Create Book Clubs for Kids

Child care providers and parents can create some book-reading fun for kids during summer months for school-age kids or throughout the year for preschoolers and even toddlers. The key is to make it fun, keep it simple, and foster a love of reading! Rewards can be as simple as stickers, with special book marks or a trip to the library for reading hour for special achievements. Here is how to get started:

• Develop a plan and gain support from parents and excitement with kids.

• Child care providers can implement a reading club as part of their day, and enlist parents to bring a favorite age-appropriate book for loan and sharing or request a a supply fee of a few dollars, with parents knowing that their child will receive a book of similar value in return to keep. Parents can create a book club with neighborhood kids or ones in special interest groups like scouting, sports or dance. Parents can either take turns meeting in one another's homes; or set the meeting time to follow the organized activity in a kid-friendly restaurant. Remember that a book club doesn't have to cost anything; usually there are plenty of books to go around from personal libraries or care centers.
• Choose books that are age appropriate and go with a theme or interests to kids. Providers often set weekly or monthly themes, so book clubs would be a natural fit to those. Parents could opt for themes based on interests such as sports, dance, dinosaurs, trucks, etc. Keep in mind that book clubs can be as effective and fun for 3-year-olds as they are for tweens as long as the organizers adapt accordingly.

• Create a plan for book discussion time. Some fun ways are to have book discussions by flashlight in the backyard, during a summer swim-and-play backyard outing, as a lead-up to a day of fun at the park, or even over breakfast. Be creative! A book club can be a simple discussion that lasts as short as 20 minutes by letting kids discuss the book, or longer as appropriate. Some book clubs have a different child tell about a particular book they read each week, or a variance of rotating book fun. In other words, not every child has to read the same book each week; taking turns with sharing fun books and then letting someone borrow it (in a pre-determined share order, please!) can work well!
• Plan an end-of-book club celebration. If your book club lasts for six weeks, let kids make their own ice cream sundae or have a hot dog cookout as a way to celebrate their accomplishments. Or, consider a special "dress-up" session in which kids dress up like their favorite book character. Make it so much fun that they will all clamor for another book club session soon. Congratulations! You've helped foster a love of reading and learning for kids!