I want to sincerely thank everyone for joining me for the iHomeschool Studio How to Start a Family Book Club talk. This resource page was created as a supplement to that discussion, as a way to continue the conversation. I’m a lifelong bookworm and literacy is one of my passions. I love to talk to parents, teachers, and homeschoolers about books, reading development, and learning. Be sure to subscribe to My Little Poppies for e-mail updates so that you don’t miss a thing! I have lots of exciting posts and projects planned for the upcoming year.
A FAMILY BOOK CLUB IS A FUN WAY TO ENCOURAGE READING AT HOME
Today, I am going to share with you how you can create your very own family book club, and I’m also going to provide you with oodles of book recommendations, but first I’d like to talk a bit about easy ways to foster early literacy at home. Put simply, reading is a skill. And, like any skill, one must work hard and practice in order to become good at it. What do you need in order to work hard and practice at something? Motivation.
And here’s the ticket: we are motivated to do that which we love. In order to raise readers, you must expose your children to a variety of positive reading experiences early on and often. These early experiences will foster a natural love of the written word.
So, how do you encourage a love of reading at home? Well, this is how we do it over here in our house
- Exposure to a variety of print. We have a variety of reading materials: books of all genres, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, etc. available in our home.
- Books, books, books! We have at least one basket of books in every room of our home. That way, there is always something within reach.
Need some ideas? Check out this amazing list of inscription-worthy books!
- Exposure to written words– Labels, schedules, even closed captioning on the TV help you to increase exposure to print.
- Book lights– I’ve had many book lights in my life but this one has been my favorite for the last decade or so. It’s small, it’s flexible, it is durable, and it has two light level settings. Each of my children has this book light in a favorite color and our rule is that you have to go to bed at bedtime but you don’t have to fall asleep. Our children think that they are being so adult by reading in their beds, and my husband and I smile knowing that we are raising readers.We LOVE this little book light:
- Read alouds– I’ll talk about this more in a second, but reading aloud is the single best thing you can do for your children’s future success in life. Read aloud early, often, and even when they can read on their own!
- Song and rhyme- This is a fun one! Turn up that kitchen radio and dance and sing to your favorite songs. You’ll be creating memories along the way and you’re exposing your children to lyrics- words and rhyme!
- Conversations- Sounds too simple, right? Wrong. Children need to be exposed to heaps and heaps of words in all forms. Conversations are a wonderful way to encourage those reading skills!
- Access to writing materials– Writing and reading are two important and intertwined skills. Make sure your children have plenty of opportunity to write and draw. Provide easy access to a variety of paper, notebooks, journals, crayons, markers, pencils, gel pens.
- Play games- I am a huge advocate for board games as educational tools. So much learning happens while you are playing, plus you are making family memories that you will cherish for a lifetime. Board games are an important part of our homeschool curriculum. Here is a post that explains more:
If you are interested in learning more about how to encourage those early literacy skills at home, be sure to check out this post:
REMEMBER, READING ALOUD IS SO IMPORTANT!
Reading aloud is a huge part of our homeschooling routine and curriculum. My favorite parenting book, by far, is The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I truly believe that if all educators and parents read this book, our world and our children’s worlds would change for the better! I love this book so much that I wrote a post about it:
When you read a book aloud to your child, talk about it! Let reading be a conversation! Do not underestimate the power of the spoken word when it comes to reading development.
- Discuss the genre, cover, title, illustrator, and author.
- Make predictions about the story
- Discuss your favorite and least favorite characters
- Brainstorm alternative endings
Folks, I understand that homeschooling can be challenging at times, particularly if you are juggling multiple children and a wide age-range of curriculum. A simple way to keep children occupied while you are working on something else – and encourage reading- is by using audiobooks. There are some amazing audiobooks out there. You can find audiobooks at your library, and you can even make your own:
And while we often talk about the benefits of early literacy and how it’s never to early to read to a child, know this:
It’s NEVER too late to start reading to a child or teen.
Reading aloud to teens has many benefits, including:
- Vocabulary development
- Proper pronunciation
- Increased background knowledge
- Connection with parents
HOW TO START A FAMILY BOOK CLUB:
Now that we’ve talked about why you should be reading aloud and creating positive reading memories with your children, I am going to share a super-easy and fun way to do BOTH: a family book club.
Think about it for a second… are you in a book club? Isn’t it a fun way to connect with others over a shared hobby, build relationships, and make memories? Why not provide the same for your family. You’ll create a lifetime of memories and those positive memories are sure to grow readers!
It might sound a little overwhelming, but I’m going to break it down for you into manageable steps. If you need help, I have a {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies. Feel free to join, check out my Pinterest boards (not only the board specifically devoted to our Family Book Club, but also the boards that correspond to the books we have been enjoying), or just take inspiration from the Family Book Club posts and recommended books. Make it work for you and your family!
1. SET A SCHEDULE
The most important thing to remember is that this is supposed to be fun. It’s not intended to be another thing on your to-do list that will stress you out. When deciding upon a schedule, it’s important to choose a realistic one for your family and stick to it. My children are young, at 7, 5, and 4-years-old, so we cover one picture book per week. We read and reread (because children learn through repetition!) throughout the week. It works for us, but it might not work for you. Maybe every other week is more realistic for you. Or, perhaps you have older children and plan to read chapter books. In that case, once per month might be more manageable. Think about it, and then stick to it!
2. SELECT YOUR BOOKS
It can be tricky to select books that everyone loves. Here are some tips:
- Ask around! Ask your bibliophile buddies, or check out what the {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies has been reading lately.
