Just like with the best trampolines, little ones are drawn to wendy houses like moths to a flame and if you fancy adding one to your garden, we don't blame you.
A wendy house is a British term for a small playhouse for kids, which is large enough for one or more children to enter and play in. They vary in size and material, with some being a simple structure while others offer various features such as a slide, steps, and a built-in kitchen.
As well as encouraging outdoor play and the chance for their very own personal retreat, playhouses offer your child the opportunity for their imaginations and creativity to run wild. One day their wendy house will be a popular restaurant to serve customers, while the next it'll transform into a kingdom where they are king or queen. Quite simply, the possibilities are endless.
Things to think about
Space: How much room do you have in your garden for the wendy house? Be sure to triple check the dimensions.
Material: Playhouses that can be used outdoors are typically made of plastic or wooden. Many kids favour plastic options but wooden will last longer and are more eco-friendly.
How many kids?: If you've got more than one child or your little one has lots of friends who like to come play, you'll need a spacious playhouse where 2-3 children have room to play.
Features: If your tot loves whizzing down the slide at the park, this could be a worthy feature that you look for with your playhouse.
Accessories: While some wendy houses (typically plastic ones) come with lots of accessories such as play kitchenware, others don't, meaning you may have to fork out more money for these.
The best children's wendy houses and playhouses to buy
If you're looking to purchase a wendy house for your youngster, here are our favourites available to buy today.
Description
Whether they play chef or customer, your child is bound to have lots of fun with this Chef Playhouse. There is everything needed to prepare and cook sweet and savory 'foods', including drinks, cutlery, utensils, salt and pepper shaker, pan for pancakes, ketchup and mustard. We love the two removable slates so your child can write the menu and note the Chef House's opening hours. The hut is made up of a gate, and two windows with four swing shutters.
Suitable from: 2+
Dimensions: 120 x 50 x 92 cm
Material: Plastic
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "This was bought for our 3 year old grandson. He absolutely loves it. It is very well made, very solid. He loves all the additions you get with this. The door, the different windows, you can write your menu, charge for the food with the till and card reader. It totally captured his imagination to play."
Description
With working doors, windows, and shutters, kids will love the fun role-play elements of this Little Tikes wendy house such as the working mail slot and flag holder that will spark their imaginations. Easy to assemble and take apart with minimal assembly and tools, the lightweight design means it's easy to move, transport, or store.
Suitable from: 2+
Dimensions: 108.59 x 88.9 x 124.46 cm
Material: Plastic
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "Ordered and arrived promptly, well packaged. I am not normally the one to put these types of things together but it was very straight forward with good instructions. Managed on my own, it was a little fiddly to click pieces into place but easy enough. Good size and quality. Some other reviews said that the plastic was a little flimsy, I think it is sturdy enough and great value for money. My daughter is 91cm in height at 2 and there is plenty of growing room with this toy. She was delighted with it and I think it will keep her entertained for hours!"
Description
With enough space for two to three children to play, this playhouse includes a table and two benches that can be placed both inside or outside of the playhouse. In one of the inner walls there are small interactive games elements to encourage children to explore and play.
Suitable from: 2+
Dimensions: 104 x 95 x 118 cm
Material: Plastic
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "After a lot of looking around for a playhouse for my little grandaughter, I saw this one on Amazon and she gets so much enjoyment from it. The table and bench are great as she also plays shop from them. The inside is very spacious and I can use it to store her toys when she goes home, it ticks all the boxes."
Description
This beautiful natural Fir wood wendy house can be decorated in your child's favourite colours, or just use a transparent preserver to keep the grain visible. It includes large chalkboards to scribble on and counter tops and shelves ready to display delicious food. The simple slot-together design means it'll be ready for imaginative play in no time.
Suitable from: 18 months+
Dimensions: 137 x 112 x 93 cm
Material: Wood
Water resistant? Yes. Treat with a suitable wood preserver before use.
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "Bought this for my son's 3rd birthday. He loves it. The wood is beautiful and has an incredible smell. It was easy to assemble and looks great. Only downside is that it doesn't come with a floor, although it does say that this can be purchased separately, but I didn't know that was an option originally. Great value for money, the quality is high and it looks much more expensive. I've had loads of compliments on it. The chalk boards are a great feature too."
www.wayfair.co.uk
Description
There's no doubt this playhouse is expensive, but it sure is pretty! This Victorian inspired wendy house has a large bay window, English garden bench, flower box, airy half-door, classic serving station and fully equipped kitchen with a telephone, modern appliances and fresh plastic food, offering your child years of fun.
Suitable from: 2 years+
Dimensions: 169.9 x 187.9 x 165.1cm
Material: Wood
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
www.wayfair.co.uk
Description
If money is no object, why not splurge on this extravagant playhouse? One for older children, it has a high substructure and includes a large ladder as well as a long slide. The frame at the bottom can even be used as a large sandbox!
Suitable from: 3 years+
Dimensions: 288 x 432 x 193 cm
Material: Wood
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
www.outdoortoys.co.uk
Description
Strong supports and 11.5mm tongue and groove timber creates a sturdy and durable kids playhouse that will be a beautiful addition to any garden. It has a raised deck with a balcony at the front of the playhouse, accessed by a wooden ladder on one side and a 4ft slide on the other.
Suitable from: 3 years+
Dimensions: 199 x 159 x 253 cm
Material: Wood
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "So pleased with our house for the kids, it’s a lovely size and the quality of the wood is great. Delivery driver (Iain) was really friendly, and overall a great experience."
Description
Placed on a 70cm high platform, children can reach the wendy house using the included ladder. Thanks to the gate and the 3 windows located on the different facades, your little adventurers will have an eye on everything and they can use the 1.5m slide as a fun way down to the ground.
Suitable from: 2 years+
Dimensions: 120 x 50 x 101 cm
Material: Plastic
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "Amazing! My little one was trying to play on it before it was finished. She found the box fun too. Nice and sturdy and she loves playing peek-a-boo through the window shutters. We drilled some holes in the floor to allow the rain to drain away and the instructions were rubbish but well worth it. Lockdown would have been unbearable without this."
www.smythstoys.com
Description
This sweet wooden wendy house has white trimmed front windows and an opening door with a window. You can even add your own flowers or decorations to the window boxes for a pretty touch.
Suitable from: 2 years+
Dimensions: 97 x 136 x 152 cm
Material: Wood
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "It’s great. Relatively easy to put together and sturdy enough for small children. My two year old twins love it. It’s spacious enough for both of them to play together inside too."
www.ebay.co.uk
Description
Ok it's less of a wendy house and more of a play tent but if you've got a Peppa fan, they'll love this pop up play house. It springs up in seconds so there's no impatient waiting around as well as folding away compactly for easy storage. It features a roll-up door and peep through window and has a playground themed built-in playmat included too.
Suitable from: 2 years+
Dimensions: 102 x 72 x 72 cm
Requires assembly? No
www.very.co.uk
Description
This quaint cottage playhouse is ideal for any pink lover! Made from durable, weatherproof plastic, it has a high roof and door arch, shutters on all windows and also comes with a kitchen unit featuring a sink, stove top with clicking knobs and play phone.
Suitable from: 18 months+
Dimensions: 127 x 130 x 114 cm
Material: Plastic
Water resistant? Yes
Requires assembly? Yes
Review: "I’m so pleased how quick Very was in delivering this item and my little girl loves it so much. Absolutely perfect for 18 months plus and easy to put together."