8 Best Kids' Playhouses for Indoor and Outdoor Fun

Best for: Families looking for a wood playhouse for outdoor use with preschoolers.

Why we like it: There are realistic design elements that make it feel "real," including a pretend kitchen, cordless phone, and working doorbell. Add plants to the flowerpots flanking the door to make it extra homey. Large windows and a swinging half-door allow for interactive play and make it easy for you to keep eyes on your kids.

Things to know: This model arrives as precut, pre-stained, and pre-drilled cedar wood panels that you can add a sealant to, along with a selection of assorted plastic pieces for the accessories. The brand says assembly should take three hours, and some parents say they put it together faster while other say it took them longer. Having a power drill or electric screwdriver will help.

There's a 47-page instruction manual included and Backyard Discovery works with the Bilt app to offer additional visual instructions.

Best for: Spending less than $150 on a simple plastic preschool playhouse that can go indoors or outdoors.

Why we like it: While there's no built-in kitchen or working doorbell, this classic, if basic, playhouse is affordable and well-reviewed. You can fit it indoors or keep it outdoors, or move it between the two spaces (if moving it from outside to inside, give it a good scrubbing beforehand). Once fully built, it's only about 30 pounds.

Kids like the swinging door, windows with working shutters, the mail slot, and the flag holder. Add a little flag to make it even cuter.

Things to know: Because it's fairly simple—four thin walls and a roof that fit together with the included plastic screws—this won't take you long to put together. The brand says it should take about 20 minutes, and there's a 20-page instruction book included.

There's also a bright pink version that can be cheaper, and one with red trim.

Best for: Parents who want a large backyard playhouse that encourages climbing and sliding, good for little and big kids up to about age 10.

Why we like it: Backyard Discovery's cedar wood playhouse sits 3 feet off the ground and features a 6-foot slide as well as a ladder for kids to climb up. The fort/clubhouse provides kids with their own little escape. Because it sits up and doesn't have great sight lines into the house, we think this is best for kids who are at least age 3.

There's a play kitchen inside with a toy blender that spins, plus a working doorbell. Outside, one of the structure's posts has a growth chart where you can mark your kids' growing height, a super-sweet touch.

Things to know: Read the 77-page instruction manual/owner's guide before getting started, taking care to read about putting this on a level surface and possibly applying a sealant to the wood. The build is estimated to take about 8 hours, and some customers say it took them a few hours longer.

You can access the Bilt app for guidance, and should consider getting help—reviewers say it goes much more smoothly with two people.

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Best for: Something extra charming for outdoor use with toddlers and preschoolers.

Why we like it: As the name implies, this playhouse looks straight out of a fairytale. The exterior's faux stonework, thatched roof, window shutters, and hinged door with a battery-powered doorbell are matched with a cozy cottage feel on the inside, where children are met with a pretend sink, fold-down kitchen table, and fireplace. A clickable faucet and stovetop make play more realistic and a cuckoo clock with movable hands adds charm.

We've seen this one decorated for holidays like Christmas and Halloween, and it's the cutest! The durable plastic structure is built to withstand outdoor weather, and the earth tones can blend with your landscape.

Things to know: All of the extra touches makes this pricier than other four-walled playhouses. Assembly should take about an hour and two people are required to put the roof in place. There are only five pages of instructions and you can use a manual screwdriver, but an electric one can make things easier.

Best for: Toddlers and preschoolers who need some active fun in small-space homes and yards.

Why we like it: Radio Flyer made this playhouse that can fold away when not in use. It's nice to be able to pull it out for indoor play on rainy or cold days, then fold it up again.

The telescope, ship's wheel, and pirate flag are good for firing kids' imaginations if they want to play pirate adventure games. Kids can crawl into the fort at the bottom, which has a door and mesh window.

There's also a climbing ladder and a slide. It's sized for toddles and preschoolers—by age 5, your child may be too big for it, as the weight limit is 50 pounds.

Things to know: There's also a pink princess-themed version that's even less expensive and a version that looks like a treehouse.

The set can be put together with a manual screwdriver and the 14 pages of instructions. It should take about 45 minutes to complete. Radio Flyer offers an assembly video for anyone who likes to check their work visually.

Best for: Backyard fun that combines a cedarwood playhouse with outdoor seating, where two kids could have lunch or snacks.

Why we like it: This can have multiple uses, great for playing house, playing with water, or relaxing outside. The back half includes a picnic area with a table and two chairs under a fabric awning—it's a cute place to serve snacks.

Then there's a play sink for water play that comes with a fishing game and toys for scooping and pouring. Insert batteries (and of course add water) and the faucet can run. Kids can access the sink from inside or outside of the house.

Other clever touches are a dog door, so a pet can join, and a mailbox that hangs by the hinged door. There's also a chalkboard that hangs in the back, for kids who want to play "restaurant" or "coffee shop." (Just supply chalk.)

Things to know: Online reviewers say this took them about two hours to build. The brand says to expect it to take 2 to 4 hours and recommends having two people on the project. The assembly instruction book is 35 pages long and the brand has an assembly video on YouTube.

This playhouse is new as of 2025, so there aren't as many online reviews yet compared to others on our list.

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Best for: Toddlers who love pretend-playing with food. (And that seems to be all of them.)

Why we like it: This looks like a camper or a food truck rather than a house, making it super fun and different. There's a working doorbell and play food, a pretend grill, stovetop, and sink, all of which keep toddlers happily occupied.

The highlights are the 50+ accessories. Toddlers can play with in the camper's interior or by standing outside. There are no steps, slides, or crawl spaces on this one, but inside is a little seat that can hold a child up to 35 pounds.

Things to know: Step2 says this should take about 2 hours for two people to build. Customer reviews say it can go faster if you have a power drill, and slower if you are doing it solo with only a manual screwdriver. You can sit this outdoors, in the grass or on a patio, or indoors.

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Best for: Rambunctious outdoor play for toddlers and preschoolers.

Why we like it: It's a two-slide playhouse made to hold up to four preschoolers, nice if you have multiple kids age 6 and younger, host frequent playdates, or run a home daycare.

Interactive elements include a steering wheel and porthole-style windows as well as crawl spaces and tunnels (perfect for hide-and-seek), an elevated clubhouse, a bridge and, of course, the two slides, each going in a different direction. It's a plastic, highly weather-resistant, outdoor-ready set.

Things to know: It works best to have two or more people build this as a team. It's the largest set on our list (more than 11 feet long) and, once built, it weighs nearly 200 pounds, so you'll want to assemble it where you intend to keep it.

There are 21 pages of instructions and it should take 1 to 3 hours to build. It goes fastest if you can use an electronic drill.