It’s not always easy motivating kids to read. But there are somethings that can be done to make reading fun and exciting for everyone. Book clubs are a way for kids to get together with their buddies and have some productive fun. All it takes is a little planning and preparation on the parent’s end and you are good to go.
Book Club Description
It is important that you decide on what type of book club you want. This would include the type and genres of books you would like to read as well as the age and grade of the participants. This is important because you want to make sure everyone is on the same reading level and will not get bored or confused about what they are reading. Hence, target your group which should be around eight to twelve members, including children and adult sponsors.
Once you have an idea of the type and genre of books you’re thinking about reading, let the book club decide, even if it requires a vote. Everyone should have a say in this decision. If the club is interested in reading both fiction and nonfiction books, then great; there are countless wonderful books in both categories. Memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies are splendid books to read in the nonfiction category, and there’s certainly a wide range of books to choose from in the fiction category. Your group can have a fun time picking from bestsellers, mysteries, classics, series or more.
List of Names to Invite
Now that you know the type and genre of books that you would like to suggest to your members, jot down the names of people that you think would be a great fit for your book club. Do not focus too much on finding a member with the same interests. This is a good time for children to learn new things. Since there will be more than several genres of books read, you will have the opportunity to choose books as you go. This can also make the meetings more interesting as each member will have the opportunity to offer the book they are most interested in reading.
House Keeping
Once you establish your targeted audience you can move on to housekeeping things such as picking a fun or catchy name for your book club, establishing meeting dates and times, choosing a central and easily accessible location, soliciting parent volunteers and establishing channels of communication. Appoint an organizer to keep the schedule, send out reminders, and be available to answer questions. Even though the children will be meeting in person to discuss the book, it is also a good idea to set up a different way they can communicate with each other between meetings dates. Message boards that can be easily and regularly monitored by an adult are a good way to keep the children actively involved. Since book clubs work best when meetings are monthly or bi-monthly, there should always be an open line of communication.
Getting Acquainted
Once the housekeeping has been done it is time to move forward with meeting up. Try an “ice breaker lunch” for the first meeting. If the children don’t already know each other this is a perfect time to get acquainted. It is also an ideal time to figure out what their most common interests are. Meeting at a bookstore for the initial meeting is a good idea so that the children can have visual options of different books and can get an idea of what book they would like to choose to read first.
Subsequently, when the children and parents are all acquainted and the first book is chosen, it is time to plan for the first official book club meeting. Before the meeting, allow enough time for books to be purchased online if they weren’t purchased in the store. Shopping at online bookstores, visiting libraries and or used bookstores are good ways to not spend a lot of books.
If possible, plan for your preliminary meeting to be held about two weeks out. This gives everyone time to receive the book and read the assigned pages or chapters.
The big day
You are now ready to meet with your book club members! Plan to meet for around two hours. Begin with an ice breaker followed by a few other activities. Make sure you set a timer for each activity so you can maximize your time. Allow for a short break for everyone to stretch, use the restroom and have a snack. This is in order to not spend the whole two hours having just dialogue about the book.
Parent volunteers will be responsible for leading an interactive discussion based on what the children have read previously. Ask a few questions about some of the books they’ve read. Ask such questions as “Who was your favorite character and why? Did you like the ending or would you have liked for it to end differently? And if so how?
Make the meeting fun by allowing children to watch a clip of the book, do art and crafts centered on the book, or have the children act out a part of the story. You can also do fun writing prompts. For example, have the children write a paragraph describing 3 things their magic shoes would do if they were the owners, or have them draw a short comic strip based on The Magic Shoes by D.M. Miller. To end the book club meeting discuss the positives and negatives of the meeting, this will aid in switching things up if need be. Also, make sure to set the date of the next meeting and allow different people to take turns hosting.
Establishing a new book club can be a wonderful new venture. See the Infographic below and the best of luck with your book club
