How to Build the Ultimate Fort
Whether you’re four or forty, the possibilities are endless when it comes to building your own fort. Growing up with two younger brothers meant our creativity was limitless. I remember dressing up as a pretty princess and being “saved” by knights traveling across thick lava (or in this case, racing across couch cushions without touching the floor).
My family also made blanket forts for movie nights. We used to gather what seemed like every blanket in the house and come up with the most magical assembly. After setting up, my parents would always give us snacks like popcorn, candy, and my personal favorite - root beer floats. These blanket forts have easily become some of my favorite childhood memories.
That said, regardless if you choose to build your fort for a movie night or playtime, there are a few essential items that everyone needs for your ultimate fort!
Food
With most activities, food is one of the most important aspects to your fort extravaganza! These can be super simple items like your favorite candy or you can get creative with it!
Here are my top snack choices:
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Popcorn. Buttered, salted, caramel, however you like it! I always add M&Ms to my popcorn bowl, they get soft enough so that you get a warm chocolate bite with your popcorn, just trust me here.
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Your favorite chips. This usually means doritos for me, but beware, you’ll probably eat the whole bag.
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Cookies and milk. You have to have cookies, whether store bought or homemade, they make for that perfect movie night feel.
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Hot chocolate. This is a classic for any fort or movie night, especially with marshmallows on top. For summer forts, you could substitute for a nice cold slushy!
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Fruit snacks or chewy candy like gummy bears. You need the sour to your sweet! Fruit snacks are great for kids but who are we kidding, we know you’ll be sneaking some, too.
For more family favorite movie night snacks, click here.
Fort Materials
Now that we have the food necessities, let’s go over what you actually need to build your fort! The amazing thing about building your own fort is that there’s no right or wrong way, and can be modified to any space you have.
Here are my suggested fort materials:
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Blankets and your favorite pillows. Not only do you need blankets to go inside your cozy fort, but you can also use blankets to assemble the fort itself. One of the easiest ways to put together your fort is to take two or more chairs and drape the biggest blanket you can find on top. This will create a cave-like feel and is extremely cozy! I recommend lightweight blankets for the tent so it’s not too heavy.
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Chairs, couches, or anywhere you can drape things from. Find your desired area to start building and make sure it’s sturdy enough to hold blankets or a sheet.
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Clothespins, string, heavy objects to hold blankets. These items will help hold your wonderful creation.
If you need some picture inspiration for your forts, check out these awesome ideas.
Inside the Fort
Finally, we have our materials and food, now let’s talk about what can actually go inside your magical fort!
Here are my suggested fort activities:
- You and your friends (and family), of course! Blanket forts are perfect for friends and are a great way to amp up your sleepover.
- Games. This could be a stack of cards for a classic game of Go Fish, puzzles, coloring books (my personal favorite), and even your Nintendo Switch!
- Dolls or stuffed animals. Add in your favorite pals to join you! You can get your own 18” Doll with a snuggie here!
- Fun twinkling lights. You can add pretty little fairy lights inside your fort and secure them with close pins for that extra cozy feel. Here are lights that you can add that don’t need to be plugged in!
And just like that, you have your very own blanket fort! Don’t forget that there are endless possibilities on how to use your fort: you can reenact your favorite movie, play ‘don’t touch the lava,’ pretend you’re a princess, or snuggle up with a good book under those twinkling lights. No matter how you decide to use your fort, I hope you and your family create memories to last a lifetime!
Let’s see your blanket forts - happy building!
Warmly,
