Canopy and Teepee Reading Nook Ideas

The best reading spots are cozy and comfortable enough to get lost in a story. Help foster a love of reading in your family by creating a reading nook using a canopy or teepee.

In this article, we break down all that you need to know about canopy and teepee reading nooks: how to create one, our top picks for the best teepee and canopies to buy, what else to include in a reading nook, and how to encourage your child to use it.

We also take some of our favorite inspiration photos from Pinterest and break down what makes them work and how you can add them to your own child’s reading nook. No matter your style, the options are endless.

Let’s dig in!

Canopy and Teepee Reading Nook Ideas

There are so many wonderful ways to take canopies and teepees and create a reading nook. Here are our top picks for the best ones.

Quick Comparison of Our Top Picks

Below we list the best canopies and teepee tents for creating a reading nook. Each review is below the chart. Click here to jump to the individual reviews.

PRODUCT	DESCRIPTION	BEST FOR
	TazzToys Kids Teepee Tent	Best Overall Teepee Tent
	Pep Step Large Cotton Canvas White Teepee Tent for Kids	Best Large Teepee Tent
	Little Dove Kid's Foldable Teepee Tent	Best Patterned Teepee Tent
	Sorbus Kids Foldable Teepee Play Tent	Best Inexpensive Option
	Toysland Indoor Indian Playhouse Teepee Tent for Kids	Best Teepee Tent with the Most Color Options
	Chiffon-White Dix-Rainbow Canopy	Best Overall Canopy
	ONMIER Mosquito Net Canopy	Best Canopy with Pom Pom Edges
	Bobo & Bee Bed Canopy	Best Canopy with Accessories Included
	Conthfut Premium Yarn Canopy	Best Canopy for Little Girl's Room
	OldPapa Kids Bed Canopy with Pom Poms	Best Lace Canopy

Why Are Reading Nooks Important?

For those of us who grew up loving to read as a child, think back to your own childhood. Did you have a favorite spot for reading? Most children (and adults!) love a small, cozy spot to get lost into a book. Creating a reading nook for your child will make reading exciting and give them their own designated spot for exploring the world through books.

Reading is one of the most important skills for children to develop as they grow. It is through books that they learn about the world, values, and morals, and are opened up to a whole new world of fun and delight through a good book. Unfortunately, developing a child’s interest in reading isn’t as easy as they get older. In this day and age, we have a lot of competition for their attention with multiple screens and digital devices.

Creating a cozy reading nook for your child is important because it communicates to your child that you value reading and important enough to devote a whole space in your home for it. Children will be much more interested in reading and fostering a love for it, if it is encouraged and modeled by their parents or caregivers, and creating a little teepee tent reading nook will certainly create a sweet little haven for them to read and play.

Elements of a Great Canopy or Teepee Reading Nook

There are four main elements of a great reading nook that you need to consider and can incorporate into your canopy or teepee reading nook: enough space to create a reading nook, a comfortable spot to read, book storage, and adequate lighting.

Determining the Space for a Reading Nook

How much space do you have to create a reading nook? If you live in a spacious house with a bonus room, for example, you may have space for a large teepee tent. However, if you live in a small house or apartment, a canopy in a corner would provide the same cozy ambiance, but with smaller square-feet.

Some families may want to have a permanent reading nook using a canopy or teepee tent, and others may want to have the flexibility to create the nook on occasion and store it away if needed. If you are looking for flexibility, a teepee tent may be the better option rather than the canopy since it can easily be moved and stored away.

Bring in Floor Cushions, a Rug and Pillows

Having a comfortable seating or lounging area will make reading more enjoyable. Some ways to achieve this are to bring in a small rug, a bean bag, or fill the floor with pillows and floor cushions. You could even put in a small child’s chair if the tent is big enough or a sleeping bag. Piling in blankets and pillows will make the nook feel cozy and inviting.

Shop for floor cushions:

Make Sure You Have Book Storage Nearby

The teepee or canopy nook doesn’t have to just be for reading — the possibilities are endless for how a child can play in a teepee or canopy tent! But if you’re looking especially for a dedicated reading space, then having book storage nearby will be helpful. Some book storage ideas include having a bookcase or bookshelves on the wall nearby. Or a basket or cart that can be easily accessible from the floor.

Shop for book storage:

Ensure There is Adequate Lighting

Obviously, if you don’t have enough lighting, then your child won’t be able to see well enough to read or look at books. In addition to overhead room light or lamps around the room, there are a lot of different ideas for bringing adequate lighting inside the nook, such as a clip-on reading light, fairy lights inside the tent, Christmas lights strung on the outside, or even battery-powered candles for an extra cozy ambiance.

Shop for reading nook lighting:

Canopy and Teepee Reading Nook Design Ideas

Sometimes it helps to see examples of how other people use teepees or canopies to create a reading nook in their own home. Here are a few inspirational photos to see how to make this the coziest spot for your child.

Teepee with Faux Greenery

This sweet little reading nook would be perfect in a little girl’s room or playroom. One way to make a great design impact is to add faux greenery to the entrance of the teepee tent. Add a small shag rug to the floor for added comfort.

Shop this look:

Happy Colorful Canopy Reading Nook

This happy reading spot is made perfect with the beanbag underneath a canopy and is complete with a whole wall of books for a child to choose from and a basket of stuffed animal friends to read with.

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Black and White Look

This black and white designed teepee is another way to decorate a white or neutral-colored teepee with pillows, a shag rug for comfortable seating, and twinkle fairy lights for added whimsy. This would look great in a boy’s room or a shared playroom.

