Cubby houses are a classic childhood tradition that allows kids to have their own special hideaway and space to play. While traditional cubby houses are quite large, small and compact cubby houses are becoming more popular as they can fit into urban backyards and small spaces.
Here are some of the best ideas for small and cute cubby houses that kids will absolutely love:
Simple Wooden Cubby
A basic wooden cubby made from plywood or timber is a timeless option. You can paint the wood a fun, vibrant colour like ocean blue or cherry red. Add charming details like a small porch or veranda out front with a cute picket fence gate, window boxes overflowing with faux flowers on each side, and a colourful doormat.
Install a plastic window framed with red shutters so kids can peek out, and cut out a pint-sized wooden door to enter their hideaway. Let your kids help paint it and decorate it with their handprints to make it unique.
The simple wooden cubby is easy to build in a weekend from basic materials. Its classic style blends into any backyard. Kids will spend endless hours playing house, drinking imaginary tea, and going on adventures in their cozy homey hideaway.
Upcycled Cubby
Repurposing an old cabinet, dresser, or even an entertainment unit is a creative way to make a one-of-a-kind cubby house. Give the furniture a fresh coat of cheerful aqua or sunny yellow paint to transform it. Decorate the cubby with lace curtains in the cabinets, painted rainbow polka dots, and colourful fabric bunting across the top.
Then install a small angled roof from wood or tin panelling on top to complete the whimsical chubby look. The varied nooks, crannies, shelves, and drawers already built into the repurposed furniture become fun play spaces for kids to display treasures and explore.
This upcycled cubby is perfect for crafty parents who want to create something imaginative and eco-friendly by repurposing. Kids will be delighted by all the special spots to play pretend and store their favourite things.
Teepee Cubby
Gather wooden poles and secure them into the ground in a tall cone shape, then drape canvas, cotton, or heavy fabric over the frame to create a magical teepee-style cubby. Choose bright, cheery fabric printed with rainbow polka dots, bold stripes, or meteor designs. Line the inside floor with cushy woven rugs and pile with cozy pillows and stuffed animals.
Kids will be endlessly entertained in this unique outdoor tent cubby, using their endless creativity and imagination. It becomes a secret fort for playtime and adventures. On hot days, flip up the fabric sides for breezy airflow. The teepee cubby can be easily moved around the yard or packed away when not in use.
Under Stairs Cubby
That awkward empty space under a staircase is the perfect spot for a built-in cubby house. Install walls under the staircase and add an adorable half-door for access. Paint the walls with chalkboard paint or wallpaper so kids can decorate and draw their own art inside their private sanctuary.
Stock the cubby with storage bins and baskets of cozy blankets, books, toys, and dress-up clothes for playtime. String twinkly fairy lights along the ceiling and add a colourful rug for a fun, inviting space. The under-stairs cubby will become a secret fortress for indoor play and sleepovers.
Storage Bin Cubby
A budget-friendly and instant cubby option is to use a large plastic storage bin, crate, or basket. Choose one in a bright, playful colour like grass green, sunny yellow, or periwinkle blue. Or let the kids go wild painting their own colourful patterns and designs on a plain one.
Cut out arched doorways and plastic windows so they can peek out. Make sure to smooth any sharp edges. Then fill the cubby bin with cushions, pillows, and stuffed animals to create a cozy interior for playtime. This portable cubby bin can be moved around the yard or indoors. It's the perfect starter cubby for younger kids around ages 2-5.
Play Tent Cubby
For an easy portable and versatile cubby pick, use a kid's play tent in vibrant colours or fun nature-inspired prints. Set it up temporarily in the backyard or move it around for adventure. Use weights like sandbags or stakes to securely hold it in place on breezy days.
Play tents come in exciting unique shapes like princess castles, pirate ships, rockets and submarines for extra fun. Let kids outfit the inside with their own toys, pillows, play kitchens or arts and crafts supplies. Use it as an indoor extra sleeping space too. The pop-up play tent cubby encourages endless creativity and imagination in a cozy weatherproof space.
