It’s no news that your classroom reading corner display should reflect the age, developmental stage, and topics your class is currently working through. A reading corner classroom display is there to help kids be enthused in the space and reinforce essential things they’re learning at this stage of life, whether that’s an academic topic, a social skill, or a discovery about the world around them.
The majority of schools in the UK must follow the national curriculum to ensure all children develop the right skills and knowledge at the right time. Here, we take a look at what happens at the different stages of education and how they should be reflected in your reading corner.
We’ve built up a wealth of reading corner resources to help you create a fantastic display that promotes learning and discovery.
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- 25 Reading Corner Display Quotes
- Resources for Classroom Reading Corner Quotes
- Reading Corner Display Printables: What You Need and Where to Find Them
- Make a Winning Reading Corner Display Banner
- The Best Places to Find Printable Reading Corner Display Posters
- Our Top 7 Reading Corner Display Lettering Sets
- Make or Download a Printable Reading Corner Display Banner
- Reading Corner Display Ideas: KS2 Decorating Activities
EYFS Reading Corners (0–5)
The early years foundation stage starts from the beginning of a child’s life up to five. In the context of reading corners here, the ages one to three (infant and toddler) and three to five (preschool) are the focus.
At this age, kids are in nursery and reception. The main focus for development is gross motor development, fine motor development, emotions and speech, self-identity and exploration of emotions, and early cognitive processes, such as pattern recognition and basic problem-solving.
Reading corner ideas EYFS kids will respond well to should focus on exploring these foundational skills and comfort.
Almost all activities at this stage in the reading corner will be teacher-led, so it's essential to take this into account and make sure there’s a chair for the teacher to sit in and lots of space for the children to gather around comfortably. This Tree Stump Stool Pack of Four is a great idea, with a realistic-looking tree bark pattern to make your reading corner look truly immersive. Or you could opt for a few giant floor cushions that two or even three little ones can pile onto.
It’s also important to have a big, soft carpet, so everyone gets a comfy seat. Here are our reading corner rug recommendations. Designs like the Rainbow Semi-Circle Placement Carpet are great for early years because they define a place for the teacher to sit and individual spots for students.
Your EYFS reading corner display can serve as a creative backdrop for your reading corner, but it’s also a good idea to squeeze some educational elements in. Here are some EYFS reading corner ideas for displays:
- Create a wall display with all different kinds of materials (tissue paper, glitter paper, felt, pompoms), making sure you include a range of textures and colours. Position these close to the floor, too, so the children can come up and explore the materials. This is a great way to help kids explore the world with touch and sight.
- Create a scene that complements your reading corner and include different numbered groups of objects in your scene. This can serve as a jumping-off point for counting activities. For example, a summer meadow scene could include three cows, two trees, and nine ladybirds. We stock unique ladybird cushions with different numbers of spots for a similar activity.
- Create a display that shows a scene of the classroom. This can be used to help enhance skills like reading, memory, object permanence, and identity. Add labels for the names of objects in the classroom and even create a simple illustration of each student. You can use such a board to help the children learn about topics of individuality and emotions.
Are you on the hunt for cosy reading corner classroom ideas? Take a look at our tips for furnishing your reading corner to stand the test of time.
- DIY Reading Corner Ideas
- Reading Corner Display Ideas for EYFS, KS1, and KS2
- Springboard Supplies’ Guide to Reading Corner Furniture
- Reading Corner Canopy Ideas
- 10 Reading Corner Rugs Teachers Love
- 7 Reading Corner Classroom Library Decorating Ideas
- Tips for Making a Cosy Reading Corner
- Reading Corner Phonics Books from the Teaching Supplies Experts
KS1 Reading Corners (5–7)
At Key Stage 1 (years one to three), children will have entered primary school and will tackle the core subjects of English, maths, and science; history, geography, IT and design, design, art, music, and PE. Under the national curriculum requirements, all students must take a phonics exam in year one.
At this stage, the development of fine motor skills continues as children gain further control over their own dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Students will be learning to handwrite, write complete sentences, count and understand ideas of addition and subtraction, and observational skills, including data collection, classification, and identification.
Reading corner KS1 ideas begin to incorporate more individual learning, reading, and activity time. Students might also be expected to pair off to work on tasks, and it’s helpful if the reading corner can accommodate this. Furniture like these two-seater oval pod bean bags and this junior-sized corner seat with cushions can help to facilitate pair or group learning.
A reading corner display KS1 students will react well to should pique their interest in topics they’re currently learning. Cover your wall space with posters and displays that celebrate any topics covered in lessons. Alternatively, you could be more subtle and work them into your reading corner backdrop. Try working some secret fairytale tropes into your display and see if your students notice.
We offer a range of KS1-appropriate reading corner posters. Here are some ideas:
KS2 Reading Corners (7–11)
Key Stage 2 is the more extended period of a child’s primary school experience, spanning from age seven to 11 at which point they enter secondary school. Children will be fine-tuning the skills they embarked upon in KS1, grasping more complex concepts of literature and expressing well-formed ideas clearly through writing. Students will also be able to tackle long division and multiplication, and in science will be able to understand abstract concepts.
Year 1 to year 3 reading corner ideas might focus on individual learning, as at this stage, children are quite capable and willing to get on with individual learning, and learning autonomy should be promoted. Consider investing in some bean bag chairs with back and next support to help kids maintain good posture when using the space. This will help them to concentrate for extended periods.
Reading corner ideas for KS2 might also include input from your students. Ask them to help you build out the corner and decorate it. Group work like this encourages the students to maintain a sense of ownership and respect for the space.
This engagement extends to your reading corner display for KS2. You could devise a display that the students contribute to over time, such as a discovery tree. Create the bare tree shape on your display wall and cut out green leaves from paper or card. Keep them in a box in the reading corner and let the students know that they can add to the tree by writing on the leaves and sticking them on. For example, the students could add to the tree every time they learn something new from a book.
Reading corner KS2 ideas should also support any learning happening in class at that time. Reading corner posters KS2 kids love might incorporate vibrant illustrations, diagrams, and photos. Take a look at some of our favourite posters for KS2
- Phases of the Moon Poster
- Water Cycle Poster
- Earthquakes Poster & Photopack
- Volcanoes Poster & Photopack
- Water Cycle Poster
Our blog is packed full of reading corner resources to make sure you’re never without ideas for yours.