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Sweet Pink Whimsical Canopy

This canopy reading nook has a sweet, feminine look with a boho vibe. The book ledge is a popular way to store books and display favorites as additional decor to the room, and the pillows and poof make this a comfortable reading spot.

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Classic Boy Room

This blue and white striped teepee would be great in the corner of a little boy’s room or a playroom. The tent could be easily moved around the room and used not just for reading but also for playing, as seen in the photo.

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Gray Canopy Reading Nook

This corner canopy has all of the great elements of a great reading nook with floor cushions, book storage on the wall nearby, and placed nearby the window for plenty of light. The layering of a jute rug with floor pillows make it stylish in addition to comfortable.

Light and Airy Canopy Nook

The pom-pom lights and tassels at the top of the canopy make this little reading nook light and airy. A bean bag is a great idea for comfy reading seating and placing it right by a window gives it plenty of light for reading.

Shop this look:

Tips to Encourage Your Child to Use Their Reading Nook

So you’ve created a beautiful, cozy reading nook for your child. Now how do you get them to use it?

Here are a few tips and ideas for giving your child that extra nudge to maximize their new reading nook.

Have Stuffed Animals Nearby

Children love to involve their stuffed animals into play, and reading is no different. Include a basket or bin nearby to store any favorite stuffed animals. If they end up not using them to play with, they can at least act as additional cushions.

Encourage Using Their Reading Nook Beyond Just Reading

They will most likely do this naturally without your encouragement, but if they need a little help, give them ideas on how their little reading nook could be used beyond just reading. For example, host a tea party with their stuffed animals inside or pretend it is a barn for all of their animals. Sometimes it takes a little modeling of play to spark an idea that your child will then run with.

Rotate Books Periodically

However, you decide to store books near or in the reading nook, rotating the books available for them to read periodically will help them stay engaged and interested in reading new books. You could keep a couple of favorites but rotate in library books or even seasonal books that are centered around the current season of the year.

Keep it Tidy

One of the reasons why children don’t play in a specific area designated for play is because it’s too cluttered or messy. Despite what we may think, too many toys will actually decrease the amount of playtime because a child will have decision paralysis on what to do first. Many times cleaning up or tidying the space will help bring to life more imagination and inspire them to use it longer and more frequently.

Create Your Own Reading Nook

Children learn best by seeing what adults do and mirroring our behavior, so model a love of reading by creating your own reading nook! This will show them that setting aside a place and a time for reading is important to you and model for them what it looks like.

Our Top Picks for Canopies and Teepees

Below are our top picks for the teepees and canopies to use for reading nooks. Our reviews are unbiased (we don’t publish sponsored content), and a portion of any purchase will help us keep the lights on around The Kid Book Nook.

1. TazzToys Kids Teepee Tent for Kids

We chose the TazzToys tent for our overall pick because it was durable and the price point was comparable to many others we found. The price was comparable to many others we found, but this one comes with pockets inside, a bottom waterproof base, and feathers and fairy lights to decorate and make your teepee reading nook even cozier.

2. Pep Step Large Cotton Canvas White Teepee Tent

The Pep Stone Large Canvas tent is our choice for the best large tent available. It comes with a floor mat built in and five wooden sticks.

3. Little Dove Kid’s Foldable Teepee

This Little Dove teepee tent has such as a cute gray and white design and is high quality at a great price point compared to some of the other teepees on the market.

For instructions on how to set up a little dove teepee tent, check out this instructional video:

4. Sorbus Kids Foldable Teepee Play Tent

This Sorbus foldable tent is another great option that includes a bottom base floor and comes in four colors: white, blue and white striped (shown above), pink and white striped, and gray and white.

For instructions on how to set up a Sorbus Kids teepee tent, check out this instructional video:

5. Toysland Indoor Indian Playhouse Teepee Tent for Kids

If you are looking for a great brand with a variety of colors and styles to choose from, this Toysland brand has a lot to offer. Some styles are tents in a pentagon with five sticks and others are square with four sticks.

6. Chiffon-White Dix-Rainbow Canopy

This canopy comes in three different colors (gray, white and pink). The top has dangling tassels around the dome, like a circus tent, and the material is lightweight and breathable.

7. ONMIER Cotton Canvas Canopy Kids Play Tent 

If you’re looking for a canopy to create a darker, closed-off nook, this one would be a great option as it is made with 100% cotton and does not let in as much light as some made with other material.

8. Bobo & Bee Bed Canopy

This is a great canopy if you’re looking for one with an angel halo effect. Feathers are sewn around the dome and there are silver stars sewn into the netting. Its sheer material will bring in a lot of light to a canopy reading nook.

If you’re interested in seeing a review of the Bobo and Bee canopy, check out this video:

9. Conthfut Premium Yarn Canopy

This canopy is meant for a princess! It includes a felt crown to adorn at the top, and it includes a yellow star garland. This canopy isn’t just for girls, though, but comes in white and gray in addition to pink.

10. OldPapa Kids Bed Canopy with Pom Poms

This canopy is feminine with its lace detailed trim along the edge of the opening and at the very tip of the canopy. It would be perfect in a little girl’s room or playroom.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, there are so many ways to create a canopy or teepee reading nook in your home, no matter your style.

Whether you have just a little space and hang a canopy or dedicate a corner for a teepee tent, this little reading nook will quickly become a favorite spot for your child.

Here’s to creating a reading nook that encourages reading, fosters creativity, and creates a cozy haven for your child.

Happy reading!

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