Dwell :: Kid’s Indoor Reading Room Ideas

Since my daughter was very little, my husband and I have been reading children’s books to her most every night.  In fact, my love of children’s picture grew so much during her early years after spending so many hours together at our local book store,  that I was inspired to write my own children’s book so that one day I could read it to her!  When I received the final draft of my book, Penelope the Purple Pirate in the mail,  I held it in my arms and was so excited to finally be able to read it to her that night. Her favorite part of the book is the About the Author page because there is a picture of us together.  She likes to show people that particular page at any school readings I do.  It makes me smile every time she does that. Recently, we have moved from picture books into early readers and lately I have been thinking of creating a little section in her room as a Reading Nook just for her.  As a kid, I could not read enough!  I loved the Nancy Drew Mysteries, Judy Blume books, Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale books and was always carrying books around with me.  I hope that my daughter has this appreciation for books once she can start reading on her own.

The Importance of Reading to Your Children:

Research has shown that the single most important thing that a parent can do to help their child acquire language, prepare their child for school, and instill a love of learning in their child, is to read to them (Russ et al., 2007). Reading to a child is one of the easiest ways to prevent future learning problems, and yet many people do not fully understand the enormous, positive impact that this simple act has on the life of a child. Across the US, just under half (47.8%) of all children five and under are read to everyday, which means that over 13 million children go to bed at night without a bedtime story.  (Source: https://www.pvschools.net/speced/pdfs/Importance-of-Reading.pdf).  By spending time reading to your kids you are able to spend some quality time together and laugh about silly stories and talk about how they might change the story around to help get their creative juices flowing.  Here are some fun ideas if you are looking to create a Reading Corner in your house which can be enjoyed together or it can become their special place to enjoy.

This adorable polka dots reading room is the perfect size for a young reader to lose themselves in their favorite book. I love the old fashioned light on the wall that adds some magic to the room.  To read more go to: https://petitevanou.tumblr.com/page/35

This little nook has the perfect sitting – their bed!  Love the black and white contrasts and you can find these book shelves online.  Just Google children’s book shelves and see what pops up.  To see more go to: https://pinterest.com/pin/431782682994964167/

I like this idea a lot because it would be really easy to do in the corner of your child’s bedroom.  You could even get some fabric and make your own tent to hang from the wall, add a cute and comfy pillow and their reading nook is ready to go!  You can see some more ideas at the Country Living site:   https://www.countryliving.com/homes/ideas-for-kids-rooms-0809?click=main_sr#slide-36

This is such a colorful reading area for your little girl.  If you want to adjust it to fit your little boy – just add more blues and greens (or maybe he likes pinks and purples – that’s fine too!).  You can make your own pillows or go to Target, Walmart or check online to see what is available. These bookcases are easy to find online as well and are usually pretty affordable.  https://www.by-bak.dk/2012/07/no-0274-nyt-fra-bornevaerelset-1.html

This cute idea uses antique desks that you could search for at your local garage sales, Etsy or Ebay.  Type in children’s antique desks and see what comes up.  I love the antique Winnie the Pooh sitting next to the desks ready to be held while they read their favorite books.  You can see more at: https://mommo-design.blogspot.com/2013/06/vintage-desks.html

Photo courtesy of: https://corhobbs.sharpschool.com/parents_fyi/accelerated_reader/

What was your favorite book as a child?