It could be a curtain draped over a table, or a hole in a hedge. Whatever form the den takes, finding and creating secret places and hiding away is a common schematic interest. In very young children, this presents itself by crawling inside boxes and behind chairs, or hiding under a blanket.
At this stage a child needs to be near a familiar adult and close to a safe place. As children grow and develop, they search out opportunities to find and create spaces sufficiently away from adults. Dens become more important and sophisticated if opportunities are provided.
Research supports the thinking that dens are crucial to a child's development, but suggests that they are in danger of disappearing as a childhood experience, due to lack of access to natural areas, parental fears about letting children out alone and the lure of computer games and television.
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