The Coolest Fort-Building Kits to Buy the Kids This Year

Many things about childhood have changed over the decades, but fort-building will never go out of style. Kids get all kinds of benefits from the imaginative work of building forts, including problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills. If you'd like to keep the kids (and kid-like grownups) in your household entertained while also fostering these important skills, check out all the cool options in our fort kit roundup. Oh, to be a kid again …

Prices and availability are subject to change.

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$89 from Amazon

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This colorful kit includes different types of connectors, poles, and blankets for a fun and challenging build experience for kiddos. There are 386 pieces in total, and parents will also be glad to know this comes with a bag to keep everything tidy. The set also includes lights and an instruction booklet. Designed for ages 3 and up. 

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$70 from KiwiCo

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This kit, made for ages 5 and up, includes connectors and wooden poles and allows for kids to put together and take apart their fort creations in any number of ways. It comes with a carrying bag to keep the mess to a minimum when not in use and a "easy-to-follow illustrated instruction" booklet. 

$159 from Crate & Kids

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Much like the KiwiCo kit, this one comes with wooden dowels and both cube- and cylindrical-shaped connectors. It also includes a few cotton cloths that future engineers and architects can use in the building process. Designed for ages 3 and up. 

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$65 and up from Etsy

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This handmade fort kit comes in a few different themed options, plus parents or other gift givers can add in extras like a compass, monocular, or extra sheets. The kit also includes sheets, clips, a flashlight, suction cup hooks, and two 10-foot lengths of rope. Finally, it comes with instruction cards for tying knots and making hand-shadow animals. 

$140 from Fort Magic

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This kit — which has also won a number of STEM toy awards — includes straight and curved supports, and five different types of connectors to really get those budding builders thinking about what they can build. It comes with more than 20 fort design ideas, and the company also offers smaller kits and add-ons for even more imaginative and fun play. 

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$40 from HearthSong

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Made for ages 4 and up, this teepee-inspired fort kit includes cardboard panels, adjustable base bars, connector tubes, carton clips, and three rolls of double-sided hook and loop tape. Once the fort is built, kids can get busy decorating it or just relax inside with a flashlight and a book. 

$73 from QVC

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Like other fort kits, this one comes with poles and connectors, but it has an extra-special element that kids will love: It glows in the dark! Just add sheets for some nighttime fort-building fun. Designed for ages 5 and up.

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$40 from Amazon

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Take it back to basics with this kit. It includes three 71-by-54-inch blankets in different colors, and each has Velcro around its edges plus ties for connecting to items around the house. It also comes with three anchor weights and a cinch sack for keeping everything in one place when it's not in use. For ages 3 and up. 

$35 from Amazon

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This lightweight cardboard playhouse won't require a complicated setup, but when it's put together kids ages 3 and up can get busy decorating it, coloring it, or doing whatever their imaginative brains can dream up to make it their own. It measures 32 inches square and 43.5 inches high, and if a sand castle won't bring a smile to your kiddo's face, there are tons of other themed options to choose from. 

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$499 from Fort

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This fort kit lets kids be tough and tumble while also being imaginative. It's made up of 12 foam blocks — half-moons, arches, triangles, rectangles, and squares — covered in waterproof fabric. The blocks contain magnets, which are hidden away in reinforced pockets for safety, to help keep blocks together (translation: fewer tears). Comes in four colors and includes extra accessories for a higher cost. 

$199 from Crate and Barrel

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This might require adult assembly, but when it's done it'll inspire all kinds of imaginative pretend play with its colorful, desert-inspired design and colorful details that include a mailbox and fireplace. Shaped like a midcentury modern abode, it's designed for ages 3 and up and measures 72 by 58 by 51.5 inches.

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$199 from Pottery Barn Kids

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This fort also requires some adult help with assembly, but once done kids can put their own creative stamp on its blank cotton canvas. It includes two windows, a roll-up door with Velcro closure, and a PVC frame. Designed for ages 3 and up, its dimensions are about 49 inches wide, 38 inches deep, and 56 inches high. 

$299 from Maisonette

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Made of polypropylene and fully customizable, this washable fort kit is designed for ages 3 and up, can be used indoors or out, and packs flat so it can be easily stored under a bed when not in use. 

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$199 from Maisonette

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If you've got littles who love the outdoors and camping, this fabric-and-wood camper will provide them with the perfect fort-like basecamp for their imaginative play. Requires adult assembly and is also available in a teal option.

$179 from HearthSong

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Youngsters will love pretending in this tree-shaped fort, which — at 58 inches in diameter and 84 inches tall — has plenty of space for imaginative play. It includes 20 cardboard pieces, connectors, a roll of hook and loop tape, and detailed instructions. Designed for ages 4 and up, successful assembly will likely require some adult intervention. 

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$60 from Amazon

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If fort-building often results in tears (especially between siblings), make things easier with an inflatable fort. These are designed to inflate within 30 seconds, pack down into a carrying bag when not in use, and come in different colors and designs that include a spaceship, tiki hut, and more. 

$55 and up from Amazon

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The heavy-duty cardboard panels of this fort-building kit mimic the look of a fairytale castle. This kit comes in two sizes and includes panels, clips, and tape. When built, the fort includes doors, windows, and plenty of places for energetic kiddos to hide and surprise you. 

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$164 from Amazon

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If you've got a child who loves Legos, imagine how delighted he or she will be to build a fort out of giant Lego-like blocks. Each of these sets comes with 26 pieces, and there are more than a dozen colors available to choose from. EverBlock also sells furniture and wall kits if the whole family wants to really go to town building a brick fort. 

$100 from Amazon

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For a sturdy fort-building kit that even the most rambunctious of kids will have a tough time breaking, there's this 90-piece plastic set that they can use indoors or outdoors. Designed for ages 5 and up, it comes with 44 8-inch-square boards and 46 connectors.

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$40 from Amazon

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This 40-piece set of red, yellow, and blue cardboard boxes give kids a chance to build something cool and then have the ultimate fun smashing it apart. It's not every fort kit that can offer that. 

$70 and up from Amazon

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This kit combines reversible chalkboard-like surfaces that kids can draw on with colorful and cool geometric-patterned surfaces on the other side. It comes in two sizes and includes clips and a roll of double-sided hook and loop tape (chalk not included). Six of its panels can be used to create a storage box for when the fort-building fun needs to be put away. 

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