Best Toys

Kids like playhouses for the hours of pretend play fun they offer. Indoor playhouses are generally collapsible affairs with plastic tubing and fabric walls. These are very handy for indoor playtime, and also handy for parents because they can be flattened and hidden away underneath a bed or in a closet when playtime is over. Some of the smaller outdoor models can also be used inside the house provided that there is ample floor space for one. A large unused basement or a guest room can work for this, if there is no room in the bedroom or playroom.

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The more attractive choice for parents is a playhouse that is meant to be used outdoors. Outdoor playhouses range from small yet durable plastic models to more elaborate wooden versions with dozens of square feet. These huge models are constructed of wood and have working windows, doors, and can even be wired with electricity by a qualified electrician. With the addition of electricity, the house can have a working doorbell, porch light, indoor lights, and perhaps even a mini refrigerator so that kids can have a supply of juice boxes and sandwiches close at hand during a get- together. Parents can buy one of these large wood models and add features like a deck, a front porch, or use the space next to the house for a swimming pool or a trampoline. A big sandbox would also be a great touch next to an outdoor house for the kids. Or add a child sized picnic table in the ‘front yard’ where children can munch on cheese and crackers and sip juice boxes.

A perfect house for pretend play can have toy versions of the major appliances found in a real kitchen. You can add a table and chairs sized just for kids to add to this element of play. The larger houses that are available can house up to eight kids for a tea party or a lively board game. There are also more gender neutral alternatives to the pastel colored houses love so much by little girls. These can be used by boys at a fort in the backyard. They can also serve as a more grounded alternative to the tree house for those who have no trees on the property or simply are not comfortable with the idea of a group of boys playing ten feet above the ground.

How to Find the Right Playhouse for Your Kids

There are several different brands of playhouse available for parents and kids to choose from together. Some of the more well known brands are Fisher Price, Little Tikes, and Step 2. Most of them have become inexpensive enough in recent years to allow parents to guy separate houses or hideouts for the boys and for the girls. The best way of going about choosing the right indoor or outdoor playhouses for kids is to think first about their interests. Little girls who like to pretend play ‘house’ will love one that looks like a real house with windows, doors and maybe even a pretend flower box by the front door. Girls who love princess stories and boys who delight at the mention of the word ‘dragon’ will both appreciate outdoor playhouses that look like a castles or medieval cottages. Boys and girls alike can have fun in a pirate ship type play structure. And what little boy hasn’t mentioned wanting to be a firefighter when he grows up? A play fire station would be a good choice for those youngsters. Your choice should depend mainly on the interests of your child or, if you have more than one, their shared interests that would make one house interesting to all the children.