How to Build a Treehouse for Fun & Exercise

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How to build a treehouse for exercise and fun
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We can learn so much from children, especially the importance of running, jumping, and climbing. Children do these things naturally and as adults, many of us lose the ability to perform many of these functional movements.

Why Build a Treehouse?

Climbing is one of the most functional and useful movements we can do, but statistically, most adults can’t do these movements anymore. Could you climb a 20 foot rope right now? What about a 15 foot climbing wall or a fire pole?

My children are still naturally able to climb, and helping them keep and improve this ability was a priority for my husband and I. We saved up and build a treehouse that would provide a place for exercise, climbing, and creative play (the children know all of these activities as “play” or “fun”).

The result was a month-long project that involved the help of grandparents (and the kids), a lot of wood and natural wood stain, and the creation of a treehouse that the kids (and adults!) love. Every aspect of the treehouse, from the zip line to the slide to the monkey bars is strong enough for an adult to use.

Is it Risky?

Obstacles don't have to stop youSome aspects of our treehouse would be considered risky. The zipline starts at a height of 12 feet. The climbing wall is at least that high and they could potentially fall from 8 feet or higher in a number of places. We’ve minimized the potential for them to get seriously injured, but I don’t mind that there is some risk involved.

There is evidence that the over-safe playgrounds we’ve created have a negative effect on our children and that not having this risk is stunting their psychological development.

…the more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves. If you never let them take any risks, then I believe they become very prone to injury. Boys should be allowed to climb tall trees and walk along the tops of high walls and dive into the sea from high rocks… The same with girls. I like the type of child who takes risks. Better by far than the one who never does so. -Roald Dahl

Expensive?

We consider this treehouse an investment in our children’s health and I love that it is a place where they can spend hours of quality time and make memories.

It wasn’t cheap to build but it was definitely in the same price range as buying a pre-made “safe” play structure that many families have in their backyards (but with a lot more features). We built it strong enough to hold all of our children even when they are teens (in fact, we’ve had 8+ adults up there at once).

The treehouse also encourages my kids to play with each other, and seeing them bond is priceless to me.

We saved and budgeted and made this a priority for them.

How to Build a Treehouse at Home

The goal of early childhood educationThe deck of the treehouse is 9×16 and supported by a huge pine tree and six 6×6 boards. One side is a climbing wall and a climbing rope that goes to the top of the enclosed clubhouse inside. The deck of the treehouse is 7 feet tall.

On the deck, there is an open area with a railing where the children can play, and a 7×8 enclosed clubhouse area where they can build forts, have camp outs, and play outside even if it is raining. There is a 9 foot speed slide that comes out of the enclosed building.

The zip line attaches to the pine tree and goes to another tree that is over 150 feet away. To use the zip line, the children have to climb up, hold on to the zip line, ride it to the other tree, then run the 150+ feet back to the treehouse for the next person go. They typically do this for an hour or more a day (great exercise).

Under the deck of the treehouse are metal monkey bars, a set of rings/trapeze bar, a cargo net for climbing, two hanging chairs and a hammock. The kids spend time here relaxing and reading.

Treehouse Building Supplies

Take the (virtual) tour here:

Do your kids have a treehouse? What physical activities do you encourage for them to stay fit and active? Share below!

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    Katie Wells Avatar

    About Katie Wells

    Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

    Comments

    80 responses to “How to Build a Treehouse for Fun & Exercise”

    1. kasia Avatar

      Katie- sending you a big big hug for all your work! so many posts I´m learning from, so many made me smile, more curious, interested in new things, pushed me to try new ideas- congrats, you´re doing such a great job, keep posting!

      pd. totally loving the treehouse idea!!

    2. Mary Redeker Avatar
      Mary Redeker

      Hello Katie! I love this article on building a tree house for and with your family. I was wondering if I could use the link to this article on my new blog about Christian Family Living.

    3. Kelsey Albers Avatar
      Kelsey Albers

      This is going in my “for when I have kids” folder. LOVE IT!

    4. Stacy C Avatar
      Stacy C

      I’m so excited that you shared this because building a similar treehouse is on our to-do list this Fall! This encourages me to think long-term and build a treehouse that our littles can grow into. Thanks!

    5. Vanetta Luke Avatar
      Vanetta Luke

      I want to have kids now, just so I can encourage my husband to help me build this!!! Great job!

    6. MJ Avatar

      Wow! What an awesome tree house! I love the descriptions, but can we see more pictures (of the zipline and speed slide to be precise)? Maybe it’s just me, but I definitely take my inspiration visually.

    7. Brooke Avatar

      Treehouses are the best! I so think I could live in one…especially the ones Pete Nelson makes on Treehouse Masters.

    8. Katrina Avatar
      Katrina

      Fantastic Katie! You guys are amazing with your fantastic ideas! I want one of these for sure and I want to go on it too! I know you mentioned you didn’t have a plan as you did it as you went, but would love it if you could draw up a plan of what you ended up with as a template as I’m sure every detail was well thought through by you and would love to see more details on this. Guessing you put mulch underneath from the pics for extra safety too?
      Thanks for your blog and creativity! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Keep it coming!

    9. david Avatar

      This is truly amazing, thank you so much for sharing!

      Any chance you can video tape the entire house so we can understand more how elements talk to other elements? or maybe more pics? we would really like to have something like this for our kids!

    10. Heather Avatar
      Heather

      Wow, this is great! I want to build a treehouse now and I don’t even have kids!

    11. Stephanie Avatar
      Stephanie

      Amazing! This is now on our to-do list for next spring. I’m interested in the natural stain – what brand did you use and where did you buy it? I’m in Canada, so it might not be available here, but I haven’t been able to find many nontoxic ideas.

      Thanks!!

      P.S. your blog is basically my handbook on life 🙂

    12. Susie Avatar

      I definitely fell off my zip-line we had as a kid and broke my arm. Worth it?? Absolutely. 🙂

    13. Catelyn Olivares Avatar
      Catelyn Olivares

      Oh my goodness! What I wouldn’t do to be able to build this for my son and future children! So much fun and good exercise!

    14. Henita Avatar

      Would love to build a tree house like that! Sadly, the pictures are either covered with words or from strange angles, which makes it hard to understand how it is actually constructed. Do you have a plan available?

        1. Dustin Avatar

          is it possible to take more still pictures of how things are attached/put together. joints, underneath, how you attached railings. what size of joists did you use? (2×6 or 2×8). I am more interested in the “bones” of the construction. How did you attach wood to wood? Nails, screws, bolts, lag bolts, Joist hangers? I would love to build something similar for my kids. Thank you for your response.

          1. Elizabeth Avatar
            Elizabeth

            Agreed – there are no plans for building it here, but I think many of us could benefit from knowing more of the nitty gritty. Could you have someone who was in charge of the construction write about it and lay out more details? I think this would make your blog more powerful. Everyone knows that exercise is good for kids and treehouses are cool. What many people don’t know and would love to know is HOW to construct one. Thank you!

    15. Jenny Olatunji Avatar
      Jenny Olatunji

      Wow, this is such an amazing idea, your right it is definitely an investment but it’s certainly something I would have loved as a child! Love the blog, keep up the awesome work

    16. dawn Avatar

      Love the tree house. My husband and kids built one with some used wood we had. Theirs is a two story. Not finished yet but hopefully soon. So far I have found some neat extras from hearthsong.com like zip lines and other really cool stuff. Love that website for the kids.

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