Help your child build a tree fort, or another type of actual building for a fort. There's no set plan for the perfect build-able fort, because depending on your yard, the trees and the area, many different things might work. You can build a fort up in a tree with a rope ladder, or you can build a small building or shack on your property -- either up high on stilts or right on the ground. You can also order a pre-made shed or shack meant for storage, and make some modifications to it to turn it into the perfect play fort. For an outdoor fort, all that will matter to your child is that it is somewhere they can go, dream their dreams and play pretend.
Savvy parents can create a fort in less than a minute with blankets and furniture. Draping blankets over couches and chairs and tables creates blanket forts that kids of all ages can enjoy. You can make a simple blanket fort, or use up most of your furniture and all of your blankets creating an elaborate one that you can spend hours in. And, for a blanket fort, the cleanup is easy - although your kids might not let you do so for a while.
Sometimes, children prefer using their imagination. Large boxes like refrigerator or appliance boxes can turn into a plethora of different types of forts. Turn them on their side, use scissors to cut windows and doors or just draw on them with magic markers and crawl inside. Let your kids use their imaginations and let those imaginations run wild.
Kids can also make forts out of just about anything they find. A small closet in your home, a large cupboard or even a corner of the den that's hardly used can be turned into a fort. If your kids have a playroom, they can slide furniture around to hide themselves in and make a fort. You might have the best intentions of building your children a tree fort, only to find that they've found the loft over the garage and have been using it as a fort for months. Explore your property and your home to find all sorts of found forts for your kids.