In this article, I’m going to be sharing 20 cool ideas for storing kids’ books. Whether you are looking for a small bookcase to put in the corner, or an entire wall dedicated to bookshelves, there will be something for you here!
One of the best things about having children is slowly introducing them to the joy of reading as they grow up. There is absolutely nothing better than putting the world on pause for a while and escaping into an entirely different world where you can make the rules as you go. From fantasy to non-fiction, there’s no end of different genres to choose from, and there’s no better way to encourage your child to use their imagination than to show them what others have created with theirs.
The only problem with teaching children to love books is knowing where to store them all! Book storage can be a huge problem, particularly with kids’ book storage because they’re all different sizes, shapes, and colours. If you’re struggling, then here are 20 amazing children’s book storage ideas to help get you inspired.
Create a Feature Wall
Children’s books are all so unique – they can be any combination of shape, colour, and size, and while that can feel like a challenge when finding storage ideas, why not turn it into an advantage and use books as room decor instead? If you’re looking for a way to decorate your child’s bedroom then filling a wall with brightly coloured books with beautiful pictures on them will provide unique decor that’s easy to switch up when you get bored, but it also ensures that your child’s book storage solution inspires them just as much as the books themselves.
Use a Storage Bench
Storing your child’s books in a storage bench is so easy it can feel like cheating, but why not make life simple? Choosing the right storage bench, like this one above, can give your child a comfortable space to read as well as providing a lot of storage in a small area.
Stand the books up on their ends for maximum efficiency and you have the perfect library and reading nook combined!
Make Your Book Storage Accessible
Admittedly this might not be the best idea if your child is still in the “pull everything out and leave it on the floor” stage in their life, but as your kid gets older reading can become less of a thing you do together and more something they choose to do alone when you’re too busy to play with them. Creating kids book storage that’s at your child’s height will help encourage them to read on their own. This magazine rack style storage is a great way to have all of the books on display and ready to be chosen.
Keep Your Kid’s Books Tidy in a Cupboard
One of the biggest challenges when encouraging your child to read more is that you want them to know that reading is something to be proud of, but going for a storage solution that hides the books away can make it feel like that’s not the case.
The ideal solution for children’s book storage is something that both keeps your house tidy and reminds them that they’ve got books to read. This simple solution using over the door storage racks does just that. When you install these shelves over a wardrobe door you can shut them away and keep the room tidy when they’re not needed, and have them on full display when it’s time to choose a book for the evening.
Storing Kids Books in a Family Room
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Sometimes it’s not realistic to give your child a dedicated area for book storage in their bedroom. If you live in a city, space is often at a premium, and in a small apartment, you’re probably struggling for space as it is.
This simple solution for storing kids’ books in your lounge allows the books to be accessible for your child when it’s time to read, but also allows them to be stacked away neatly when they’re not in use. Made from a tall bookcase turned on its side, it’s also very simple and affordable to do.
Turn Books into Art
Children’s books are designed to draw attention, and that means they’re usually brightly coloured and have incredible artwork on the front. If you’re looking for kids book storage ideas that are both pretty and accessible for your child to be able to get their own books out, then why not give the book gallery wall a try?
Putting up some children’s art frames (specifically this type because the artwork just slips in the top of the frame without undoing it) is a great way to show off your child’s favourite books, create easy wall decor and allow your child’s book storage to be interactive.
When they want to read a book they can just slide it out of the frame, and when they’re bored you can replace that book with a different one. This is a great solution for making books accessible when you only have the room to keep most of the books in a cupboard.
Create your Own Library
As a child, libraries can feel like a magical place. They’re like a maze, and every wall is full of inspiration and different stories. If you have the space then why not recreate that magical world at home? There are so many different ways to do it. You could have a few child-sized bookcases to allow them to reach all of the shelves, or get creative and use a unique way to store kids books like this house-shaped solution?
Give Them Somewhere to Enjoy Reading
It doesn’t have to be as Pinterest-worthy as a circle-shaped hole for them to crawl into, but creating a comfortable reading nook for your child will encourage them to take time to sit down and read.
Taking a small section of the wall to create a reading nook is an excellent use of space, and you can make the most of the space around the seat for storing kids books. Either add some shelves into the space, or go for something free standing like a book case that also acts as walls to separate the reading nook from the rest of the room.
Make Kids Book Storage Part of the Furniture
Fitting everything into your child’s bedroom can be a struggle at the best of times – what do you prioritise and where does everything go? This clever storage solution gives your child space to be creative, offers them somewhere to sit and read and provides much needed extra storage all in one clever piece of furniture. The seats around the table have lots of space to put books in, and it’s very easily accessible for your child to help themselves when they want to read. Just make sure you don’t put too many books in the chair storage, or they won’t be able to pull them out without your help!
Tuck the Books Away
Finding somewhere to store kids books that doesn’t feel intrusive but is also accessible is a big challenge, but when you look at the room and try to plan out the furniture in your head you’ve probably forgotten a large chunk of space – behind the door.
