photo by Kalee Renee Photography
I grew up in a home that was all about reading. I remember a drawer in the hallway that was jam packed with books. I would pull that drawer open and sit there reading my favorite stories (or at least looking at the pictures). I remember my mom spending hours and hours reading with us. Sometimes we would do dishes while she would read. She read us chapter books and my three sisters and I loved getting swept away in the story. I still have some favorite books that I love to read and re-read that were first read to me by my mom. I love reading because I was raised to read. Because of that, I want Don to also love reading!
photo by Kalee Renee Photography
When putting Don’s room together, I really prioritized designing a space that promotes reading. I first wanted to start with why reading? Why is it so important? I pulled together some of my favorite benefits (all though there are many more than I put here):
Some of my favorite skills from reading are bonding and early language skills- things we are focusing on right now.
There are two areas in Don’s room that I designed just for reading. These are easy to replicate and I promise you that they work to promote reading!
- Reading alone- this space should include a comfortable space where your little one can sit alone and a place where books can easily be reached by the child. We have a Down East Home chair and book ledges from Ikea. The exact ones we have are no longer available, but these are similar (and $6.99 each).
- Reading together- this space should include a chair that can fit two and a place where books can easily be reached while sitting. We have a Pottery Barn rocking chair and an Avdala Bookcase ($19.99) from Ikea. I also love having an ABC poster in the room. We love this one because it is personalized with his name, but also the fun characters next to each letter make it more fun for him to look at. In case you were wondering, the viking is his favorite :). After our morning cuddle, Don likes to grab a book and we read it together. He loves interactive books and books with items he can recognize (he is really into animal noises right now).
Here’s my question for you- did you grow up reading? Did your childhood home have space dedicated to reading? This post is dedicated to my mom- love you mom!