Reading is the cornerstone of learning for every child, and something that you can give them a head start with even from a very early age. It is never too early to start reading to your child, whether that's in a solid wood bed in their bedroom at the end of the day or a quiet downtime moment on the sofa in the living room and as they grow, hopefully, you will have instilled a love of reading and a desire to explore what excitement lies between the covers of a good book. A reading corner in your home is a great and easy way to do this.
With this in mind, here are our tips for pulling together an inspiring reading corner to help encourage your child to discover a love of reading.
Turn a bed into a reading corner
If your child’s bedroom is limited in space, then consider making their bed into a reading corner. Some extra cushions will help to create a really comfortable “nest” for curling up in. Of course, you will want to remove these extra cushions at bedtime and store than away, so a wooden bed with storage is a good option. This can be a great place to put some of their teddies as well if there isn’t enough room on the bed.
Keep books accessible
When encouraging your child to read it is important to make sure that their books are easy to see and close to hand. Consider open shelving or a wooden bookcase – and place the books so the front covers are visible rather than just the spine. You could also consider adding some reclaimed wood shelves on your child’s bedroom wall at child level.
Keep favourite books close by
A bedside table with drawers can be incredibly useful when it comes to keeping your child’s favourite read close at hand. There are plenty of different options out there when it comes to selecting a bed table but one with drawers will give you a little bit of extra storage space to help keep your child’s room nice and tidy.
And whilst we are on the subject of keeping things tidy….
A tidy room is a much more welcoming environment and one where your child will be inclined to read. It isn’t always easy to keep a child’s room clean and tidy, but you can make life a little easier with the right storage, and plenty of it. A wooden blanket box is a great piece of furniture that can be used to hide all manner of toys and games out of sight. A solid wood chest of drawers and a rustic wardrobe are also good choices for rustic furniture that will offer you plenty of additional storage space.
Lighting
Don’t forget the lighting for your reading corner. Proper lighting will not only create an easier environment to read, but will protect your child's eyes. A floor lamp or table lamp on a bedside table are ideal, but fairy lights are a great alternative to a more traditional reading lamp if you want to create a more magical area for your child to read in.
Create a reading den on the floor
If you are limited when it comes to space in your home or your child’s room, then you can create a reading den on the floor. Get creative with plenty of cushions, or a big bean bag, blankets and maybe even a teepee to help really make a reading corner that is ready for all of the adventures your child will find in the pages of a good book.
We hope these ideas have given you some tips on how to create a great reading space for your child. After all, making reading accessible, enjoyable and magical in childhood may help to instill a love of the written word that will bring your child joy throughout the rest of their life. For more children's bedroom ideas, see our Ideas and Inspirations.
