Book Clubs for Parents & Children
How to Start a Reading Group
Mother-daughter, father-son, and child-parent book clubs are a popular way to encourage family reading time.
Child-parent book clubs are a great way to encourage your kids to read, as well as share some special time together.
Reading the same book as your child, whether young or in the teen-age years, gives you a common bond and is a great conversation starter.
Take the initiative and organize a monthly book club with other parents and their children. Here are some tips for how to start a reading group:
Setting up your book club
- Be sure both the parent and the child want to belong to an organized book club. Make clear the expectations – how much and how often they’ll have to read, and what they’ll have to do to prepare for meetings.
- Ask for a solid commitment. It’s a good idea to ask that all members make an effort to show up and participate regularly. If book club is not a priority, your group’s success will suffer.
- Set a regular time, date and place for monthly meetings. Having a standing appointment on members’ calendars will help solidify your club.
- Invite between five and 10 child-parent pairs to participate. Fewer than five and your discussions will be weak; a very large crowd makes it difficult for each member to participate.
How to choose books
All members should have input on what books the group will read, even the children. Some things to keep in mind:
- Vary the genres. Throw some historical fiction, humor, non-fiction and science fiction into the mix.
- Consider including some poetry and other types of writing once a year.
- Try to include books that the children will enjoy, but don’t leave out books they normally wouldn’t read on their own. Required reading sometimes sparks an interest in a child.
- If your members are avid readers, it may be difficult to list books that someone hasn’t already read. Try to limit repeat readings to one or two members.
- Make your book club a challenge. Choose books that are slightly longer and more difficult to read than your members are accustomed to.
- In addition to your own choices, consult book lists at your local library and online. Nancy Keane’s Booklist web site suggests titles for a wide variety of demographics. The Association for Library Service to Children offers suggested book lists for all ages.
Book club meetings
- Take turns hosting your book club meetings to give each member a chance to plan a gathering.
- Set aside time for a discussion of the book. Until the children get comfortable discussing books, have them write a short summary of their thoughts on the book and take turns reading them.
- Plan time for the adults to take care of book club business (choosing books, scheduling conflicts, upcoming events) for a few minutes at the end of each meeting.
Add some fun
- Make your meetings extra fun by having a craft or other activity related to the book’s theme. Reading Esparanza Rising? Make homemade tortillas. Loved Frindle? Decorate pens with glitter glue and sequins.
- If you’re discussing a novel from a particular country or time period, serve snacks that reflect the setting of the book.
- Occasionally schedule a field trip that relates to the book of the month. Vary your meeting places from houses to libraries, parks and other outdoor settings.
- Make one month biography month and have each member give a short report on the person they read about. Make busy months (September with the start of school and December with winter holidays) time for short books, or combine two months and read one long, classic.
For more things to do with kids, see:
Curling Up is an online book club where you can share book discussions and reviews with people all over the world.
The copyright of the article Book Clubs for Parents & Children in Parent-Child Activities is owned by Diane Laney Fitzpatrick. Permission to republish Book Clubs for Parents & Children must be granted by the author in writing.
