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Parents can help their kids succeed in school by creating distraction-free areas where they can study and read. Let’s learn what you’ll need to get started.

Creating a Study Space

Your purpose is to set up a study space with few distractions and the best tools at his fingertips. Here are some great suggestions on how to do that from Scholastic.com.

• Give your child a space that’s not too comfortable. You want him alert rather than relaxed. That means an upright padded chair is better than a lounger!
• Provide a desk and chair that are at an appropriate height for him. The desk should be waist-high and his feet should be able to be flat on the floor.
• Make sure the desk is not cluttered and has enough room for textbooks and notebooks. Buy one with drawers and use organizers to help.

SheKnows also suggests that parents make sure the area is well-stocked with the supplies your child needs so he doesn’t have to worry about broken pencil points or running out of paper while working.

A Creative Touch

You should also set up the study space in a way that makes it welcoming and encouraging but not distracting. Decorate it with fun but helpful tools, like a cute number line and alphabet strip, or add solar system wall art. Get your child involved in setting up the desk. Here are more ways you can decorate a study space from Modern Monticello.

You can also motivate your child by creating a vision board for him so that he can plan and meet academic goals. Learn how at KiddieMatters.com.

If You Don’t Have Extra Space

An extra room or corner of an unshared bedroom will be the best place for a study area, but if that is not available, there are other options for setting up a study space.

• Education.com recommends you search for an unused closet, corner, or nook where your child can be away from high traffic and loud noises.
• You can also redecorate or re-arrange your child’s bedroom to accommodate a study area. Use space-saving furniture, such as fold-down shelves.

If your child needs to work in a busy space, you can schedule designated “quiet times.” Create blocks of time when all distractions, like TV and loud play, are quieted so he can concentrate. If that’s not possible, he can also use noise-reducing headphones to block out the sounds.

Need more inspiration? Here are 27 work and study area ideas from This Old House.

Setting Up A Reading Nook

Another great way to help your child improve his literacy skills is to set up a reading nook that will encourage him to read more frequently.

What you’ll need:

• Proper lighting.
  BuildDirect says that natural lighting is best but to remember to keep a lamp for nighttime and overcast days. These should “provide enough light to read by but not be glaringly harsh.” Use light bulbs no greater than 60 watts.

• Comfortable space.
  Reading nooks should be very comfortable (as opposed to homework spaces). That means they are far simpler to set up and maintain. The right pile of pillows can be inspiration enough for a child. You can also decorate this space with art that spikes your child’s imagination.

• Privacy.
  Reading is challenging with too many distractions so make sure your child has the privacy to be on his own and reading what he wants.

• Room for storage.
  You want it to be near a selection of books so that he can choose what he wants to read. While a bookcase is what most parents will choose, The Barefoot Mommy blog states that kids are more likely to choose a book when they see the cover. Find a way to display books to entice your child to read.

Creating the right space for your child to read and study will encourage him and can improve his academic success without his realizing it