The short answer: choose an indoor playhouse if your child will play in a lounge room, bedroom or playroom and the cubby will stay inside. Choose an outdoor playhouse if you have a yard, courtyard or patio and want something built to cope with Australian sun, rain and wind. The real difference is materials. A cubby made for outdoors is made to be left out in the weather, and one made for indoors isn’t.

Below, we walk through how the two compare, what to check for safety, how much space you need and what to put inside once it’s up.

TL;DR

• Indoor playhouses suit small spaces and rainy days, but they are not designed to sit outside through sun and rain.
• Outdoor playhouses need UV and weather resistant materials, a level spot and secure anchoring.
• Australia has no mandatory safety standard for cubby houses, so the ACCC’s checklist (ventilation, doors that open from inside, no sharp edges or entrapment gaps) is your guide.
• Measure your space and think about your child’s age before you buy, then leave room around the cubby for safe play.
• A resin playhouse like the Keter Kids Funtivity is made for outdoor life and is simple to wipe down.

Table of Contents

• The main difference: what it’s made from
• When an indoor playhouse makes sense
• When an outdoor playhouse is the better pick
• Can you use an indoor playhouse outside?
• Safety: what to check before your child plays
• How much space do you need?
• Choosing a size and design for your child’s age
• Where to put an outdoor playhouse
• What to put inside an outdoor playhouse
• Looking after it
• A quick way to decide
• Our perspective
• A playhouse made for the backyard
• FAQ
• Sources

The main difference: what it’s made from

Most of the practical differences between the two types come back to materials.

Indoor playhouses are usually made for use in a dry, climate-controlled room. Common materials include fabric, cardboard, light panels and thinner plastics. They’re easy to move and often fold away, which suits a compact home or a unit.

Outdoor playhouses need to handle UV, rain, wind, dust and temperature swings. That’s why outdoor cubbies are typically made of treated timber or heavy-duty plastic. Resin is a popular choice because it doesn’t rot, rust or warp, which is how Keter describes its resin products. It’s also lighter than timber and can be wiped clean with a hose and a cloth.

A quick comparison:

	Indoor playhouse	Outdoor playhouse
Typical materials	Fabric, cardboard, light panels, thinner plastic	Heavy-duty resin or plastic, treated timber
Weather resistance	Not designed for it	Designed to be left out in sun, rain and wind
Where it lives	Lounge room, bedroom, playroom	Backyard, courtyard, large patio
Size	Usually smaller and lighter	Often larger, with room for several kids
Setup	Quick, often no tools	Assembly, level base, anchoring
Upkeep	Spot clean, keep dry	Occasional wash, check fixings and anchors
Best for	Wet days, small homes, toddlers	Active play, friends over, year-round use

When an indoor playhouse makes sense

Indoor cubbies earn their place in a few situations:

• You live in an apartment or townhouse with no yard, or only a small balcony.
• Your child is very young and you want to keep them in sight from the kitchen.
• You want a calm corner, like a reading nook or quiet play space, in the bedroom.
• The weather is a problem. Hot summer afternoons and wet winter weeks can keep kids inside for days.

If you go indoors, keep the cubby away from heaters, stairs and anything a child could pull over. Check that it’s stable on your flooring, and that there’s enough room inside for your child to move freely.

When an outdoor playhouse is the better pick

Outdoor play gives kids room to run, climb, shout and make a mess, without worrying about the lounge room carpet. A playhouse in the yard becomes a base for all of it: a shop, a cafe, a hideout, a place to eat a snack on a hot afternoon.

Outdoor cubbies also tend to be bigger. That matters if you have two or three kids, or if friends and cousins regularly visit.

The trade-off is that the cubby has to cope with the Australian climate. Strong sun, summer storms and wind all put pressure on a structure, which is why resin and other durable materials are such a common choice for outdoor playhouses. The ability to be left out all year with little fuss is a big part of the appeal.

Can you use an indoor playhouse outside?

It’s tempting, especially for a cubby your child already loves. But a playhouse made for indoors isn’t designed for the weather. Fabric can fade and mildew, cardboard softens when it gets wet, and lighter panels may not stand up to sun and moisture. A light cubby can also blow around in a gust.

A better approach is to keep your indoor cubby inside, and choose a purpose-made outdoor one for the garden. If you want to try a short supervised session on a calm, dry day, bring it back in afterwards.

