Reading is one of the key parts of development for early years children. It develops language and communication skills, sets up foundational skills involved in learning for life, and sparks joy and imagination in ways that cannot be found elsewhere. Finding ways to encourage early years children to read is therefore extremely vital, and transforming your classroom or learning space into a literary wonderland with an early years reading corner can have a significant impact on the way your class engages with books and stories.
Why Are Early Years Reading Corners Important?
According to the charity Save the Children, 60% of low-income families have no children’s books in their homes. Ensuring that all can access a wide range of reading material at school is key to closing attainment gaps within schools. Early years reading corners are important as they provide children with somewhere comfortable and quiet to read from the very beginning of their educational journey, instilling healthy habits and attitudes towards reading no matter the child’s background.
How To Create An Early Years Reading Corner
How you choose to create an early years reading corner is ultimately dependent on the size and needs of your early years cohort, but there are a number of things you can do to ensure that it becomes a literary wonderland regardless of your starting point.
Invest In Engaging Reading Materials
First things first, no early years reading corner is complete without a wide selection of engaging and appropriate reading materials. Make sure that you have books available to suit all reading levels and provide some that can stretch the really keen readers in the group. Remember to refresh the selection available to your little readers as frequently as possible to keep them continually excited by the prospect of getting stuck into a new story.
Display Your Books In An Appealing Way
It can be tempting to hide books away to reduce the amount of clutter in your classroom, but keeping them displayed out in the open in your early years reading corner is important. Children are much more likely to feel inclined to go and pick up and book and start reading if they can see them clearly. This will also make it easier for your little readers to browse different genres and authors, rather than just sticking to what they are comfortable and familiar with. At Cost Cutters UK, we can provide you with all kinds of different ways to clearly display books to children, from a neat kinderbox to an inventive tree book display that is perfect for featuring the class’ favourite books.
Consider The Location Carefully
Make sure that you choose a suitable location for your early years reading corner. Finding somewhere quiet to limit distraction and boost the confidence of those reading aloud is essential, and you should also factor in whether the environment feels safe and inspiring when you’re in it. Most nurseries and schools opt for designing an early years reading corner indoors in the classroom, but you could also explore different outdoor environments. Being outdoors and amongst nature can inspire real creativity when reading and helps children to associate reading with fun and play. We stock a great variety of outdoor reading corner furniture if you plan to go down this route, including wicker pods and wooden reading play houses.
Make Your Early Years Reading Corner Comfy
If you want early years children to spend the right amount of time sitting down and gripped by a story, you need to make sure that your reading corner is soft and comfortable. Little readers will feel more relaxed if they can sit still without getting fidgety. Explore different soft furnishing options like bean bags and sofas. Not only will children love sinking into these cushions, but the bright colours will also add an extra spark to your early years reading corner.
Choose A Relevant Theme
Finally, why not opt for a theme to make your early years reading corner really stand out? There are all kinds of different themes you could choose from, like creating an indoor jungle or a seasonal scene. This kind of enchanting decoration helps children really get stuck into the thoughts and feelings of the characters in their stories and ensures they will actually want to escape from the real world and spend time in the reading corner.
Cost Cutters UK can help you turn any kind of early years reading corner vision into a literary wonderland reality. Our huge range of furniture for early years reading corners is available to browse online today and we can also offer you a bespoke service if you can’t quite find what you are looking for. Simply get in touch with the expert sales team to learn more about how we can help you create an enchanting space for little readers today.