Why den building is a fantastic activity!
Reasons to build a den:
- It is fun and free
- It can be done both at home with blankets and chairs, or when outside somewhere like the woods
- It is a great opportunity for your child to develop their communication skills by asking questions, giving instructions and learning new words
- It is a chance to spend quality time with your child with no pressure, right or wrongs
- It gives your child a chance to problem solve by working out what works and what doesn’t
- It is an opportunity for your child to develop key skills such as perseverance
- It encourages your child to be creative in a different way with independent thoughts and ideas
- It can bring back happy childhood memories for yourself and make new memories for your child to treasure
- It can be a nice bonding activity between family and friends
Top tips:
- Once you have built your den, it can become a quiet cosy space for you and your child to cuddle up together and share stories
- Your den can host a variety of games such as hide and seek, mum’s and dad’s, tea parties with teddies, ‘I spy’ etc
- Put a treasure basket in the den for your child to explore and discover new things – your child may start using describing words for the items which is a wonderful opportunity for you to share new words, expand their vocabulary and their imagination