Safety: what to check before your child plays

Safety applies to both types, but it matters even more outdoors, where the structure is bigger and the surroundings are less controlled.

The ACCC’s cubby houses and tents guide notes that there’s no mandatory safety standard for cubby houses and tents in Australia. It advises checking for:

• adequate ventilation
• doors that can be opened easily from the inside
• a 1.5 cm gap at the hinged side of doors
• no splinters, sharp edges or gaps where a child could become trapped

Because there’s no mandatory standard, these checks are worth doing yourself when the cubby arrives and again from time to time. Our own page on playhouse safety in Australia covers what to look at before playtime.

Height, climbing and soft fall

If your cubby has a raised platform or can be climbed on, height matters. Kidsafe NSW guidance says fall height for cubby houses should be no greater than 1 m for ages 0 to 3 and 1.5 m for ages 3 to 5. It also says the design shouldn’t let children climb onto the roof or surrounding structures. If a cubby is climbable, soft fall should be installed, with a safe fall zone of 1.9 m or 2.5 m. Guardrails should be vertical rather than horizontal, with a recommended height of 900 mm.

Kidsafe SA also recommends vertical guardrails, and says a cubby more than 600 mm above the playing surface needs sufficient impact attenuating surfacing around it. For a raised or climbable cubby, check the guidance for your state with Kidsafe.

Your backyard setup

Kidsafe NSW also recommends keeping the yard clear of rubbish and trip hazards, and locking tools, equipment and chemicals away in safe storage. It suggests placing play equipment in a shaded, easily accessible spot away from the driveway, pool or other hazards, making sure it’s age and size appropriate, strong, sturdy and securely anchored, and supervising young children on and around it at all times.

A garden shed or lockable storage box helps here, because it gives tools and chemicals a proper home away from the play area.

How much space do you need?

Start with the footprint, then add the surrounds. A playhouse takes up more room than its listed dimensions suggest once you allow for:

• Clear space around it, so kids can get in and out and you can see all sides
• A level, firm base, which makes the cubby sit properly and the doors close smoothly
• Room for a door to swing or a window to open
• Distance from fences, trees and overhanging branches

Measure the spot with a tape and mark it out with stakes or chalk. If you live in a smaller home with a modest yard, a compact cubby tucked into a corner can still work well.

For indoors, measure the floor space and the ceiling height, and check that doors and hallways are wide enough to get the box through.

Choosing a size and design for your child’s age

• Toddlers: low, simple designs with wide doorways and few features. Easy to get in and out of, and easy for you to see inside.
• Preschoolers: this is the age of pretend play. A cubby with a door, windows and room for a few toys goes a long way.
• Primary school age: older kids want space to hang out with friends, which means more floor area and, ideally, a design that doesn’t feel “babyish”.

Children grow fast, so choose a size they can enjoy for a few years, while still being suitable for their current age. If you have kids of different ages, pick a design with enough room to share.

Where to put an outdoor playhouse

Placement affects safety, comfort and how often the cubby gets used. Look for:

1. Shade. A spot with some natural shade keeps the cubby more comfortable on hot days.
2. Visibility. Place it where you can see it from the kitchen, deck or back door.
3. Level ground. Avoid slopes and soggy patches where water pools after rain.
4. A safe distance from hazards, including the pool, driveway and any gates.

We’ve put together a full guide on where to put a cubby in your backyard if you want to go through the options for different yard shapes. If your backyard has artificial turf, read our notes on playhouses on artificial grass.

Anchoring

An outdoor cubby needs to be secure, particularly with gusty weather. Anchoring depends on your ground type, whether that’s lawn, soil, pavers or decking. Our guides explain how to anchor a playhouse in Australia and how to anchor a plastic playhouse so it can’t tip or blow away.

What to put inside an outdoor playhouse

Once the cubby is up, the fun part starts. Some ideas that tend to work well:

• A small table and chairs for tea parties, drawing or snacks
• A play kitchen or shop counter for pretend cooking and shopkeeping
• Cushions or an outdoor-safe mat for a cosy reading corner
• Dress-ups and puppets in a small basket
• Books and drawing supplies, kept in a lidded box
• Gardening tools sized for kids, so they can look after a pot or planter nearby

Keep what’s inside light and easy to move, and avoid anything heavy that could tip. Rotate the toys every few weeks so the cubby always feels fresh.

