Three Common Playroom Library Mistakes
Reading to your child is important! It introduces the value of reading, boosts vocabulary, and strengthens parent-child bonds (Duursma, Augustyn, & Zuckerman, 2008). Before children can read the stories in books, they often access the illustrations and routine of flipping through the pages to self-regulate.
This is something we should applaud and encourage in children! We let adults be extroverted and introverted, but often wonder if something is “wrong” with a child if they’re playing alone. Of course if you’re noticing explicitly anti-social behavior or they’re only ever alone, this is something to note.
But if it’s 3pm on a Thursday and they’ve been in a classroom all day with their peers, or spent a long morning at the park and need to unwind, it’s actually incredibly self-aware of them to recognize that they need to decompress. If only we were so wise!
The Mistakes
As playroom designers we have identified some playroom library setups as more successful and accessible than others. Here are three mistakes we notice families make when incorporating a library into their playroom.
Buying shallow shelves that don’t hold enough books. Zero to three-year-olds are often looking at board books which are pretty thick, so you really need those extra couple of inches of shelf when it comes to storage!
Putting all of the books too high for children to reach. Kids can read or look at illustrations when they need alone time or to self-regulate, so making sure they can get to some of the books on their own is important! Some books can be stored higher for decor, but make sure you’re rotating them in and out if you notice your child becoming bored with the selection.
Separating the cozy space from the library. If you’re able to include both of these in your playroom, put them together! We, as adults, want to be comfy-cozy when we’re reading and your children do too! It just makes sense to have a little cushion or chair for them to curl up in close to their books.
Duursma, E., Augustyn, M., & Zuckerman, B. (2008). Reading aloud to children: the evidence. Archives of disease in childhood, 93(7), 554-557.
