Since I became a mom, I've always dreamed of sharing books with son, Kiddo. Like most parents, I read stories to him when he was small. He was a very wiggly child and would never stay on my lap, preferring to play on the floor while I read. As he grew, I encouraged him to look at books for himself. Unfortunately he wasn't really interested in books and he'd avoid them at all costs.After I started blogging I began seeing mentions of Mother & Daughter Book Clubs on other blogs and I was envious. Why oh why couldn't I have a daughter to share books with like that?! Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: THIS was the way to get Kiddo interested in reading!
You see, Kiddo loves my blog (unless blogging means I'm not playing with him) and he loves to hear about other bloggers around the world. He does NOT like my book club though, because it takes me away from him when he'd rather I be home. So I gave him the opportunity to make regular appearances on my blog to discuss the books we read together in our own personal book club, our own special time together. He was thrilled!
Kiddo was 6 at our first "meeting" so I did all the reading. Afterward I asked him a series of questions that would become the basis of our book club discussions. I recorded his answers word for word and posted them on my blog. When my readers started responding to his posts he was convinced he was famous.
As Kiddo progressed through first grade I realized that reading doesn't come easy for him nor is it something he likes to do. Our little book club has become even more important because of this. I still do most of the reading, especially since we've moved on to books that are out of his skill range, but I do ask him to read chapter titles or short paragraphs from time to time. My hope is that by reading him books that he finds exciting and interesting, I will encourage him to try harder to read on his own.
I don't know if my plan is working but I treasure the time Kiddo and I spend reading together.
If you'd like to check out all the Mom & Son Book Club post, follow this link.
17 comments:
My daughter struggled a bit at the beginning of the year with letter reversals. I didn't realize how much that affected her fluency so we've been focusing on that and then all of the sudden the reading fell into place.
We don't have a book club per se, but whenever I sit down to read, she grabs her book and reads too and although she pretended to read before, now she is actually reading and it warms my heart. She read The Cat In the Hat last night, all 61 pages.
Say "Hi!" to Kiddo for me.
That is a wonderful idea! I know I have really enjoyed reading your mother/son posts before.
My oldest son is great at reading, but has a harder time writing (both the coordination and the spelling) so I've been trying to convince him to write down his thoughts about a book when he reads (with a promise to post it on my blog). He thinks it's a cool idea, but hasn't taken me up on it yet.
I love this idea and hope to do it with my daughter.
She's in kindergarten, and just starting to learn how to read.
I always love reading Kiddo's thoughts on the books you two read, and I bet it's helpful for other parents to be able to get a kid's perspective on books every now and then instead of just reading about what other adults think.
Ti - That is GREAT news about your daughter's reading! I do hope Kiddo gets to the point where he wants to read with me, but I'll take what I can get for now. :)
Alyce - Brilliant idea for your son. Have you thought about giving him a goal of one "review" a month? That might give him a push to do it ...
Photogrl - It is NEVER to early to start! Kiddo was just finishing Kindergarten when we started our "club" - and I wish I'd started it sooner.
Dreamybee - Thanks for the encouragement. I know *I* enjoy writing/reading Kiddo's posts but I'm glad to know that my readers enjoy them too.
This sounds wonderful. I don't know if there were any book clubs like this around when my son was young. My cousin's wife is in one with one of their sons.
What wonderful memories your son will have! You're a great mom for doing this!
this post made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Sounds so nice! :)
My son will be 2 next month. He doesn't have much patience for listening to stories but he likes to watch his books with me/daddy and also just by himself. I think that's a good start! :)
My son is still too little, I think, to notice my blogging (other than knowing he doesn't want me on the computer when he wants my attention) but once he is a little older, I really look forward to doing something like this!
He loves books, so we're well on our way!
bermudaonion - I'm hoping to get some of my son's buddies involved as he gets a bit older ... we'll see how that works out.
StephanieD - Thanks!
J.T. Oldfield - Gotta love the warm fuzzies :)
Satu - That is DEFINITELY a good start!
Rebecca Reid - I look forward to seeing how that works out in the coming years - I'm sure you son will LOVE it.
It's perfect idea. My 10 year old daughter would bonkers doing something like this. I've told her several times that she needs to do a guest post for me... we just need to follow through.
It really is a wonderful idea. My oldest is almost 4 and I've posted some of his 'reviews' of books on my blog as well, but I'd like to do more with him.
Suey - You should check out the Kids' Picks dates - I use those to help push me to get Kiddo and I's reviews together. It might help you as well!
Clover - Definitely do it! It has helped Kiddo to know that people are "listening" to what he has to say about a book ... not that he needs any more confidence in himself anyway! ~LOL~
What an awesome idea...a mother-son book club. Bravo!
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I love this idea! I love that you've made it something Kiddo can be excited about. And you know what? Maybe he won't grow up to love books as much as you do, but what you're giving him is still invaluable.
Justin - Thanks!
trish - Your encouragement is much appreciated. :)
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