Kids Reading Corner Ideas
In recent years there has been a cultural shift in returning to reading, specifically books, amongst children and young people. In a world dominated by screens and digital devices, nurturing a love of books and reading can be tricky. That said, with Christmas annuals as popular as ever, and stories from Harry Potter to Dr Seuss filling stockings, what else can you do to encourage a love of books with your child? In today’s blog, we’ll be looking at our top reading corner ideas, and how you can easily make a special oasis of calm which your little ones can use to relax and enter magical worlds!
The importance of books
Cicero said “A room without books is like a body without a soul”. 2,000 years after saying it, books and a love of reading are as important for the soul as ever before. However, unlike the ancient world, today’s children are beset with mobile phones, laptops and countless apps each competing for their time and attention. As a result, you can take a few small steps to make a special reading space for your child to get comfy in and disappear into the pages of their favourite book.
Comfy reading spaces for children
Making a comfy reading corner for kids is very important and easy to do. The first thing to consider is comfort, afterall it will be hard for your little one to get into the story if they can’t first get comfy! Let’s start with cushions.
For hundreds of years, cushions have made millions of people, of all ages, comfortable and cosy. At Blinds Direct, our range of quality cushions is made to the highest standards from only the finest materials to ensure whoever uses them feels comfortable and content. To make the reading space appealing to your child, consider colours and patterns they will love.
There is an amazing array of kids cushions available on the website including our new Monster Mash range which features unique designs inspired by the winner and runners up of the 2022 Kids’ Design Challenge. By arranging your kids cushions in a fun, relaxing way, you’ll have made the first step towards your little one’s dream reading corner.
For finishing touches, make sure there are blankets, throws and a place for drinks to be safely kept!
The perfect window furnishings for reading corners
Keeping with the theme of fun soft fabrics, consider adding a colourful kids curtain or blind to the window. While showcasing their favourite characters, landscapes or even the depths of space, a quality curtain or blind will also help keep your children private and manage external light.
For curtains, Roman blinds and roller blinds, consider vibrant colours, cheerful designs and soft fabrics for any child’s reading space. For avid readers who love to read in both the day time and the evening, you can also consider a Day & Night blind! Day & Night blinds, also known as ‘Zebra blinds,’ offer the perfect balance between light control and privacy. These stylish and functional blinds feature alternating strips of fabric that slide against each other, allowing you to change between a block colour – for full closure and privacy – and stripes that gently filter the light and views from outside while illuminating the pages.
For the best effect, you can fit a Day & Night blind inside of the window’s recess, and add a kids curtain above the window for a layered effect. At Blinds Direct, we offer free thermal and blackout lining options for all of our curtains to add that extra touch of comfort to your child’s reading space.
The importance of light in a kid’s reading space
Finding the correct level of light is vital for reading. If it’s too dark, children can strain their eyes and if it’s too light the glare can make it difficult to focus on the letters. As a result it’s very important to make sure the lighting levels in your child’s reading space are perfect.
As we’ve said with blinds and curtains, you can use different window furnishings to let in the ideal amount of light from outside, but what about when it’s dark? The word you are looking for is lamps.
Unlike large ceiling or wall mounted lights, lamps add a fun twist to a space and localised soft lighting. There are countless cartoon character shaped lamps and other interesting shapes but for a quick transformation, look at kids’ lamp shades.
Lamp shades, like blinds and curtains, can carry fun designs, bold colours and fun shapes, but most importantly they help to mute the light, offering a soft warming glow to a space. For something truly magical, why not splash out on a metallic lamp shade inner? Available in shades of gold and silver, metallic inners will help the light sparkle and shimmer creating a fairytale effect which is perfect for reading spaces.
If you’re looking to help your child fall in love with Christmas this year, you’re in luck! There is still time to order and receive blinds, cushions and lamp shades before the big day, all you have to do is look out for the red bow on the website!