Where To Get Caught Reading
Yup, it’s May again and that means it’s Get Caught Reading month! This annual event is designed to remind people of all ages that reading is a vital and wonderful activity. And for the last three years, Lulu Junior has published a reading list to help you and your kids find amazing reading material for the month of May.
This year, we’re doing something a little different. Instead of a reading list, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked things when it comes to kids and reading: their reading space. You can find countless articles online about reading in front of a roaring fire or cozy cafe. But those are more grown-up reading spaces. What about the kids?
The Value Of A Reading Space
Think about it; how many places around your house do you read? I have three: in bed, in one particular corner of the couch, or in my hammock in the yard. That doesn’t mean I won’t crack open a book at the kitchen counter or while sitting in an armchair. But those spots are my go-to locations when I want to read.
Likewise, I love to go out in the world and read (pre-pandemic). I’d bring a book to the local pub for a beer after work. Or to the cafe on a warm summer morning for a latte while I read. Of course, there’s the library too.
Reading spaces are important. We need that comfortable, safe place where we can set aside most of the world around us and journey into a book.
Kids need that comfort too; if anything it’s more important for kids to have a dedicated space for reading.
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Make Reading A Routine
A reading space helps your kids create routines around reading. We all do it. I read in bed at night, on the couch in the morning with my coffee, in the hammock in the afternoon sun—each location brings with it reading. If I get in bed, I just start reading. It’s hardly even a thought. That’s what a reading space for your kids can do too. If they sit in a specific chair every afternoon to read, they’ll start associating reading with being in that chair. Bam! Reading habit initiated.
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Reading Space Ideas At Home
A reading space can be as simple as a chair or couch they repeatedly use for reading. But if you want to give them their very own reading space, here are three ideas I think you’ll like.
Reading Nook
Seriously, if you’re handy and have supplies, building your kids a reading nook would be the coolest thing you can do for them. A reading nook doesn’t need to be elaborate or complex either.
For the most part, you can find a corner or window and turn that into a little space just for your kids to read! The goal is to create a comfortable space that’s relatively small and private, ideally with some bookshelves for their reading materials!
If you’re itching for some detailed inspiration, this list of 12 kids reading nooks from The Spruce is amazing.
Don’t restrict their nook to reading either! This little space is their own; if they want to draw or color or nap, that’s great too!
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Reading Chair/Bag
That armchair in the corner of the living room could easily become their reading space. Sometimes, you have to let your kids decide where they want to read and where they are most comfortable; then focus on supporting them as they learn to love reading!
But if they aren’t committing to a single reading space around the house, maybe they need a bean bag chair!
I had a cheap bean bag chair as a kid and I spent countless hours curled up in that thing reading. Best of all, I could drag it into any room I felt like reading in!
Treehouse/Hammock
If your yard supports it, an outdoor space for your kids to read is awesome. You could do a simple free-standing hammock for your kids to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine while they read.
And if you’ve got a tree that will work, a little treehouse is the perfect getaway spot for your kid’s reading. You might be surprised how easy it is to build a treehouse. And some of these treehouse designs look like the perfect spot for a kid to read!
Just Get Caught Reading
Because that’s really what May is all about. Just read something! And if you can, help inspire your kids to get caught reading too. Creating a comfortable place for your kids to read might just be the thing that kickstarts a reading habit they’ll cherish their entire lives.
