The Best Kids Play Tents and Kids Teepees

Sarah Conley

6 years ago

There are thousands of different types of play tents for kids to choose from. Some, more decorative, others fully functional, and many in between. In this article, we share 40 of our favorite children’s play tents in a variety of different styles including kids pop up tents, kids teepees, playhouse tents, dome style tents, and play canopy tents (also known as hanging play tents). Keep in mind while browsing that all of these tents are Amazon kids tents that can all be purchased online, many of which with free shipping for prime members. To curate this list, we have gone through all of the tent options on Amazon, and chosen the best kids teepees and play tents based on customer reviews, tent features,and overall quality of the tent.

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The tents in this article are grouped together by type. The different types are listed below. Click on a tent style to jump down to that section of the article and browse our kids tent selection of that style.

Kids Play Tent Types

Kids Pop Up Tents
Kids Teepees
Play Tents with Tunnel
Playhouse Tents
Dome Style Play Tents
Play Canopy Tent or Hanging Play Tents

Kids Pop Up Tents

Kids Pop-up Tents are a popular style of tent for children for one very simple reason: They are easy to ‘assemble’ being as they simply pop-up into their tent form. Pop up play tents are less expensive than teepee and other styles of play tents as well. They are not the most durable tent style, but they are very lightweight and malleable. Listed below are our favorite kids pop up tent styles, which include Pop Up Playhouses, Ball Pit Play Tents, Play Tent with Tunnel Sets, and more children’s pop up tent styles.

Play Tent with Tunnel Sets

Similar to the tents above, the tents below are also pop-up style tents. The difference being that these include an extra item: listed below are play tent with tunnel sets. The tunnel adds an extra element of exploration for little ones. The tunnel feature on play tents is especially fun for toddlers to crawl through to reach the final destination of the tent. See our favorite toddler tent and tunnel sets below, many of which include play areas that are open or include basketball hoops for even more diversified play areas within the play tent. These are great children’s tent options for families with multiple children or kids with lots of neighborhood friends they will play in these play tents with.

Kids TeePees

Unlike the other tents in this article, these Kid’s TeePees are more classic style play tents for kids. I would consider keeping these out and set up in my child’s room or playroom all the time, instead of some of the other tents that I may not want to keep set-up 24/7. That’s more what these teepees are designed for as well, being as they are probably the most difficult to set up out of all of the play tent options we list in this article. Out of all of the children’s teepee options below, the Canicove Teepee Tent (first option) and the Lavievert Indian Canvas Teepee (seventh option) are the best kids outdoor teepee options, because they are either made of heavy duty canvas (Canicove) or come with a water-resistant bottom mat (Lavievert).

Playhouse Tents

Playhouse Tents are square-style play tents, perfectly sized for both toddlers and little kids ages 5-9 years old. These tents require minimal setup. They include options like roll open doors and and fun, themed designs like the clubhouse tent (which is own favorite style of all the non-canvas tent options we share).

Dome Style Play Tents

Dome-style play tents are big tents for kids, unlike other options that are smaller, more narrow, or have small tunnel entrances and add-ons, these tent options can fit larger children more comfortably. This makes dome-style tents a good tent option to choose for children who are a bit older, ages 6-10 that still like to play in tents. The opening for these tents are larger (especially the first two options), and the inside areas of the tents are wide and tall, making for great options for bigger children.

Play Canopy Tents and Hanging Play Tents

Play canopy tents and hanging play tents are basically one and the same: both are tents that can be used to cover children’s beds or simply hang from the ceiling to create a play area underneath. Canopy tents are a great option for tents that you want to keep in one location without risk of it being moved.

Kids Outdoor Tents

So, here’s the thing about play tents in the outdoors… Play tents are not real tents (hence the more decorative look and the lower price tag) So, we do not recommend trying to use any of these play tents in place of real tents… However, you can play with some or even all of these tents outside. Just know that using them outside is going to increase wear and the decrease the longevity of the tents due to using them in harsher conditions. There is one add-on item that you can use in conjunction with your play tents outside in order to keep them protected, and that’s a Camping Tarp, also called a tent footprint. A tent footprint is a tarp-like material that protects the bottom of the tent from wear and tear caused by the rough ground. So, if you plan on using your children’s play tent outside, we strongly recommend adding on a tent footprint to help increase your tent’s longevity by protecting the bottom area of the tent that will touch the ground. *This, of course, will not protect the play tent from weather wear, and I would only use play tents in good weather.