- Goodreads is an excellent resource for bibliophiles of all ages.
- What has your kid been talking about a ton lately? There’s a book about that!
- Brainstorm a list with your children present.
- Take turns picking titles. This way, everyone gets to read something they love!
- Don’t be afraid of nonfiction. Reading nonfiction is a life skill and encouraging nonfiction early on can help later in life!
- And, my favorite tip…
… DON’T FORGET TO SHOW YOUR LIBRARY SOME LOVE, FOLKS!
As the parent of a profoundly gifted and twice-exceptional child, and an unexpected homeschooler, I have relied heavily on our local library and librarians. I gush about them often, as they have helped me along this journey. Here are some of my library posts:
DO YOU WANT TO LOG THOSE BOOKS FOR HOMESCHOOL PURPOSES? HERE’S AN EASY WAY:
3. READ
Now, it’s time for the fun part, folks: reading the books! Here are some things to remember:
- If you’re reading picture books, be sure to repeat them throughout the week because children learn through repetition!
- Let Dad in on the read alouds! It’s important for children, especially boys, to see Daddy reading, too!
- If your child is reading independently, give her some post-it notes to jot down questions or observations for later. That will help with the discussion piece.
- Remember that it’s important to read aloud even when your children can read on their own.
- Don’t be afraid to include some writing, too! One thing I love to do with my children is to keep a reading journal. The journal is an easy way to encourage writing and art, while also reviewing the text. In addition, the journal is a fantastic way to illustrate growth over time. I included ours with our homeschool portfolio this year and I will be saving it forevermore because I’m a hoarder of memories! If you want to keep a journal, too, I love these Mead notebooks. They provide ample space for both drawing and writing and they are super-durable:
4. MAKE IT FUN!
When it comes time for your book club meeting, make it fun! You can make book club as simple or as involved as you’d like, but whatever you do- be sure to make it fun. Remember, positive experiences around reading create readers! Here are some ideas:
- Picnic- Grab a blanket and some snacks and head outside, or even on the floor of your living room!
- Candlelit dinner- Light some candles, put on some soft music, dim the lights and – voila!- you’ve created a memorable book club dinner!
- Make dinner together with a menu inspired by the book – Are you reading If you Give a Moose a Muffin? Bake some muffins with your kiddos and add some jam, just like in the book!
- Dress up – Dress up like a character in the book you read, or just get fancy because getting fancy is fun!
- Tea and treats- One of my favorite thing to do with my children is to have a tea party and read books. The kids love to pretend that they are grown up and have tea and treats with me. It has become a fun family tradition.
- Get cozy– snuggle up on a couch, under a mountain of blankets.
- Build a fort!- Make a fort and read inside it, preferably by flashlight!
- Ice cream sundae night- Ice cream makes everything fun. Why not make book club night sundae night? It’s impossible to not get excited about that!
5. TALK ABOUT IT
I love book clubs to the moon and back but, let’s be honest here. All too often we start chatting and snacking and having fun and we forget to talk about the book. Don’t do that here, folks. Remember to talk about that book! Here are some tips to get you started:
- Start with the basics: who, what, when, where, why?
- Discuss the book’s genre.
- Talk about the author and illustrator. Do a little research about the author and illustrator before your meeting and share what you learned with your children.
- Who was your favorite character?
- What was your favorite part?
- What was your least favorite part?
- Can you think of an alternative ending?
6. TAKE IT FURTHER
I love to expand upon our learning by creating activities, lessons, art, or entire unit studies based on the books we have read. Nowadays, all you need is Pinterest to get a little inspiration, but in case you need a little more, here are some of our favorites:
HERE ARE SOME FUN FAMILY BOOK CLUB RELATED POSTS & ACTIVITIES WRITTEN BY MY SON, LEO:
1. Posts and activities based on the book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen:
What Should I Do with these Rodent Bones?
2. Posts and activities based on the book It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw:
Interview with a Meteorologist
3. Posts and activities based on the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats:
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
NEED SOME INSPIRATION?
Believe me, folks… I understand how overwhelming motherhood and homeschooling can be! If you feel like starting a family book club is too much right now, don’t fret! Why not join our {Virtual} Family Book Club and let us do the work for you? Alternatively, you could gather ideas and inspiration from my Pinterest boards and these {Virtual} Family Book Club posts:
Here are some other posts for book inspiration:
7 Collections for Your Family’s Bookshelf
10 Amazing STEM Books
Celebrate Earth Day with these Great Books
DON’T FORGET TO KEEP READING!
It’s easy to get caught up in the holidays or summer fun, but it’s important to make reading a part of your family life. Here is a post I wrote about keeping skills sharp over the summer, but the points are applicable all year long.
PARENTS, YOU DIDN’T THINK I’D LEAVE YOU OUT, DID YOU?
Parents need fantastic books for their shelves, too! Be sure to check out my (mostly) weekly updates The Books That Fill Our Shelves and this post specifically for the moms out there:
… BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!
To quote from one of my early positive reading experiences, Reading Rainbow, “You don’t have to take my word for it!” Here are some reading-related links from around the web:
Jim Trelease’s website
Reading Aloud to Children ~ Reading is Fundamental
Why Reading Aloud to Older Children is Valuable ~ Holly Korbey, Mindshift
Reading Rockets: Some Benefits of Reading Aloud
Why I read aloud with my teens ~ Deb Werrlein, Washington Post
International Literacy Association
National Reading Panel
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