Could Wendy Houses Help Your Child’s Development?
Has the recent arrival of warmer weather got you thinking about how to keep the kids entertained this summer? For those of us lucky enough to have enjoyed growing up with a garden of some form to play in, it’s fairly likely that either you or a friend were the proud owner of some form of wendy house. These fantastic little outdoor buildings can be a hugely important part of outdoor play for children of all ages, working hard to build memories that really do last a lifetime. Whether it’s big, small, plain or colourful a wendy house really can be a fantastic addition to your garden and could just be one of the best garden buildings you invest in this year.
A (Very) Brief History Of Wendy Houses
Also known as playhouses, wendy houses have been at the heart of children's play for centuries. These small play spaces were thought to have been originally crafted from the rather well known play ‘Peter Pan’ or ‘The Boy Who Never Grew Up’ by J.M.Barrie. In the play (later adapted into a film by Walt Disney) Peter Pan and the tribe of Lost Boys made a small den for Wendy Darling as she arrived in Neverland, it was meant as a safe place for her to stay. From there the idea of a wendy house has really taken hold, with children using the magic of imaginative play to create almost anything within the walls of a playhouse. Whilst many children would probably be happy with a den-like structure, Winston Churchill famously went the extra mile to construct a rather impressive brick wendy house in Chartwell for his children. To bring it forward a few years, it was relatively recently found that a Swiss Millionaire commissioned the building of a playhouse costing $230,000 for his children. Of course, a beautiful wooden wendy house from Tates costs a fraction of this price and still ignites imaginations and creates safe play for children of all ages.
How Could Wendy Houses Help Children Develop?
A place to store their prized possessions, think up extravagant new worlds or invite friends over for tea, a wendy house is a child’s special place and could even be helping their development in more ways than you may think. If you’re toying with the idea of investing in a wendy house, here are just a few ways outdoor play and of course, your new wendyhouse could help your child grow and develop:
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Making Bedtime Easier
Dreaming of a good night’s sleep? Being in the great outdoors does wonders for our wellbeing, as mental health charity Mind often recall, however it can also have a wide range of benefits on children too. If you are having problems getting a baby or child into a solid sleep routine, it has been thought that introducing daily outdoor play, can really help encourage more effective sleep routines. Playing outside in a wendy house will soon wear out even the most energetic of little minds, meaning any excess energy is worn off before bed time comes around again.
2. Social Skills
What better way to make friends than inviting people over to play in a wendy house, it’s the perfect way to bring kids together to learn the art of sharing as they play in the same space. A wendy house is also a hive for nurturing imagination and creativity which could help them in so many ways growing up, as they spend hours creating scenarios and working out solutions. Turning a wendy house into a cafe or shop will keep little ones running in and out for hours, delivering treats to customers and perfecting role play, you might even be tempted to join in yourself!
3. Independence
Being the proud owner of a wendyhouse can help children feel a sense of ownership, allowing independence to really flourish and giving them a space to explore their very own surroundings and environment. Taking ownership of a space and learning to take care of it by opening doors, shutting windows and tidying up can help them learn how to respect spaces. It can also help little ones understand a little more about how the world works, and in turn, their own place within it. Unlike their own home, a wendy house is completely free from adult rule, it is a place for children to explore their own assertiveness and maybe even help build confidence.
4. Physical Wellbeing
A wendy house can do wonders for encouraging children into the great outdoors and away from some sedentary activities such as watching television programmes. The beauty of a wendy house is that it can be enjoyed all year round, come rain or shine there is always a place for a wendy house. Children often create games that involve moving things such as toys, equipment (themselves) around the house, with part of the fun being the freedom to come and go as often as they please. A wendyhouse can become a firm part of garden play, meaning many children actually spend more time in the garden than they would have done before the arrival of their playhouse.
5. Not Another Plastic Toy
The introduction of a wendy house to the garden can certainly help children feel more connected to nature, which is thought to have a range of positive benefits such as reducing stress, encouraging respect for the outdoors as well as learning from what they see. Many playhouses and wendy houses are built from wood, including those we offer here at Tates and means that children are able to experience spending time inside a completely different environment to that of a house. Seeing how the wood looks and feels different as the weather changes can help children to understand natural materials and the importance of looking after them. A wooden wendy house can be the perfect way to help children realise not all toys need to be made of plastic.
Wendy Houses from Tates
A wendy house from Tates comes in a whole range of different styles, shapes and sizes depending on your requirements, tastes, garden size and of course, budget. From the slightly more compact Keymer playhouse which starts at £669 and features a single perspex window and box, to the larger Friston Playhouse which comes complete with 2 storeys and 4 georgian windows. At Tates we have a wendy house to suit every individual and our friendly team of experts are on hand to help guide and advise on the best investment for you.
Our exquisite Malvern collection of buildings http://www.themalverncollection.co.uk/ comes with a whole host of optional extras, with safety at the top of our agenda making them the perfect fit for almost any wendy house. These high quality buildings are truly built to last, using some of the finest and most durable materials available making our playhouses some of the highest quality in Sussex. What sets us aside from many of our competitors is that we also offer free, no-obligation site surveys to really help our customers make the best possible decision. If you are interested in purchasing a new wendyhouse or garden building from Tates, please visit one of our Sussex Garden Centres where you’ll be able to have a closer look at some of our garden buildings. Alternatively please contact us today and one of our friendly team will be in touch to help you find the perfect wendy house for you.
