Are you a parent or a preschool teacher considering playhouses for sale but confused at the wide array of choices out there? Here are some useful tips which will help you make the right decision on which playhouse for kids to buy.
Price of Playhouse for Kids
Price is one of the critical points that can affect your choice of a particular playhouse. When looking at choices you will notice four main groups of the toy houses in the market:
- Wooden outdoor playhouses for the garden, the yard or wooden tree houses. Usually this is the most expensive playhouse group. This is due mainly to the natural wood material used, sturdy construction and its size. Prices can vary approx. from 400 EUR up to 2000 EUR /450 USD – 2200 USD/
- Plastic playhouses is the second most expensive playhouse group. Plastic play houses are the most common and are produced in a lot of variations from simple four-walled structures to houses which come with slides and other modifications. The prices vary approximately from 100 EUR up to 500 EUR /110 USD – 550 USD/.
- Play tents and teepees type play houses are usually made of fabric and are much cheaper with prices varying from approx. 30 EUR to 200 Eur /30 USD – 220 USD/.
- Cardboard playhouses is the “simplest” and cheapest with prices from approx. 20 EUR to 60 EUR /20 USD – 70 USD/.
However playhouse prices are determined by many important components that you as a future play house customer have to consider:
Material for Kids Play House
Our team considered and researched most common and available playhouse materials in the market. The result of our research was that production materials greatly dictated the actual play house price.
- Wooden play houses – Pros: sturdy, sustainable and long lasting, also ecologically-friendly when painted with certified child-friendly finish. Cons: the price for wooden playhouses is higher and it requires more money to transport and to install it. It also requires a larger space. Additionally, a wooden garden playhouse is heavy and it is not exactly portable. Thus, once set in the garden or yard, it will most likely not be moved somewhere else even if you want to.
- When it comes to wooden play houses we suggest you to consider plywood. LiL HOUSE represents a new trend and material variation in our products’ construction – plywood. Our playhouses are much lighter, easy to assemble, portable, and they are rated for indoor or outdoor use and storage. More importantly, the retail price of the plywood house is lower than that of a traditional wooden outdoor playhouse or garden house.
Plywood educational playhouse
- Plastic play houses – Pros: lower price than for the wooden playhouses, wide choice of colors and variations, portable, easy assembly, could be used as a kids outdoor playhouse or a playhouse indoor. Cons: Plastic is bad for the environment and plastic products can contain chemicals that are harmful to children and adults alike. Plastic colors tend to fade out fast after continuous exposure to the sun light leaving a previously colorful plastic house into a drab-looking fixture.
- Kids play house tents and teepees are made out of fabric. Pros: affordable price, nice and colorful designs, light weight and easy assembly, suitable for games indoors or outdoors. Cons: usage outdoors is limited by weather and temperature, construction is very light and they tend to not last long.
- Cardboard play houses – Pros: low price, easy installation, recyclable material and generally good for the environment. Kids can usually paint and personalize these cardboard houses. Cons: fragile and unstable, tendency to not last long, easily loses its form and shape. Mostly for games indoors. Customers who buy a cardboard playhouse for their kids usually tend to upgrade to a more solid playhouse structure afterwards.
Outdoor Playhouse or Indoor Playhouse for Kids
When choosing the right playhouse, another factor for you to consider is location: Will it be an outdoor childrens house, kids playhouse indoor or will it be moved frequently depending on eather or other circumstance? Maybe every now and then it needs to be transported in a car to bring to grandma`s house or the summer house? The type of product material, which size and assembly requirement are major considerations when making this decision. Most customers will likely choose wooden or plastic playhouse outside. However, kids play house tents, teepees and a cardboard playhouse will be kept indoors where it is warm and dry.
Assembly and Portability for Children Playhouse
Assembly process will be different for each type of play house. From wooden playhouses that need a solid base and placement in the garden to the easy-to-assemble plastic or cardboard play houses that require no more than 10-20 minutes of setting up. Things for you to consider: Will you be the only one to assemble the playhouse? Should the house be pre-assembled at the sales point or is a product specialist needed to perform this for you at the spot?
Assembly time is very much tied to the portability of the play house that was mentioned previously.
Safety of Kids Play Houses
Finally, we need to discuss safety. “Safety first!” is a multi-industry mantra worldwide. Especially when it is the safety of your own child.
- When buying a playhouse, you have to check if it is certified according to the current childrens’ product safety standards. There are different safety standards which vary from one jurisdiction to another. For instance, EU countries and the USA have varying applicable child safety laws. European standard EN 71 specifies safety requirements for toys. The product`s compliance under those standards must be marked on the outside packaging or box of the playhouse. This mark assures you as a customer that the product you are purchasing is laboratory-tested product for its construction, its flammability, and paints used are safe for children.
- If you are buying a DIY playhouse or a hand-made toy house, make sure the manufacturer uses certified paints for kids, that the house construction is sturdy and all the openings of the house are large enough for kids body parts and fingers not to be trapped in. In all cases, as a customer you have a right to ask the manufacturer questions and ask for a safety and assembly instructions. Once the purchase is done, please follow the house assembly instructions to assure your children`s safety afterwards.
Size of playhouse for kids
- Sizes of play houses can vary significantly. Pictures of the playhouses you are considering buying can be misleading at times. Before purchasing a playhouse do not rely on the picture of the play house alone. The same house in different environments can look different, depending on the background or foreground. If you see a photo of a playhouse outdoor, in a play ground or a playhouse in the park and it looks rather small there, that same house in your kids playroom could be massive. Using actual measurements as reference is the second-best way for you to accurately determine each playhouse’s fit in the space you plan on keeping it in. The best way to make this determination is to physically inspect an actual playhouse if one is available. Ask yourself: Is there a playhouse near me, maybe a playhouse on the square or at your neighbor`s place? Take your time and measure the space you have for the potential play house. Double check if the room or space is enough for what you are planning to buy.
- Also remember that your child or children are growing. The small playhouse you are planning to buy now may be too tiny for them in a couple of years. Consider a playhouse size that will suit your children’s needs in the future. Realize that children tend to grow attached to their toy houses for many years.
- The number of children playing with the playhouse is also an important factor. Consider a playhouse where all your kids can play in and together. A large playhouse will work well for a preschool environment.
Small and large playhouse sizes
Personalization and Design for a Children Play House
Personalization is today`s trend. Customers might look for a theme playhouse like playhouse Disney or a princess playhouse. Kids playhouse ideas can be unique and original. Some customers may want their playhouse to blend into kids room interior, others may want a house named after their kid making it a great gift for his/her birthday. One may be looking for a playhouse for girls or boys garden house. For this reason customers may want customizable playhouse plans, a playhouse to build as a project, or items that serve as additional attachments which will allow playhouse personalization. The best playhouse is the one that a child can personalize by himself whenever desired. We recommend houses containing sets of add-ons and accessories that children can use for enhancing their imagination and creativity.
Educational playhouse and accessories
Multifunctional Approach, Games and Education
Young parents today prefer toy products that have additional value to them and combine variety of functions. The demand for educational toys like Montessori toys is growing rapidly. Parents and teachers are looking for new innovative ways and educational tools. So why not use the same approach in choosing a playhouse? Look for a play house that is something more than just four walls and a roof. There are toy houses that contain both educational and game functions: from children role-playing games to doodling on a chalk board roof of a playhouse, allowing children to learn about colors, letters, numbers and a mock clock. The whole of your family will have fun designing the playhouse with colorful and interesting theme decors while developing your children’s fine motor skills, creativity, imagination and social skills with other kids.
Educational Montessori playhouse
