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Make a blanket book nook

Make a comfy book nook and listen to The Grumpy Old Stone

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You’ll need

  • Chairs
  • Blankets
  • Large sheets (lightweight)
  • Cushions
  • Clothes pegs or string
  • Heavy books
  • Battery-operated string lights (optional)
  • Snacks, quiet games, colouring activities, sensory toys (optional)
  • Device with internet connection

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Planning this activity

  • Plan whether you have enough space and resources for the whole group to make a simple blanket fort.
  • You could also split into smaller groups, with each group making their own fort.
  • Alternatively, everyone can work together to make a fort, and groups can take turns to enjoy it later.
  • Make sure the fort(s) don’t block doorways, pathways or emergency exits. 
  • Make sure to leave enough room around the forts for anyone who may need more space, such as wheelchair or mobility-aid users.

Build your blanket fort

  1. Everyone should help to arrange four or six chairs into two rows opposite each other.
  2. Space the chairs out according to the size of your largest sheet.
  3. Place blankets and pillows on the floor between the chairs.
  4. Carefully place a sheet over the top of the chairs, to make the roof.
  5. Fix the sheet on using clothes pegs or string, or by carefully placing some heavy books on the edges.
  6. Add more sheets as needed, to completely cover the sides of the fort – but leave an opening to get in and out.
  7. Everyone should help make the finishing touches, including more cushions to make it super cosy.
  8. If you wanted to, you could peg string lights to the roof or place them on the floor around the edges of your fort.

Some top safety tips to remember are:

  • Make sure the chairs aren’t going to tip over when you add sheets on top. If you place the chairs facing inwards, with the backs on the outside, the fort will be more stable, but there’ll be less floor space. Chairs facing outwards will need something to weigh them down so they don’t tip over, such as placing heavy books on the seats.
  • If you want to bring light or entertainment into the fort, make sure the sheets and pillows don’t cover anything that could get hot, such as a lamp, television or any other electrical equipment.
  • Use battery-powered string lights, and make sure the wires don’t get tangled and can’t be tripped over.

Story time: Grumpy Old Stone

The Grumpy Old Stone eBook with Audio

  1. Everyone should make themselves comfortable in the fort, they can sit or lie down.
  2. An adult should connect to the audio book of the Grumpy Old Stone (link to Twinkle website).
  3. Everyone should listen quietly to the story.
  4. Afterwards, if there is time, you can talk about the story. Find out what was everyone's favourite part of the story? Their favourite character? 
  • Do some colouring in.
  • Play paper games, such as a dot-to-dot or a maze.
  • Write your friends’ names using their favourite colours.
  • Choose a picture or story book and explore it together. 
  • Share some mess-free snacks together and find out your friends’ favourite foods. 
  • Have a teddy bear’s picnic.
  • Put together a playlist of your favourite songs and listen to music.
  • Do some simple or easy, mess-free crafts.
  • Do a jigsaw with friends.
  • Tell each other a story.
  • Explore some sensory toys together, such as tangle toys, squeezy or stretchy toys and fidget spinners. 
  • Play a speaking game, such as i-Spy.
  • Play a quiet card game or a board game.

Reflection

This activity was about building friendships and improving wellbeing by working together and enjoying spending time with friends. You can reflect throughout the session or at the end. 

Build your blanket fort

  • What was it like to build a blanket fort?  How does it make you feel? Maybe it made you feel happy, proud or excited to go inside it for the first time.
  • Why is it good to work together?

Enjoy your comfy space

  • When you went inside the fort and listened to the story of The Grumpy Old Stone everyone got to spend some time with their friends. Did you like spending time with your friends? How did it make you feel?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Heavy and awkward objects

Never lift or move heavy or awkward items alone. Ask for help or, if possible, break them down into smaller parts.

Online safety

Supervise young people when they’re online and give them advice about staying safe. Take a look at our online safety or bullying guidance. The NSPCC offers more advice and guidance, too. If you want to know more about specific social networks and games, Childnet has information and safety tips for apps. You can also report anything that’s worried you online to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare, including their online experiences, follow the Yellow Card to make a report.

For an extra challenge, everyone could pick their own materials and design their own comfy space with Wild builders, or build a den outdoors with Den building. To make it easier, try using a pop-up tent or beach tent to make a comfy space.

Make sure the fort will be accessible for everyone, with a wide enough door and space inside. To make a larger fort, try hanging a washing line or string across the space, and hanging sheets over it. 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Squirrels Story Time Activity Badge
Squirrels Feel Good Activity Badge
Squirrels Brilliant Builder Activity Badge

Try making your own blanket fort at home, with some help from an adult. Invite friends or family to join you.

Support everyone to get involved in making the blanket fort and share their ideas on how they want to spend their time inside it.