun comes out.
Its fun features include a peek-a-boo window, fold-out door, canopy and a front window that lets your little ones pretend they're driving off with Peppa, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig on a summer holiday adventure.