Placing a bookshelf behind the door is a brilliant idea because it combines wanting the shelves to be out of sight and giving your child the opportunity to pick up a book whenever they feel like it. Plus it has the added benefit of being tucked out of the way when it inevitably gets messy!! Obviously this wouldn’t work for an adult bookcase, but a child’s shelving system where all of the books are on display is much thinner and fits perfectly.
Simple Book Shelves
The Definery
No one said that kids book storage had to be ground breaking – you can create cool storage solutions without putting in a lot of time, money and effort. These simple floating shelves are a great option – you can stack the books up several layers deep and they suit the layered style, so it saves you having to clean up constantly. It also has the added benefit of being accessible so your child can help themselves whenever they feel like settling down to a good book.
Portable kids Book storage
When thinking about storage solutions it sounds like something permanent that gets put in one part of the house and stays there for eternity, but who says that has to be the case?
This simple solution utilises the internet famous Ikea cart that can be found in most homes to take reading time on the go. It would probably be too heavy for your child to move which means it can live in their bedroom until you decide to take it somewhere else in the house, which limits the mess that you would have to clear up afterwards!
Create a Reading Corner
Not every home has the luxury of huge rooms for massive amounts of storage or the space to create a Pinterest-worthy reading nook, but that doesn’t mean that storing kids books should become dull or lack creativity.
Using the same shelves mentioned earlier and some comfy cushions you can create a cosy place to read that only takes up a very small corner of the room. If you really want to push the feeling of a cosy little den, then hanging a net curtain or thin piece of fabric from a hook on the ceiling is easily done and takes the reading nook to a whole new level.
Add Somewhere to Be Creative
Books are an amazing tool to inspire children to be creative, so when you’re looking for children’s book storage ideas, try to give them somewhere to put their inspiration to good use. A small, wall-mounted desk doesn’t take up any more space than a full book shelf would, but it gives them somewhere to sit and read and get creative if something in the book inspires them. It’s easy to create too – you only need to put a few shelves up above the desk, some storage bins underneath, or even a mini bookcase either side if you have the space.
Repurpose an Old Doll’s House
If you grew up anywhere from the 70s to the 90s, you probably had a dolls house in your room as a child. These days they seem to have fallen out of favour because there are so many things for kids to play with, but why not bring a little of your childhood back into their bedroom in the form of unique kids book storage? If you can find a fairly tall dollhouse you can stack up several books and even use each “room” to store a different type of book. The best part is that when you’re done, the whole front shuts and you don’t have to look at the books when it’s not in use. Genius!
Maximise Space with a Bunk Bed
As a child nothing is cooler than feeling like you’re on top of the world, and as a parent trying to maximise book storage in the “box room” freeing up the floor space taken up by the bed offers a huge opportunity for extra storage.
It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as this design, but just looking for a bunk bed with space to add shelves underneath will be a great option – add in a desk as well and you have the perfect kids book storage solution that they’ll love as much as you.
Paint a Book Tree
If you’re more of a creative person, then who says you have to stick to traditional solutions of storing children’s books? Paint a tree on the wall and install some shelves so the books look like they’re sitting on tree branches, or paint some clouds on a blue wall and add white floating shelves. There really is no limit with storing kids books like this, other than how creative you want to be, and it’ll inspire your child to be creative too!
Build a Book Chair
If you’re feeling really creative (or you have a friend that’s handy with tools), then why not put your DIY skills to the test and create a book case that your child can climb inside? This amazing idea for storing children’s books combines a bookcase and a chair as well as a huge amount of creativity! This is also a great space saving option as you don’t need to put a chair in the room too, or create a separate reading nook. Just choose a nice spot for your seat to go and you’ve solved multiple problems at once!
Create a Tent
There are so many creative methods for storing children’s books, but some of them can feel like style over substance or that you wouldn’t be able to recreate them yourself without professional help, but a lack of DIY skills shouldn’t stop you from creating unique storage solutions. This design is clever, but very simple. It combines a children’s bookcase, a pre-made tent and lots of comfy cushions to create a reading nook and book storage solution. The tent also hides the mess if your kid decides to pull all of the books off of the bookcase, so it’s a win-win! And if you ever need extra space, the tent is easy to take down for a few days and put up again when you’re done. Perfect for sleepovers.
Build the Perfect Playhouse for Storing Kids Books
This last option offers the perfect combination or storage, somewhere to read and somewhere to play. These open playhouses are readily available on hundreds of online stores. You can buy just the front panel and make the sides out of book shelves, or buy the whole playhouse and add your book storage inside. Throw in a soft rug and some cosy cushions and your child has the perfect place to read or play, and you have Pinterest-worthy kids book storage that hides the mess!
The Best Ideas for Storing Kids Books
Hopefully if you were struggling to think of the best way of storing kids books this has given you plenty of ideas. There are so many different methods to choose from, from simply tucking the books out of sight or repurposing readily available furniture to fully putting your DIY skills to the test. It’s easy to create something really unique with not too much effort, so why not give it a try and see what you can do?
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I love all these ideas, especially the doll house storage!
It’s so lovely to have a reading nook – it feels really special as a child to have an allocated space for chilling out with a book.