30 Clever Ways to Store and Display Your Child’s Books

Reading is essential to every child’s growth and development. Whether you read to them or they page through books themselves, you probably have an ever-growing and changing stack of books for your child at home. But those brightly colored spines aren’t exactly what you’d prefer to style on your living room bookshelves and The Very Hungary Caterpillar isn’t really a coffee table book.

Display Your Child's Books

If you want to encourage your child to read as well as keep your living room decor adult-friendly, you need a space for all those kids’ books, preferably in their room. So check out these 10 clever ways to store and display your child’s books that will fulfill their desire to read and your desire for adult space.

Easy Storage Solutions to Keep Your Child’s Books Neat and Tidy

1. IKEA’s Kallax Shelves

IKEA shelves book storage

You keep your books on a bookshelf, so why shouldn’t your child? IKEA’s Kallax shelves are the perfect solution to book storage. The squares allow spaces for books and baskets and boxes and all your other storage needs. It also requires books to stand up, instead of being shoved in a stack which just makes everything look more organized! (via Hither and Thither)

2. DIY Kids Book Bin

Book bin storage

Hello DIY. Isn’t this book bin just perfect? It matches any themed room you put it in and make book cleanup a tear-free process. You might even make another as a toy box. (via This Little Street)

3. Turn a Crib Rail Into a Bookshelf

Old crib book storage

Every child has a crib they grow out of. If you won’t be keeping yours for baby number two, take it apart and use on of the slatted sides for displaying your child’s favorite books. Hanging vertically, they’ll be able to see every cover and choose a favorite themselves at naptime. (via Makely School for Girls)

4. Corner Book Nook

Spice shelf book storage

Picture ledges are running rampant nowadays… and they also make the perfect solution to book storage! Fill a wall with them or put a few in a corner book nook and suddenly, all those bright covers become a piece of art in your child’s room. (via The Effortless Chic)

5. Low Shelves for Kids of All Ages

Low shelf book storage

It’s critical that books are easily accessible for kids or they’ll turn to other kinds of entertainment. A couple of low shelves like these will make books easy to reach for everyone, from big kids to crawling toddlers. (via Cup of Jo)

6. A Playtime Nook for Books and Toys

Bedroom nook book storage

Does your child have an interesting bedroom nook that you can’t quite figure out? Fill it with shelves and suddenly, an odd space becomes a playtime nook with spots for toys and books and stuffed animals. (via My Scandinavian Home)

7. A Book Crate For Your Child’s Bedroom

Crate book storage

You’ve probably seen these wooden crates at your local craft store. They’re so versatile, it’s hard not to have one or two on hand for when the need to DIY hits. Use one of them, cut it in half and screw it to the wall for a book crate in your child’s room. It will fit in any small space. (via BHG)

8. DIY Book Slings

Pocket book storage

These fabric book pockets are genius. If you have the sewing skills, then you’re halfway to having these pockets in your child’s room. You can use whatever fabric matches your room decor best, and cleanup time just became a breeze. (via Domestic Imperfection)

9. A Book Storage Cart

IKEA cart book storage

There are probably a million ways to use IKEA’s Raskog cart. Book storage is only one, but it’s an especially good one if your child’s room has absolutely no space for their books. You can keep this pretty cart in your living room and then roll away out of sight when guests come over. (via Kylie M. Interiors)

10. A House Bookshelf

House shelf book storage

How adorable is this house bookshelf? Don’t be surprised if your child ends up taking all the books off and using the shelf for a dollhouse. It’s quite possible. (via The Brooding Hen)

11. DIY Wall Mount Bookshelf

Display Your Child's Books

If you are short of space in your home, a wall mount bookshelf makes the most of the space you do have. This Mamas Dance offers us this DIY wall mount bookshelf which is ideal for adding to any bedroom or playroom. It’s such a versatile piece of furniture and will come in handy as your children grow up for storing books and files of all sizes. We love that this bookshelf can easily store large picture books, making it ideal for toddlers and little kids.