Window Box Cubby
A vintage window makes for a unique and quirky starting point for a charming cubby house frontage. Frame out the salvaged window, then build a small wooden box underneath it raised slightly off the ground for seating. Install the built-in window bench cubby on sturdy brackets or against an exterior wall.
Add a half door or curtain for entry. Kids will simply adore having their own private window seat overlooking the backyard that doubles as a secret cubby to play in. Flower boxes underneath can hold real or faux blooms. Dress it up with lace curtains, cushions and artwork on the walls. The possibilities for this vintage-inspired cubby are endless.
Nautical Cubby
Transport kids straight to the high seas with a nautical boat-shaped cubby. Use a real small wooden row boat, or canoe, or make your own structure from wood. Paint or varnish the exterior in deep sea blues with fun details like striped trim and playful fish decals.
Outfit the cubby boat interior with navy cushions, life jackets, fishing nets, and barrels. Kids will set sail for aquatic adventure and exploration as their imaginations roam free. Add a faux ship wheel, life preserver cushions, porthole windows and rainbow sails over top for extra whimsy.
Jungle Cubby
This exotic jungle-themed cubby will bring a taste of the tropics and adventure right to your backyard. Build a simple plywood structure, then use camouflage print tarpaulin or faux foliage as the cubby “walls” and roof. Deck out the interior with stuffed snakes, vines, tropical bromeliads, bamboo shoots, and large frond leaves.
Kids' creativity and courage will soar as they venture deep into the rainforest cubby to discover wonders and hidden treasures. Add a thatched grass roof or canopy of green fabric overhead. The jungle cubby offers an endless world of exploration and imaginary play.
Western Cubby
For kids who love cowboys, horses, and the Wild West, a frontier-style cubby is a dream come true. Use wood with rustic wagon wheel edges as the saloon-style swinging doors. Outfit with bandana curtains, hay bale seats, cowboy hats on pegs, horseshoe decor, and a Sheriff badge sign.
Have kids help add personal frontier touches like homemade wanted posters and wooden crates for storing cowboy boots and play accessories. With its desert tan walls, red bandana curtains, and bonfire pits outside, this western ranch cubby will transport kids back to the good ol' days in the Wild West.
Superhero Cubby
Does your kid dream of being Superman or Spiderman? Let them design their very own custom superhero (or princess!) cubby house. Paint the walls blue with the Superman logo or red and blue spiderwebs for Spiderman. Have kids decorate the interior themselves with pictures of heroes, costumes and capes, toys, comics, and gear.
From the bat symbol on the door to the array of dress-up disguises inside, this cubby becomes a top-secret superhero lair where kids can let their powers shine. Add hanging lamps or string lights for a cool hideout vibe. The superhero cubby lets imaginations soar to save the day.
Vintage Camper Cubby
Take a neglected old camper trailer and give it new life as a retro cubby playhouse for kids. Freshen it up with a coat of cherry red, turquoise, or yellow paint. Outfit the interior with colourful curtains, cushions, toys, and a pretend steering wheel.
Add play details like a fake propane tank on back, mini lawn chairs, and a bucket with fake campfire wood. Kids will be endlessly entertained in this miniature camper, pretending to cruise the open roads on thrilling adventures. The vintage camper cubby is perfect for a summer road trip theme.
Potting Shed Cubby
For budding green thumbs, converting a small garden shed or potting bench into a flowery cubby house is a charming idea. Give the shed a fresh coat of robin's egg blue or buttercup yellow paint. Adorn with overflowing flower boxes and pots of cheerful blooms.
Install a playful chalkboard sign with the cubby's name. Fill the interior with kid-sized gardening tools, gloves, pots, and baskets overflowing with fake veggies and flowers for a playtime plant nursery. The potting shed cubby will nurture their love of gardening.
