{"id":1785,"date":"2017-11-09T18:07:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T18:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewanderingrumpus.com\/\/?p=1785"},"modified":"2019-01-25T16:46:10","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T16:46:10","slug":"5-steps-to-start-a-parent-child-book-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewanderingrumpus.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/09\/5-steps-to-start-a-parent-child-book-club\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps To Start A Parent-Child Book Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I\u2019m sharing one of my most requested resources: how to start a parent-child book club! One of my goals as a mom is to expand my girls\u2019 worldview – through travel, yes, but also through food, engaging in our own local community, understanding our world community, through relationships, experiences and also through books! <\/span><\/p>\n

First, a little backstory: When I was teaching high school English years ago, I had a 9th grade student who belonged to a mother\/daughter book club. At the time, I was pregnant with my first daughter and the student would bring me the books that her club was reading and we would chat about them. Sometimes, I would help her with activities and discussion questions for her group. We often joked that when my soon-to-arrive baby was old enough, we would join her group too!<\/span><\/p>\n

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When that baby (my oldest daughter) was in second grade, I was no longer teaching, but I often thought about my student’s book group. At the end of second grade, my daughter was reading a bit more independently and so we reached out to a few friends and started our own mother\/daughter book club. Now, over five years later, we\u2019re still meeting regularly and I have also started a book group with my middle daughter. I got some suggestions from a friend here in town who participated with her daughter in a book club and then started reaching out to teachers, librarians and even authors for book suggestions and activities. In fact, after reading A Wrinkle in Time<\/a> with our group, I reached out to author Madeline L\u2019Engle\u2019s daughter and we ended up working together on A Wrinkle In Time<\/em> Book Club resource for her website which can be found <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Book club is one of my favorite things do to with my girls – and I can\u2019t wait to do it with my youngest when the time is right! The benefits are endless including an increase in their love of reading and expanding their worldview as we learn about different communities, cultures, genres,\u00a0and characters. \u00a0The book group also provides a safe place for them to talk about tough subjects that are themes in some of the books we\u2019ve read and discussed, it has challenged them (and me) to read new things and it has nurtured friendships and relationships with the other girls (and moms) in the group. \u00a0I have shared our process of getting it started with many families over the years \u2013 of both boys and girls, moms and dads, or simply families that want to read together \u2013 so today I\u2019m sharing my 5 best tips:<\/span><\/p>\n

1.Work with your child to establish a small group<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I have found the sweet spot for starting a group for us is late second\/early third grade at the earliest. However, I have friends who have started groups in 1st grade and others who started in high school. You should determine if your group will be same-sex or not, if you want it to include one grade (all 3rd graders for example) and then limit your group to about 5-7 families \u2013 any more I have found can be overwhelming for the host and also overwhelming for quieter, tentative kids in the group).<\/span><\/p>\n

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2.Send an email inviting families and explaining the commitment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve decided who to invite, send an email invitation to the parents explaining what you\u2019d like the book group to look like. Here are some questions\/thoughts to consider:<\/span><\/p>\n