12. DIY Wall Mounted Kids Bookshelves

Display Your Child's Books

Our Handcrafted Life shows us how to make these simple wall-mounted kids bookshelves, which can be painted to blend into any space in your home. The great thing about this design is that you can add as few or as many shelves as you need. Once they are created, you’ll be able to paint them any color you like, so they can blend in with your walls. It’s a great option for anyone who is struggling to fit a bookshelf into their home but still needs an easy storage solution for the books that are cluttering up the floor.

13. Spice Rack Bookshelves

Display Your Child's Books

Kitchen spice racks double up as a great storage solution for books and are the perfect size and shape for mounting onto a wall. The Sweetest Digs shows how you can add IKEA spice racks to your nursery or child’s bedroom to create outward-facing storage for books. Even if you only have the tiniest space on your wall, you’ll find these fit perfectly into the room. To complete this project, you’ll simply buy the preassembled spice racks and will just use white or colored spray paint to decorate them as you desire.

14. DIY Wooden Crate Shelves

Display Your Child's Books

Haute & Healthy Living shares these rustic shelves that will cost very little to create considering their size. You’ll add character to any baby nursery or bedroom in your home. The great thing about this project is that you can fully customize it to your needs. Add as few or as many crates as you like depending on how large your child’s book collection is. You can also stain the crates to the color you desire to fit in with the décor of the room.

15. DIY Kids Bedside Table with Book Storage

Display Your Child's Books

This storage solution doubles up as both a bedside table and book storage. Anika’s DIY Life offers us this simple project that is suitable for DIYers of all levels. You’ll just need to know how to make the necessary cuts and then assemble everything using the pocket holes. Once finished, you can paint the table to fit your needs. We love the fun rainbow design used on the tabletop, which will brighten up any bedroom.

16. Hanging Wall Baskets

Display Your Child's Books

Sarah Joy suggests using hanging wall baskets to create a simple storage solution for books. IN comparison to shelves, you’ll find these baskets don’t stick out too much, so they won’t get in the way in your kid’s bedroom. They would also be a great solution for an office space, as they are both professional and functional. These wall baskets will last your kids for many years and are versatile enough to be used by kids through to teens.

Related: 10 Best Reading Chair Ideas For Your Cozy Nook

17. Animal Book Cart

Display Your Child's Books

This is one of the most adorable storage solutions for your child’s books. While these cat book carts can be purchased already assembled, you could also try painting them and create this project by yourself. Great Little Trading Co offers us these adorable animals that your little ones will love pulling around behind them while they are tidying up their room. They are also a great tool for teaching kids about tidying up, as they’ll make what could otherwise be a chore a lot more fun.

18. DIY Dollhouse Bookcase

Display Your Child's Books

Young girls will love adding this dollhouse bookcase to their bedroom, which can also double up as storage for toys and trinkets. I Can Teach My Child shares this idea, which recreates a more costly Pottery Barn product. For such an elaborate project, you’ll be impressed to learn it will only cost you around $150 to create. This project recommends using real wood for the whole of the bookcase, but if you want to save more money, consider switching it out for MDF instead. Of course, once it’s constructed, you can paint and decorate it with your child to fit their preferred color scheme.

19. Narrow Wall Bookshelves

Display Your Child's Books

If you have a space behind a bedroom door, take advantage of this unused area by installing these narrow wall bookshelves. They barely jut out from the wall but will be great for storing plenty of books that usually live on the floor. The Painted Hive shows us how to make this simple DIY tutorial that uses lengths of timber as the basis of your shelving. You can choose to have a natural finish by using a wood stain, or spray paint the shelves in a bold or fluorescent color for a fun addition to the room.

20. Turn Magazine Holders into Book Storage

Display Your Child's Books

Spare magazine holders make the perfect book storage solution for kids. Many books for kids come in awkward shapes and sizes, so they’ll easily fit inside large magazine holders. Either buy cheap magazine holders from IKEA or make your own like these ones from This Old Home. If you do decide to buy plastic magazine holders, you can consider covering them with wrapping paper to change their color and design as your kids grow up. This is one of the simplest ways to store books, and you can add and remove holders as needed to accommodate a growing collection of books.

21. Wood Wall Magazine Holders

Display Your Child's Books

For older kids or teenagers, you’ll love these stylish wood wall magazine holders. As magazines are generally large in size, you’ll find these offer enough space to store any size of book. They are also ideal for holding textbooks and heavy books, which is why they would be great for teenagers. Shanty 2 Chic shares this DIY project which will be an inexpensive storage solution for your home. You can paint or stain these magazine holders to fit your needs, so they could also add a pop of color to any room in your home.

