If you’ve ever been part of a book club with friends, you know that the book is good but the chance to hang out with friends is even better. And for kids it’s the same thing! So form a Summer Book Club for your child.
Teachers say that students who read over the summer don’t “lose” what they worked so hard all the school year learning. A Summer Book Club for kids that are skilled enough to read chapter books works really well to help prevent this! The Club members have a reason to read that motivates them (the next fun Club meeting time), they keep their brains in top form, and you get kudos for being the amazing mastermind of the whole thing.
Here are some ideas on how to get a Kids Summer Book Club started for your child:
- Find 3-5 like minded parents with kids that are at the same general reading level.
- Decide how often and where to meet.
- At the first meeting everyone can submit ideas of what to read and then vote. Depending on the length of the book(s) selected, you might be able to fit in multiple books over the summer or just one.
- With the book decided upon, the next step is to divide the book into sections so everyone has read the same chapters when the group gathers. (Keep in mind that it IS summer so don’t be overly ambitious and expect the kids to read too many chapters in each block of time.)
- Book club meetings can be a combo of things that are fun for the grownups involved to put together and for the kids to do. Book discussion time, some snacks that are perhaps inspired by the book in some way, a craft or project that relates to the book, and of course good old fashioned playtime for the kids. Be creative and then mix and match to make the experience fun for everyone part of your group.
- Many books have discussion questions that can be found online. Have a parent help facilitate the discussion at each meeting. Twenty minutes of discussion making sure that everyone participates is plenty.
- At the end, celebrate! Maybe watch the movie that’s based on the book or go to a special place as a group.
If you are looking for book ideas, here are some suggestions from the librarians at the White Tank Library:
4th Grade: “American Girl” series, “As Brave As You” by Jason Reynolds, “Save Me A Seat” by Sarah Weeks
5th Grade: “Holes” by Louis Sachar, ”Inside Out & Back Again” by Thanhha Lia, “Pax” by Sara Pennypacker
6th Grade: “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Brunett, “Hatchet” by Gary Paulson, “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman
Make the book club a fun thing and the kids will be much more motivated to read over the summer than if they just had to because you told them so.
Happy Summertime Reading and Book Club Organizing!
