If children don’t practice their reading over the summer, they’ll start school next fall with rusty skills. A summer book club is one way to keep your child reading when he isn’t in class. It’s also a great way for you to get more involved in your child’s reading life.
Talk to parents of three or four other children. See if they’d like to join you in a summer reading club. At the first meeting, let the kids choose a cool name and suggest books they’d like to read.
Ask their teacher for ideas, too. Don’t worry too much if the children don’t choose “great” books—the important thing is to keep them reading. There are lots of online book lists of books kids will love.
Decide on the first book and the date of your next meeting. Be sure someone brings a snack. Assign one family to come up with questions to discuss. (Look online if you’re stumped—many publishers now have book group questions for popular books.) Be sure parents read the book, too.
Parents say these clubs are both fun and educational. Everyone reads and talks about good books.
Enjoy your summer club. You may even want to continue next fall.
Reprinted with permission from the May 2007 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: “Starting a Book Club,” Kidsreads.com, www.kidsreads.com/clubs/club-about.asp.