22. Fabric Sling Book and Magazine Holder

Display Your Child's Books

Build Basic offers us this simple DIY project that is ideal for storing soft children’s books or magazines. You’ll just need molding, flat corner braces, nails, glue, wood filler, and fabric, and you’ll be ready to get started. This is such a cheap and easy way to store your magazines, and you can keep changing the fabric over as your children grow up to fit their current favorite colors. You may even want to make a few of these and add one into your living room to keep magazines and newspapers tidy.

Related: Reading Nook Ideas For A Cozy Home – Bookworm’s Dream

23. Old Spool Bookshelf

Display Your Child's Books

If your child loves to read, this old spool bookshelf from Our House Now a Home would make the perfect addition to your playroom or their bedroom. It’s not the smallest book storage solution, so it is best for large spaces. However, once you’ve added this shelving unit to your home, they’ll be no reason for books to end up everywhere on the floor ever again. You can paint or decorate these shelves to fit your home décor, and you’ll be impressed by how easy it is to transform an old spool into this large storage unit.

24. Corner Guttering Bookshelves

Display Your Child's Books

Corners in bedrooms are often overlooked, but they are the ideal place to add storage or a desk for your kids. Sunshine on the Inside shares these shelves that make the most of an unused corner, and you’ll be able to store plenty of books and small toys in this space. Vinyl gutters are used in this DIY project, which is a safer option for adding to a child’s bedroom. The gutters are secure enough to hold the weight of heavy books and don’t have any sharp edges for a child to bang their head on.

25. Roll Around Book Cubby

Display Your Child's Books

We love this DIY roll-around book cubby which takes an old set of skateboard wheels and attaches them to a wooden cube to make a fun bookcase. Young kids, in particular, will love this book cubby from Project Little Smith, and you can paint the cube in any design or color you fancy to add more character to the book storage. This book cubby won’t have to have a set home and can instead be moved from room to room as needed.

26. Wooden Book Caddy

Display Your Child's Books

If you don’t have time to complete a massive DIY project to create additional storage, why not create a simple book caddy? Once you’ve created your caddy, you’ll be ready to clear those books away for good. If you aren’t feeling so crafty, you can always buy one of these ready-mades from your local homeware store.

27. DIY Wooden Crate on Wheels

Display Your Child's Books

If your kids have a heap of books and they are all over your home, this is a great solution that can be taken from room to room. Family Love Home shows us how to make this DIY project which can be wheeled around your home and has a fun and rustic design to it. If you have the time, create a collection of these wooden crates, which could all be marked for different uses, such as textbooks, library books, and bedtime stories.

28. A Book Wagon

Display Your Child's Books

Repurpose an old wagon to create this wagon full of books from 1 Pure Heart. This is a fun solution for young boys and girls, and you can use this as a tool to make tidying up books and toys more fun. This is a versatile storage solution that can be used to store anything, including books, toys, and crafting equipment.

29. Built-In Book Storage

Display Your Child's Books

For anyone planning a full makeover of their child’s bedroom, consider incorporating storage for books and toys into bunk beds. All Sorts Of have added this adorable bunkroom into their home, which makes the most of a smaller space. Kids will love keeping their favorite bedtime stories right behind their heads, and they’ll always be in easy reach for mom or dad to read at night.

30. Book Baskets

Display Your Child's Books

Young House Love shares the easiest solution on our list today for storing your child’s books by using baskets. Purchase huge baskets that all of your child’s toys and books can be dumped into. You can just add a few of these baskets around your home, and over time, your kids will know that these are the best place to place all of their books and toys after playing. These baskets are so large that you will only need a couple to stop your home from being cluttered with books.

Conclusion

There are so many fun and creative ways to store and display your child’s book collection. Most of these solutions today will help to liven up any bedroom space and will add some color and decoration to the room. While books can be a pain when they are spread all over the floor, they are so easily stored away on shelves. Paint your child’s new bookshelves a fun color to inspire them to check out their book collection more often, which will encourage them to keep reading for years to come.