Wendy House Cubby
Inspired by the classic children's story, build a miniature Wendy house style cubby with charming cottage details. Construct a pitched roof and front porch with railings. Paint the exterior in sweet pastel colours like mint, lavender, or peach. Add details like flowerboxes, latticed windows, and a quaint Dutch door.
Keep the interior dimensions small with low ceilings fitted for young kids. Furnish the fairy-sized cubby with tiny tables and chairs, toy kitchenware, and beds for playing house. Kids will be whisked away to magical adventures in this old-fashioned storybook cottage cubby.
Tree House Cubby
Kids will feel on top of the world in their very own tiny treehouse hideaway elevated high among the branches. Use a pre-made mini tree house kit or a custom-designed one to suit your sturdy backyard tree. Make sure to secure it safely.
Add a ladder, rope ladder, or spiral slide for easy access up into the canopy. This secluded placement hides the cubby house away for extra privacy and adventure. Set against shady leaves, the breezy escape feels worlds away for endless backyard fun.
Castle Cubby
Inspire young imaginations with a medieval castle cubby straight out of fairytales. Construct turreted towers out of wood framing and decorate the exterior with faux stone, vines, flags and lanterns to mimic an enchanting fortress. Stud the entry with a miniature wooden drawbridge.
Adorn the interior with ornate tapestries such as colourful banners, magical fairy lights, and a throne fit for royalty. Castles, dragons and adventures will come to life in this majestic kingdom cubby. Kids rule over their backyard fantasy land.
Cottage Cubby
Craft a tiny charmer with a cozy cottage or cabin-style cubby house and front porch. Use real wood siding, stone, or brick for an authentic modern rustic feel. Make the door round or arched. Add enchanting details like a flowerbox overflowing with blooms, a stone garden path leading up to the entrance, or ivy climbing the walls.
The whimsical woodland fairy treehouse vibe sparks imaginative playtime. Fill the cottage cubby with miniature furnishings and sweet details to delight kids as they relax or entertain friends for tea.
Circus Cubby
Bring the exciting big top into your own backyard with a magical circus-inspired cubby. Use vibrant red and white stripes or polka dots painted on the exterior. Decorate with bright pennant banners, fabric canopy, and decorative rings around the roofline.
Have kids help decorate the interior with fun circus props like stuffed animals, juggling pins and balls, face paint and magic kits. They'll be endlessly entertained in this imaginative cubby as ringmasters of their own fantastical show.
Gingerbread Cubby
A fantastical fairy tale cubby awaits behind the guise of a giant decorative gingerbread house. Paint plywood walls in deep brown with white icing squiggles piping along the edges and window frames. Use clear plexiglass cut into cookie shapes for “candy” windows.
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The interior becomes a frosted candy cottage, filled with oversized gumdrops and lollipops. String twinkle lights along the inside roofline and place faux-wrapped gifts inside. Kids will adore playing in this mouthwatering magical cubby.
Train Caboose Cubby
Choo choo! Create a charming train car cubby modelled after a classic red caboose. Construct the house in the iconic caboose shape with a cupola roof. Paint red with white or black trim detailing. Add playful features like metal wheels on axles, a railroad crossing sign and a chimney.
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Decorate the interior with bench cushions, luggage nets and a toy train track. Kids will love pretending to be the conductor of their very own train car cubby, travelling to destinations near and far. All aboard!
Lego Cubby
Inspire open-ended creativity and play with a Lego brick-style cubby made from colourful modular boxes. Construct squares and rectangles from plywood in bright primary colours like red, blue, green and yellow. Stack and arrange them in different configurations.
Add white grid detailing to mimic Lego bricks. Let kids help design and decorate their own custom cubby creations. They'll love recombining the building block cubes in new ways daily as their play space transforms. The Lego style cubby sparks endless imagination.
With compact footprints to fit small yards, these fun and unique small cubby houses will provide kids with a hideaway jam-packed with make-believe possibilities. Building a pint-sized playhouse is a satisfying backyard project the whole family will enjoy.
