The immersive environment inspires children of any age with playful design, bold colours and an interactive learning space. All library designs should be welcoming, but the nature of the child-centred space allows for a more narrative and playful approach.
Children’s libraries often serve a wide range of age groups, which requires a thoughtful approach to space use and product specifications. Design is actually driven by what we know about the users where it depends in part on their age, their age group, and their grade. In this article, you’ll learn 6 tips for preschool library interior design in Singapore.
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Preschool Library Interior Design #1: Furnishings
Image Credit: Juli Bratvold, Hennepin County Library
Adults tend to prefer more traditional seats, while kids may opt for anything from padded seats to bean bags to cushions.
When kids use a space designed for them, it’s important to make them feel like it’s their area. Even though they are still young, we want to convey their value through the space design where they are valued.
It is important to communicate this precisely by providing furniture that is the right size to meet their needs. The height of the chairs, the style of the play area, and the surface area of the available table can all be shared with all children using the facilities in the preschool.
The purpose of laying out this part of the library is to support actual usage patterns and address the actual needs of children when using the furnishing. For public libraries in particular, the reality is that your child may be your most important patron of your family’s activities. Therefore, children always deserve the best.
Furniture should be attractive and interesting, chairs should not break after a year of use, and there should be a decent sized table space for crafts and reading.
Preschool Library Interior Design #2: Themes
Image Credit: Lydia Johnson, Southfield Public Library
Adult library spaces often do not follow themes. Instead, they focus more on flexible, easy-to-navigate layouts. For a children’s library, the design is almost like you’re entering a place with a story to tell. Taking the open children’s area as the entrance and the theme of fairy tales, the dilapidated children’s library is transformed into a place that children yearn for and stimulates their imagination.
Themes are used to develop the curriculum according to the child’s interests. Here are some examples of preschool themes you might consider for library interior design. Castles Dragons Kings and Queens Preschool Theme is one of the fantasy plays that loved by preschoolers. Use illustrations to decorate the walls of the preschool and hang them from the ceiling to set the mood for the theme. So, have a theme is important because it has a lot of potential to engage kids in learning.
Preschool Library Interior Design #3: Colour
The library is a magical place for children. For many, it was the first time they learned about the wonders in the book. Creating an inviting, colorful, kid-friendly space is critical to making their experience truly amazing. Lighter colors, including light-coloured woods, make the library look warmer. A brighter colour palette could be used in children’s spaces.
When you using a lot of colours, make sure they are complementary on the colour wheel so it doesn’t look random. You can also mix warm and cool colours, such as blush with teal or lilac and soft yellow. Colour stimulates children and activates their minds at the same time making their space more pleasant and enjoyable for them. The library recommends pastel colours because you want them to sit and read or listen to story time while striking loud colours are better for play-based rooms.
Preschool Library Interior Design #4: Device Support
A lot of kids, even at a very young age, are interacting with devices, but beyond a certain age, they will be on their phones on almost everything. They’re still reading books and magazines so make sure to install a semi-recreational bench for older kids. Other than that, give them ports to charge their phones and USB ports so they can access library’s Web-based content. It’s something fairly new and can respond to changes in the way content is acquired.
In addition to the physical books at the local branch, there are apps that include libraries of e-books to suit almost any early reader’s level and interest. Many of them have extra bells and whistles, like parent talking points, a recording feature or fun, and animations. Whether you’re digital or old-fashioned, encouraging kids to read in any form is great, so see if these apps are right for your preschool.
Preschool Library Interior Design #5: Easy Supervision
Adults need to have line of sight to see what their kids are doing, but you don’t want it to be a completely open playing field because then they’ll blend in. Consider using techniques borrowed from theatre and exhibition design to support effortless wayfinding, easy circulation and ample sight lines in the library.
Try to place the toddler or early childhood space to be closest to the entrance so parents could go through and make sure it is easy to access and very open.
Unsupervised children are vulnerable and may become afraid or anxious. If left unattended for long periods of time, they may become irritable and bored, disturbing others from enjoying the library.
Preschool Library Interior Design #6: Clear Visual Boundaries
Children need different spaces for different ages and interest groups. Consider use the diagonal configuration of the chimneys to improve sightlines at the same also acts as a buffer zone, providing a semi-private space for 12- to 14-year-olds between the windows and the computer lab. Make sure the makerspaces are also enclosed.
The other half is what they are interested in at that age. Designing a full open space for ages 0 to 6 months to 13 to 14 years is a challenge as they usually don’t want to be in the same space.
Shelves are arranged to create niches and arches to attract children. For a small child, the walls create the feeling of a room as they are the size and completely surrounded by books.
Speak with The Experts
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