It also helps to have a spot where all of this lives when playtime is over. A lidded outdoor storage box beside the cubby makes tidy-up quick, and our outdoor toy storage ideas have some practical layouts for busy families.

Looking after it

Indoor cubbies need a wipe-down and a dry spot. Outdoor ones need a little more. Dust, pollen and damp can leave marks, and shady corners can attract mildew if the cubby stays damp.

A regular wash with mild soap and water does most of the work on resin. Our guide to cleaning plastic playhouses covers mildew and how to restore clarity on windows. If you’d like to personalise your cubby, see how to decorate a plastic playhouse with safe paint or removable decor.

Every few months, give the cubby a quick check: doors and hinges moving freely, no cracks or sharp edges, anchors still firm, and the area around it clear.

A quick way to decide

Ask yourself these four questions:

1. Do we have a yard, courtyard or patio? If yes, outdoor gives you more room and more play options.
2. How old is my child? Younger kids may enjoy a small indoor cubby; school-age kids tend to outgrow it fast.
3. How many kids will use it? More kids means more floor space, which usually means outdoors.
4. Do I want it to stay put for years? A durable outdoor cubby is a longer-term addition to the yard.

Many families end up with both: a small, soft indoor space for rainy days and a sturdy outdoor cubby for everything else.

Our perspective

We design our products around everyday outdoor life, and a playhouse is a good example. Kids don’t care about the weather forecast. They want to get outside, and a cubby that’s ready for sun, rain and a bit of rough play makes that easy for everyone.

That’s why we make our outdoor playhouses from durable, recyclable resin. It’s designed to resist weathering, and it doesn’t rot, rust or warp. It’s also made for DIY assembly, so most families can set it up themselves, and it wipes clean when it gets dusty.

Our advice is simple: if you have any outdoor space at all, give an outdoor playhouse a go. Put it somewhere shady where you can see it, anchor it properly, and leave a little room around it. You’ll get years of imaginative play out of it, and a lot more fresh air than the lounge room ever provides.

Liza

A playhouse made for the backyard

If you’re leaning towards outdoors, the Keter Kids Funtivity Outdoor Playhouse is made from resin for outdoor use and designed for DIY assembly. It’s a friendly place to start, and the product page has the details on sizing and features.

If you’d like somewhere to keep the toys, tools and garden gear that go with a busy yard, you can also browse our sheds, outdoor storage and cabinets for tidy, weather resistant options.

FAQ

Is an indoor or outdoor playhouse better?

It depends on where your child will play. An indoor playhouse suits small homes and wet days. An outdoor playhouse is made for weather and gives more room for active play. If you have a yard, outdoors usually offers more space and longer-term value.

Can an indoor playhouse be left outside?

It’s not recommended. Indoor cubbies are generally made from fabric, cardboard or light panels that aren’t designed for sun, rain and wind, so they can fade, soften or blow around. Choose a purpose-made outdoor playhouse for the garden, and keep indoor ones inside.

Are there safety standards for cubby houses in Australia?

The ACCC says there’s no mandatory safety standard for cubby houses and tents. It recommends checking for ventilation, doors that open easily from inside, and no sharp edges, splinters or entrapment gaps. Kidsafe also offers guidance on height, guardrails and soft fall for raised cubbies.

What should I put inside an outdoor playhouse?

Keep it light and simple: a small table and chairs, cushions, a play kitchen or shop, books and dress-ups. Avoid heavy items that could tip, and store toys in a lidded box so the cubby stays easy to use and tidy.

How do I keep an outdoor playhouse secure?

Place it on level ground and anchor it to suit your surface, such as lawn, soil, pavers or decking. Check the anchors every few months, especially after storms. Our anchoring guides explain the options for each surface.

Sources

• Cubby houses and tents guide, ACCC Product Safety
• Backyard Safe Play, Kidsafe NSW via Play Australia
• Cubby Houses, Kidsafe SA

Recommended

• Playhouse Placement: Where to Put a Cubby in Your Backyard
• Keter Kids Funtivity Outdoor Playhouse
• Playhouse Safety Australia: What to Check Before Playtime
• How to Anchor a Plastic Playhouse So It Can’t Tip or Blow Away