Get the Most Out of Your Playhouse! How To Make a Playhouse Even More Fun

Getting an outdoor playhouse is a great idea on its own. Millions of parents worldwide, as well as psychology and education experts, claim that nothing helps kids develop social skills, spend more time outdoors and boost up their creativity better than a wooden playhouse.

But let's be fair, every parent knows that no matter how cool a new toy is and how excited kids may get about it in the beginning, there is a huge chance that they will simply lose interest after several weeks and go back to watching TV and playing video games all day long.

And since a quality wooden playhouse is not a cheap trinket and requires a certain level of maintenance and arrangements, many parents appear pretty hesitant about the idea of getting their case an outdoor playhouse.

However, a playhouse is not another toy. It is a whole experience, an endless source of fun and creative playtime, bonding experiences, family traditions, and lifetime memories.

In this article, we shall talk about how you and your kids can get the most out of an outdoor playhouse and make it a part of your family's legacy rather than just another backyard toy.

DIFFERENT STYLES, SIZES & PRICES

Wooden playhouse in white color in a corner of a backyard with lights next to a tree  by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse
Snowy Owl

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Wooden DIY Playhouse Kit painted blue in a backyward by WholeWoodPlayhouses

DIY Kit
Little Cottage

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Outdoor playhouse in white with two levels, slide and flowers boxes in a backyard by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse
Princess

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Why Did You Get an Outdoor Playhouse in the First Place?

Today you may find lots of modern toys and games created to help your kids develop different skills, boost up their creativity, challenge them physically and mentally.

What is so special about the "ancient" concept of an outdoor playhouse, then?

In fact, child behavior and development experts agree that even the simplest wooden playhouse provides more opportunities for kids to develop and thrive than the most advanced table game or a toy.

The secret is the so-called "free play." It means that playing in an outdoor playhouse, your kids are not restricted by any rules, demands, or regulations rather than those that they set themselves. For example, if they look for treasure, there are no prescribed set of actions that they need to fulfill in order to set the goal. Kids invent them on the go. The same would be true if a playhouse becomes a superhero headquarters, a shop, or a clinic for stuffed toys.

Unlike many people may think, the idea of letting kids set their own rules and follow them in the game is not anarchy. It is a powerful psychological tool that helps a kid's brain understand why people are behaving in a certain way and what is the point of social, moral, and other norms that adults teach them.

In other words, an outdoor playhouse is indeed not just another toy. Whether you choose a DIY Playhouse Kit Little Tower or a two-story Custom Wooden Playhouse, it can become a whole world for your kid, their happy place and tool to discover the world and understand it better.

Now that we have figured out why would you want to get a wooden playhouse for your kids and how it can contribute to their happy childhood, social skills, and creativity, let's see how you can "keep the fire burning" and have fun with the kids playhouse on the way also.

Introduce the Props and Accessories

While a playhouse itself will encourage your kids imaginative play, it is very important to boost up their enthusiasm and help them to get the most out of the experience.

Getting the props and accessories for the playhouse that will help to decorate and equip it according to the kids vision is not only a way to encourage them but also an opportunity for parents to participate and learn more about their kids, their interests, and personalities.

It is also the best way to make a playhouse makeover easy and fun. Suppose your outdoor playhouse used to be a superheroes headquarters and therefore had binoculars, toy cell phones, computers, and all other equipment essential for hunting the villains. One day your kids may decide that from now on, they are scientists, merchants, artists, or plush-toy vets.

Ripping off the DC posters and filling the playhouse with the "Young Chemist" kits, craft supplies, etc., you will be able to keep track of how your kids change, develop, find new passions and their place in the world.

With the simplest play props and your encouragement, the playhouse will transform and stay relevant for your kids for many years, and you will have a chance to stay involved and connected with the kids even when they will go through different "phases."

“What I have got from my childhood aren't toys, but memories. And happy memories are better than any toy. ”
-River Phoenix

Wooden Playhouse Maintenance Can Be Fun!

