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Book Clubs Ideas for Kids of All Ages

By Jamie Twarogowski, Macaroni Kid Lakewood & Littleton, CO Publisher May 28, 2015
Making reading a social venture at an early age is one way to help encourage the love of reading. There is no reason to wait until you are an adult to participate in book clubs, start now, even before they can read on their own.

Infant to Toddlers -
  • Book Exchange. Bring your kids together for a play date and a mommy get-together. Have everyone bring books that your child is no longer interested in, has outgrown, or you have read a million times and just cannot read one.more.time. Place them all on the table for a book exchange. Everyone will get to take home new books and enjoy a lovely play-date.

Pre-School -
  • Book Club Picnic. Best to choose a location with little distractions (no playgrounds or other children) and smaller groups are also better to keep short attention spans alert. Have each child choose their favorite book to bring. Each parent/caregiver will take turns reading books throughout the picnic. Have the kids act out scenes and characters in the books.
Kindergarten/Early Readers -
  • Book Club Craft Party. Choose a favorite book and come up with a craft to go along with that book. Read or have the children take turns reading the book to the group first and then make the book come to life through the craft. Stuck for ideas, there are plenty on Pinterest. Check them out at Book Club Craft Party. Make it even more special by serving treats in line with the theme of the book.
Elementary School -

Early-Teen -
  • Cooking Book Club. Choose a book that all children have the ability and interest in reading. Find a recipe or meal that relates to the book in some way. Have the children pick the meal and create the recipes from the book that they read. Bring the meal to one location and enjoy the meal together and discuss how the theme of the meal relates to the book.

Our libraries have book clubs for many ages, check them out! Please note, many need pre-registration.