How To Turn Your Kids Outdoor Wooden Playhouse Into a Ship

Ahoy, matey! If you are reading this blog, you have probably seen pictures of our Playhouse Bluebird in all its ship-inspired glory. There is nothing like encouraging your kids to use their imagination, and with the right decor and colors, you can easily turn their outdoor wooden playhouse into a ship.

If you are wondering if the Playhouse Bluebird is the right outdoor playhouse for this project, you are in luck because it makes a great house, ship, or both. Measuring 8 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet, you can rest assured this kids playhouse is spacious enough for your little sailor and their shipmates.

Pretending to sail across the ocean has never been easier than with the porch or terrace, while the loft creates the feel of an upper and lower deck. They can even look out for pirates and sea creatures with the round top window.

When your kiddo wants to pretend their playhouse is an actual house, they can make the most of their two wooden doors and four opening windows. The wooden flower boxes are perfect for both their starter garden and their ship essentials.

Let's start by getting a general idea of how to turn your outdoor playhouse into a ship.

Ship Color Scheme

The exterior of the Playhouse Bluebird is blue and white, which is a great color scheme for both a house and a ship. To be more specific, the playhouse itself is light blue, while the trim, shutters, flower boxes, porch, terrace, and other elements are white.

Exterior Accessories

You can use several exterior accessories to turn your kids playhouse into a ship, and their porch is the perfect spot to display those decorative pieces. Hang a lifesaver and fishing net on the railing of the porch. Furthermore, a steering wheel, also known as a helm, looks great on the front door.

If your kids playhouse is near the garden, add a garden flag to use as the flag of their ship.

Interior Accessories

As for the interior, you can decorate their furniture with blue and white cushions, throw pillows, or placemats. Use a wicker basket, lantern, and nautical rope to create the feeling of being on board a ship, and decorate with prints of an anchor or steering wheel, as well as other nautical-themed wall art. Finish it off with a captain's hat or sailor's hat on your kid's table.

Another idea is to stick to a specific theme, from pirates to fish, when turning your kids wooden playhouse into a ship. Of course, you want to let your kid help choose the theme. Now, the playhouses are already painted, but a DIY playhouse kit can be treated and painted to fit your kid's vision.

Day On A Sailboat

A blue and white scheme is perfect for a day on a sailboat. In addition, a few of the nautical accessories mentioned above may work for this theme, such as a fishing net and lifesaver. You can also tie a big sheet on the porch to act as a sail for their boat.

The interior of a sailboat-style playhouse may include ideas from other themes. It depends on how your kid would like to spend time on an actual sailboat, from enjoying the scenery to fishing and crabbing. Your kid may want a reading spot to relax or a toy fishing rod and binoculars for adventures.

Going on a Pirate Adventure

For a pirate ship, your kid may want to paint an untreated playhouse in brown and black. Substitute the lifesaver for a handmade anchor or canon, but leave the fishing net and steering wheel as part of the exterior decor. You may also want to make a path leading to the ship that resembles a plank.

On the inside, your kid should have everything they need for their pirate adventure, including a treasure map, a toy sword, and a spyglass. You can place their pirate gear on the table or create a spot on the wall for these items.

Instead of blue and white decor, look for wall art and throw pillows of cartoon pirates, ship flags, and treasure maps. You can even add a toy box that looks like a treasure chest.

Sailing Along The Beach

Maybe your kid wants their pretend ship to be docked at the beach. In this case, add a tan, sandy color to the floor of their blue and white outdoor playhouse, which you can achieve through area rugs.

You may decide to leave the lifesaver but remove the fishing net, and the steering wheel on the door can be swapped for seashell decor. If you really want to go all out for this theme, place beach chairs and inflatable palm trees on the porch and a sandbox several feet from the playhouse.

Decorate the inside of the playhouse with seashells, sea stars, and fish, and add a splash of yellow to create a sunny day at the beach.

Life on A House Boat

For a houseboat, think about the essentials you would need to live every day on the water, such as the lifesaver and fishing net. Add in a cozy chair to give them a place to relax, and a pretend anchor works for those days they want to dock and explore the area.

Creating a houseboat is the easiest theme because the inside should still feel like your kid's home away from home. However, you want to add sea or nautical-themed decor to ensure their space also feels like a houseboat.

One idea is to place a basket of snacks and water in their houseboat. This way, they have everything they need for their new life on the water.

Taking a Cruise Vacation

Turning their wooden playhouse into a cruise ship is sure to be a blast because it allows you to try something different from a sailboat or pirate ship.

The color scheme should be a palette that helps your child relax, which may include blue and white. While the lifesaver works for any sea or nautical theme, you can switch out the fishing net for a "Welcome Aboard" sign. Prepare the porch for your little cruiser with a comfortable chair and sunglasses for ultimate relaxation.

Inside, you want to add spots for relaxation, music, crafts, and other fun activities, as a cruise is usually full of recreational activities for guests. Decorate with prints of sea-inspired landscapes or relaxing signs, inflatable palm trees, and beach balls in the corners.

Fill up a basket or cooler with snacks, and finish it off with luau-themed plastic cups with straws for their favorite beverages.

Let's Go Fishing

A fishing theme is always a great idea for your kids playhouse. Use light or dark blue with white for this theme, or you can go with an aqua or teal shade instead of blue. The fishing net and lifesaver are perfect for this theme, and all you need to add is a bucket, toy fishing rod, and chair to the porch. Your kid may also want to switch out the steering wheel on the door for a fish.

The interior can be decorated with "Gone Fishing" signs and pictures of fish, especially fish your kid has pretended to catch during their fishing adventures. When supplying snacks, label the basket as "Bait" to add to the fun of the theme. You can also add a few cushions or pillows to their chairs for resting after their fishing trip.

On the wall or table should be your kid's fishing vest and hat, so they can easily grab their gear when they are ready to go fishing.

Exploring The Sea

Finally, turn their outdoor playhouse into a ship for exploring the sea. This is another theme that can use general or fishing exterior decor, such as a lifesaver and fishing net, but they can use either a steering wheel or fish for their door decor.

Provide your child with everything they need to explore the sea from their porch, including binoculars, swim goggles, and a chair.

Inside their wooden playhouse should be a spot for them to document their findings. For example, placing a notebook and crayons on their table allows them to write or draw the sea life found during their trip.

Instead of only decorating with fish-related signs and linen, add in sharks, whales, and other sea creatures, as well as patterns of bubbles or seaweed.

As you can see, decorating your kid's ship is the same for most nautical, beach, and sea-inspired themes, you just need to change the patterns and a few essentials, as well as the paint colors for untreated DIY playhouses.

There are many benefits of turning an outdoor playhouse into a ship, from getting your kids outside to inspiring pretend adventures. Additionally, working together to turn a playhouse into a ship is a memory your kids are sure to remember forever.

Are you thinking of ordering a wooden playhouse to turn into a ship for your little one? Look no further than the high-quality selection at WholeWoodPlayhouses.

Written by WholeWoodPlayhouses