Cozy Reading Nook Ideas for Kids

Sometimes reading comes naturally to kids. For others, it doesn’t. To help inspire reading in my own daughters, we’ve created a cozy kids reading nook together, or in other words, a fun place to take your books and read. Having them participate and choose decor for this space has made a world of difference. Here are some cozy reading nook ideas for kids. You don’t need a ton of space or materials – just add books.

Reading Nook Ideas

You can transform any space into a kids reading nook.

We chose a corner in our homework/creative room for our kids reading nook. This is where our children have desks to do homework, art supplies for art projects, a piano for music, and book shelves loaded with books. 

You can choose a bedroom, family room, basement, nursery, or wherever you have space for your family reading nook. The one requirement my daughters had – it had to be comfortable and cozy! Cozy in my mind = pillows.

Reading Nook Materials

As the mother of 5 girls, I need simple and easy in my life, so I bought a fabric teepee. I’m sure I could have DIY’d the heck out of one in my former life. Not this life. Store bought for this family.  

I bought this one from Hobby Lobby with a 50% off coupon. They’ve certainly gotten fancier since I purchased this one. This Teepee Tent (affiliate link) even has fairy lights!

Then we added a soft rug, and when I say rug, I mean I went to the fabric store, had a couple yards cut with a coupon, and ta-da! The girls were thrilled. 

Next – add pillows. 3 or 4 pillows seem to do the trick. I like all different sizes, because you never know what will strike your fancy in the moment. Sometimes we’ll add a camping lantern when it gets dark to really set the mood for adventurous books.

I’ve also seen reading nooks made with canopies. Some people hang them over a bed or use extra floor space and hang it from the ceiling. I love this gray canopy, (affiliate link) because I like neutrals and then can change out accessories when I want extra pops of color.

Add lights, artwork, stuffed animals or whatever you want to the space. Let your kids’ imaginations run wild! Reading nook ideas are limitless.

Why I Decided to Have a Kids Reading Nook 

Some of my girls are like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, with their noses stuck in a book constantly. For others, it’s a struggle.

When I had one or two children I was really good about reading out loud to them. With the 4th and 5th, I got busier and lazier. The priority to help with reading got pushed down the ever-growing list of things I had to do, because I figured they would just learn in school. That is until some friends reminded me just how important books are by their examples and posting about love of books on social media.

Then that helped ME start reading again. I had missed that time for myself, and I remembered just how much I loved to read. I wasn’t going to let that happen for my kids. This space helps them get excited to read, and reading builds their confidence in creating a foundation for the rest of their work and play.