Just the anticipation of hiding away in a blanket fort is sure to made any toddler giggle with excitement, let alone an adult. But no matter how hard I used to try to create the perfect magical fort, that sucker always seemed to slide off of the chairs, fall off of the couches and crumble onto the floor. Talk about heart-breaking disappointment!
I’m going to give you the ultimate secret on how to build the best DIY easy blanket forts around that your kids will love and will stay up! It only takes minutes to set up, so you can pull this together even on a weeknight without a second thought.
All you need is:
- A table
- 2 blankets, quilts, comforters or sheets
- Couch cushions
Yes, that’s really all you need!
To make our instant fort, we grabbed two picnic quilts. You could just as easily use sheets; however, the quilts do a bang-up job of blocking out the light so it feels that much more enclosed. I mean, if you’re going to make a fort, you might as well make it feel like a cave.
If you have a rectangular table, put the edge of one blanket at the center of your table and lay it down over the end of the table. Place the other blanket on the other side. To create a door entrance, all you need to do is grab the corner of the blanket where they meet, turn it up in a triangle and lay the extra fabric onto the table.
If you’re using a sheet or something light weight, you can easily keep the fabric in place with clothes pins or chip clips. I wouldn’t recommend putting anything on the table to hold it in place as your kiddo could easily pull it off.
We took our couch cushions and placed them under the table. Who wants to lay on a hardwood floor, right? And to make it feel like a complete cushion, we threw on an additional blanket over the cushions. It became like a mini bed in the fort.
Easy Blanket Fort, Movie Night and Popcorn
We decided to make our fort like a cave and turn it into a mini movie theater. I threw in a camping lantern so the boys would have some light underneath the table but they weren’t having it once they pulled down the quilt corners. In complete darkness, the two of them laid out on the couch cushions. I set up my computer and popped in Dragons: Riders of Berk.
What movie night would be complete without popcorn?
The boys settled in and watched for a full hour without a peep. My husband and I kept trying to sneak in but we were banned. Banned! From my own blanket fort! (Sigh.) Well, I guess that’s a sign that the evening was a hit.
I figured I would have to at least sweep up the floor when we put the fort away. Nope. Our Boston Terrier Lucy was more than happy to oblige and catch any remaining uneaten kernels.
Don’t feel like making your own fort? Try these pre-made items through the following affiliate links:
CouponGal (Andi) says
January 27, 2015 at 9:37 ameasy enough 😀
Ben says
January 27, 2015 at 10:10 amMy boys love building blanket forts….and I have to admit I do too. Great tips.
lorrin says
January 27, 2015 at 10:15 amthis post has given me something to do with the boys who are stuck inside all day! thanks!
Jennifer Hughes says
January 27, 2015 at 10:35 amHA! Loads of families are stuck inside today. Have fun! I really can’t believe I didn’t figure out to put the blanket OVER the table sooner… the fort stayed up for the entire evening 🙂
Brandi says
January 27, 2015 at 10:32 amBlanket forts are a right of passage for kids! Everyone should experience the joy of the ultimate indoor activity. Can’t wait until we have more room so that the kids can do things like this without running over each other or an animal.
Jennifer Hughes says
January 27, 2015 at 10:39 amLOL. I understand that! I have to say that having the fort UNDER the table meant we didn’t take up precious floor space in another part of the house.
Erinn S says
January 27, 2015 at 10:43 amFun post! We sure have had some fort fails throughout the years
Jennifer Hughes says
January 27, 2015 at 11:08 amFort fails is right! I used to hate making forts because they would crumble and the boys would cry. I recently figured out this trick … wish I had figured it out sooner!
aimee fauci says
January 27, 2015 at 10:51 amLove Pop Secret and can’t wait to print off their coupon. Forts are fun, if you do them right.. Yours is great.
Jennifer Hughes says
January 27, 2015 at 11:09 amThanks, Aimee! I was so tired of the kids forts breaking down (and of course the crying that followed — mine included ;-). Enjoy the Pop Secret and go make your own fort. (Sharing with the kids is optional.)
Alison says
January 27, 2015 at 11:04 amYa know, I never really thought of using the kitchen table, but that’s perfect! I may have to do that for my kiddos this weekend – they would love it!! Thank you for sharing!
Jennifer Hughes says
January 27, 2015 at 11:10 amOh definitely do try it! I was so sick of the forts falling apart and the boys being upset because it wouldn’t last. Now I set them up and it doesn’t fall down! They literally hung out for more than an hour last night and it was easy to put away, too.
Stephanie Keeping says
January 27, 2015 at 1:21 pmHow fun! My son loves making forts.
Jennifer Hughes says
January 28, 2015 at 8:31 amWe absolutely love love love forts. Can’t believe it took me so long to finally figure out how to make one that doesn’t fall down. ha!
Laura Funk says
January 27, 2015 at 2:19 pmI so should have used my table! I used our tall chairs but the table looks like a much better option! Great post
Jennifer Hughes says
January 28, 2015 at 8:32 amI used to use our chairs and the blankets would always slip off. Drove me crazy! I can’t believe it took me this long to figure this trick out 🙂
C.K. at 50daysofnogrey says
January 27, 2015 at 4:28 pmWe build a lot of forts, but we have never used the dining table. What a great idea – my kids will love it!
Jennifer Hughes says
January 28, 2015 at 8:32 amDefinitely try it! It has changed the whole fort idea for us…. and it lasts 🙂
Nancy Lowell says
January 27, 2015 at 5:48 pmJenny, that fort is so cool! Too bad no one in my house is young enough to enjoy it…
Before you pop another bag of PopSecret, please do a little research about what those bags are lined with (because it’s not an ingredient they are not obliged to disclose) then buy a great Whirly Pop and pop your own! (I’m serious.)
Briton says
January 27, 2015 at 10:38 pmWe LOVE blanket forts at our house! My kids have bunk beds so they are masters at shoving blankets under the top mattress to make their forts!
Jennifer Hughes says
January 28, 2015 at 8:34 amOh my goodness — bunk beds would make for a super cool fort!!!!
Jess says
January 28, 2015 at 6:02 amLove this! Im a sucker for a good fort 🙂
Jennifer Hughes says
January 28, 2015 at 8:35 amRight? and now that we’ve figured out how to build one that isn’t falling down every five minutes, it’s a whole different ball game 😀
Keri says
January 28, 2015 at 3:01 pmThank you for this fun tip. Your table looks just like mine, and my 4 year old will be so excited when we try this! And THANK YOU for the coupon too 🙂
Jennifer Hughes says
January 29, 2015 at 10:30 amYou’re more than welcome for the tip on the coupon 😀 And have fun making the blanket fort. I can’t tell you how it changed how my boys played because it didn’t fall down!
Emma says
August 3, 2015 at 11:45 pmWhat an awesome place to hang out and watch a movie! Forts rock!
Jennifer Hughes says
August 4, 2015 at 12:26 pmMy boys will disappear for hours there! 😀