How to Create a Reading Environment in Your Home

Reading before bed or for the first 15-minutes of “lights out” can feel like getting away with something. It’s a great way to help young ones transition from a fast-paced day to a good slumber. Get them some good reading lamps and they’ll be ready to go. My favorite are these 4-Watt LED Flex Neck Clip-ons from Amazon.They’re bright yet dimmable, they don’t get hot, and they easily clip to a headboard. And at $14.99 they’re well worth it, and since they’re LEDs they’ll last a very long time.

Improve Your Reading Environment with a Trip to the Library

It’s easy to forget they’re there, but your local, free public library often has a revolving selection of the latest and greatest children’s books. Let your kids pick out their own titles, no matter what they are (age-appropriate, of course). With invested interest, they’ll be much more likely to read them when they get home. These can sit right by their bedside lamp, ready to have their spine broken open.

Create an Environment for Reading by Filling Some Bookshelves

If you don’t have a bookcase of children’s books in your house, now’s the time to get one. When my children started reading, I hit garage sales one Saturday morning to find sellers offering boxes of books for 10¢-25¢ each. When I found a good selection, I’d offer them a discounted price for the whole box and move on. By the time I got home, we had shelves full of age-appropriate children’s books. We put this right in our game room so whenever the kids went to play, books were there beside their dolls, Legos and action figures.

The Ultimate Reading Environment Hack: Let Them See You Reading

Kids imitate their parents, and if they see you reading and enjoying a good book, they’re more likely to do it themselves. You can compound this point by talking about books, too. Over dinner, ask open-ended questions about the books your kids are reading, and talk about what you’re reading. Talk about plot lines, what characters are doing and what are the funniest/scariest/saddest parts of your current stories.

Make your home an environment that perpetuates the power of the written word…and help your kids discover a lifelong love for reading!

Have any other tips for creating a great reading environment? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

photo credit: The summer room via photopin (license)