How to Turn a Gloomy Day into a Cozy Reading Party

It’s fun to spend bright summer days outside exploring nature or running around the park. What do you do on gloomy, rainy days though? Those gray days when you’re trapped inside? You create a cozy reading atmosphere and turn gloomy afternoons into beautiful memories of a cozy reading atmosphere.

Light a Fire

Gloomy rainy days tend to be cold due to the damp chill in the air. So light a fire in the fireplace to help create a cozy reading atmosphere. If you don’t have a fireplace, you can turn up the heat. Or play one of those YouTube fireplace videos on your television to at least simulate the sounds and look of a fire.

Just remember to keep the room warm. Your kids will adore staying warm on cozy reading days when the weather outside is abysmal.

Sleeping Bags, Pillows, and Blankets

Grab a big pile of sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets and drag them into the living room. Pile the pillows into comfortable nests. Toss blankets over chairs to make tents.

Encourage the kids to curl up in sleeping bags on the floor. The idea is to be comfortable and warm while it’s pouring outside.

Tea, Hot Chocolate, and Cookies

Brew some flavored tea or make hot chocolate to sip. Bake cookies and eat them hot from the oven. After all, nothing is as pleasant as curling up in a sleeping bag on pillows, sipping hot chocolate, and nibbling on warm cookies while reading a delightful book.

Dim the Lights

Dim the lights in the room while and keep just enough light to read your book. The dim light creates the intimate atmosphere needed to be cozy.

Use lamps and book lights to give yourself enough light to read. Book lights and lamps won’t turn the room too bright for an intimate atmosphere but will allow you to read comfortably.

Invite Friends Over

Invite friends over for a cozy reading afternoon at home instead of the park. Have them bring sleeping bags, pillows, and favorite books so everyone can curl up together.

Snuggle in front of the fire and enjoy being warm and together on a gloomy afternoon. Offering hot chocolate, tea, and cookies truly creates a fun, intimate, cozy atmosphere for reading.

Read Aloud

While curling up together to read books individually is pleasant on a gloomy afternoon, don’t forget how enjoyable it is to listen to stories together. Pull out your current read aloud or turn on an audio book.

Spend cozy hours listening to good books together in front of a warm fire. Read from your favorite childhood books or catch up on your stack of Read-Alouds from your curriculum. Listen to current popular kids’ books. Laugh at the jokes and weep at the tragedies. Enjoy listening to the stories together on these cozy afternoons.

Using these six techniques you can turn miserable, cold, gloomy, rainy days into beautiful memories, memories of cozy afternoons listening to good books or reading a fun novel while nibbling cookies.

About the Author

Sara Dennis is a homeschooling mother of 6 children ages 5 through 19. After much research into homeschooling in 2000, she and her husband fell in love with classical education and used it as the foundation for their homeschool.  Sara Dennis blogs at Classically Homeschooling.