No matter how beautiful and sophisticated your custom playhouse might have been the day you got it, kids will naturally lose interest and even start avoiding it if you neglect it and stuff it with old toys and junk.

It is very important to remember that an outdoor playhouse is not a shed. It is the same living space for your kid's imagination as the main house is for the family. Therefore, your outdoor playhouse deserves some attention, maintenance, and annual renovation.

In fact, there are several ways you and your kids will benefit from the annual wooden playhouse renovation:

  • It will help to keep the house clean and safe for the kids;
  • It is your chance to teach the kids some new skills, introduce them to tools and manual labor;
  • It is a way to get kids involved in the playhouses decoration and makeover and therefore makes them feel more connected and excited about spending time there later on;
  • Last but not least, an outdoor playhouse is an investment in your property. A well-maintained wooden playhouse in a backyard adds a lot of value to the house if you decide to put it on the market one day.

Whether we are talking about the annual seasonal staining of your wooden playhouse or an overall makeover and repainting, regular maintenance is another essential way to keep your kids excitement fresh and get the most out of your outdoor playhouse.

CHECK OUT OUR OUTDOOR PLAYHOUSES

Kids Outdoor Playhouse Blackbird with Black Roof, Wooden Terrace and White Railing on the Backyard by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse
Blackbird

Yellow Outdoor Playhouse with Gambrel roof, wooden patio and white railing by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse
Sunny Sadie

 Kids Playhouse Snowy Owl with black trims, wooden terrace and flower boxes in the garden by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse
Snowy Owl

Make Your Playhouse Fun all Year Round

Most people think that a wooden playhouse is purely a summer toy. That is why families that live in areas with snowy winters and rainy falls often don't even consider getting an outdoor playhouse for their kids.

However, it is not entirely true. The best thing about wooden playhouses is that you can easily winterize and waterproof them the same as you would do with your own house, a garage, or an outdoor tool shed.

With several products from your local hardware store, pretty basic skills, or the assistance of a local handyperson, you can easily make the wooden playhouse warn and safe for the kids to play in all year round.

Moreover, there are lots of ways to customize wooden playhouses and keep them relevant for any season. It can be a headquarters and arsenal for the water battles in summer and snowball fights in winter. Your playhouse would be a perfect location for slumber parties during the summer break and a Christmas fair booth during the Holiday Season.

There are lots of creative, inexpensive, and exciting ways to customize a wooden playhouse for every holiday or occasion and make it the center of everyone's attention all year round and for many years.

Your tower playhouse with a sandbox will easily transform into a snow fortress in winter, can become a seedbed in Spring and a lighthouse in the middle of the storm in fall.

There are lots of ways and ideas in our blog and all over the Internet to customize and renovate a playhouse, and wooden playhouses provide an endless field for your kids imagination and creativity as well as your crafty skills.

An outdoor playhouse is an integral part of the classic happy childhood image. And there are lots of reasons for that. Kids who grow up with a playhouse in their backyard spend more time outdoors, get a chance to develop their creativity and imagination naturally, and tend to process their emotions and impressions from the world in the healthiest way through imaginative play.

Such children grow up to be creative, open-minded, and balanced personalities who know how to express their own feelings and learn to appreciate and value other people's world vision.

They are more connected with their parents and other family members thanks to all those hours they have spent together planning another playhouse renovation, painting the walls, or making and hanging Christmas garlands.

“To stimulate creativity one must develop childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition.”
- Albert Einstein

Written by WholeWoodPlayhouses

CHECK OUT OUR OUTDOOR PLAYHOUSES

Blue and white Outdoor Playhouse with white Flower boxes and the round top window in a backyard by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse Bluebird

White and light gray Wooden Playhouse with natural color fishbone door, wooden terrace with white railing by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse Grand Farmhouse

Outdoor Playhouse Plum with white flower boxes, wooden terrace and red herringbone door by WholeWoodPlayhouses

Playhouse Plum