How to start a book club for your child in 5 easy steps

Reading was becoming a chore in my house. My daughter, Maya, reads for 15 mins a day to me as part of her homework and I read her a bedtime story each night. But it was more reading out of obligation (homework) and routine (bedtime). She wasn't experiencing the joy from reading that I know is possible and we weren't discussing the content in anything more than a superficial way. I love books. I read them, I recommend them and I talk about them in a monthly book club. It was after one of these meetings that my friend Lori and I started talking about setting one up for our daughters. I wanted her to understand that reading books you love can open a whole new world and be as much, or dare I say it more, fun than playing on the iPad or watching TV.

1. Set the parameters

We gathered a group of girls together of a similar age (around eight years old) from different schools. They didn't all know each other very well which was a big positive as it allowed them to make new friends and created an interesting and positive dynamic. We made it clear from the start that reading ability wasn’t important. Although a similar age there is a wide range of reading skill so some girls read the books themselves and others have their parents read to them. A month is given to read each book.

Ours is an all-girls book club so I try to pick books that are relevant to young girls with empowering and fun female characters. Past themes include siblings and family life, appearance, friendships, appreciating our differences and school life. Mighty Girl website has some excellent suggestions categorised by age.

2. Create a (loose) structure for the meetings

It was important to focus on enjoying books rather than improving reading skills. Each month, we start off with a discussion, asking the girls to summarise the story as a way to refresh their minds. We talk about the parts of the book they liked best, found the funniest, who their favourite characters were and any elements they didn't like. Occasionally we prompt them with questions but often we don't need to as the discussion flows the same way as an adult book club.

3. Make it fun and interactive

We do role playing and drama. Acting out or miming scenes from the book which the girls need to guess. We provide quizzes about small details within the book, come up with book-related games and if there is an activity in the book we can replicate in a fun way we do that. For example, we read Freckle Juice by Judy Blume in which a boy wants freckles like his classmate so he makes a freckle juice recipe given to him by another child. We had a go at making the same concoction which the girls (and their mums) loved!

4. It’s not just about the books

As well as practising their reading, the girls have realised there’s more to a book than getting through the pages. They have also loved making new friends, hanging out with people before and after the book club takes place. And with any successful event we always have good snacks!

In my daughter’s own words “The books we read are really funny, I like hanging out with new friends and I love reading the stories with my mum.”

5. Top tips

Don't make the book club too big, this allows for each child to contribute in a meaningful way. Finally, just do it! You'll be surprised how excited people are by it.

I’m now combining two things I cherish – reading and time with my daughter – while gently encouraging her to follow my book-hungry habit. Everyone’s a winner.