How to Start a Summer Book Club Your Kids Actually Look Forward To

Kids summer book club in our home

A few summers ago, I decided to start a book club for my kids and their friends.

I wanted to keep them reading over the summer, give them something fun to look forward to, and sneak in a little learning without making summer feel like school.

We've now done Charlotte's Web, Matilda, Little House on the Prairie, and The Bookwanderers, and our summer book club has become one of my favorite traditions.

But the way I run it now looks pretty different from how I did it in the beginning.

I've learned that the goal isn't to squeeze as much schoolwork as possible into an hour-long book club.

The goal is to make kids love being part of a book club.

Here's how we do it.

1. Pick a Book That Gives You Something to Work With

I love choosing classic children's books—or books with rich settings, characters and themes—because there are SO many directions you can take them.

We've done:

• Charlotte's Web

• Matilda

• Little House on the Prairie

• The Bookwanderers

  
  

I also intentionally choose books that have resources available online.

You absolutely do not have to create everything yourself.

If I'm in a pinch, one of my favorite places to look is Teachers Pay Teachers. Search the title of almost any well-known children's book and you'll usually find coloring pages, comprehension activities, vocabulary work, crafts or entire book studies that you can use for inspiration.

Summer book club does not need to become another giant project for Mom.

2. Meet Every Other Week

We've found that meeting every other week for about an hour works really well.

We usually meet on a Sunday or Monday evening.

Before each meeting, I tell the kids which chapters we're reading. That gives everyone plenty of time to read without making it feel like another assignment hanging over their heads.

And moms are invited too!

I'll usually put out some snacks and wine for the moms, and they can hang out while the kids do book club.

It ends up being a little social night for everyone—which makes me much more excited to host it too.

3. Don't Turn Book Club Into School

This is probably the biggest thing I've changed.

When I first started doing book club, I tried to accomplish a LOT during our meetings.

We'd do comprehension questions. Vocabulary. Writing activities. Discussions.

All good things.

But eventually I realized I didn't want the kids walking into my house worried that they wouldn't know an answer or hadn't remembered enough from the chapters.

I wanted them excited to come.

So I completely changed gears.

Now, the more academic pieces—math, comprehension, vocabulary and writing—can be done at home using their book club workbooks. Those are optional.

When they come to my house?

We do the fun stuff.

Crafts. Experiments. Cooking. Games. Hands-on activities.

They're still thinking about the story and interacting with what they've read. It just doesn't feel like a test.

4. Give Them Their Own Book Club Workbook

I made book club workbooks to go along with the books we read, and each of the girls gets her own copy.

The workbooks include activities they can do at home throughout the summer, but they also become a place to collect everything we make together.

If we make something that can be glued in, they add it to their workbook.

By the end of the book, they haven't just finished a novel.

They have this whole collection of activities, writing, crafts and memories from reading it with their friends.

5. Keep the Same Simple Flow Each Time

You do NOT need to plan an elaborate two-hour event for every meeting.

Ours are usually only about an hour, and I follow roughly the same format every time.

As Everyone Arrives: Coloring Page

We start around the kitchen table with a coloring page related to the chapters we just read.

This is mostly practical.

People are inevitably going to arrive at slightly different times, so I don't want to start our main activity while we're missing someone.

The girls color, talk and catch up while we wait.

Next: A Craft

Once everyone is there, we do a craft related to the story.

This is one of my favorite parts because the possibilities are endless.

And it doesn't have to be Pinterest-perfect.

The point is simply to take something they encountered in the book and let them make something with their hands.

Then: A Hands-On Activity

After the craft, we'll do some kind of activity inspired by what we've been reading.

For Little House on the Prairie, that might mean churning butter or learning to sew an apron.

For Charlotte's Web, you could create yarn spider webs or turn them into a game by having the kids shoot at the webs with water guns.

We've also done things like racing wind-up toys.

This is where you can get creative and use the book as a jumping-off point rather than trying to recreate every detail perfectly.

The kids remember these parts.

Last 15–20 Minutes: Go Play

And then...

I kick them outside. 😂

For the last 15–20 minutes, they're free to run around and play until their parents are ready to leave.

I actually think this part matters.

Book club doesn't need to fill every single minute with structured enrichment. They're spending a summer evening with their friends.

Let them be kids.

End the Summer With a Movie Night

And of course, we have to celebrate finishing the book!

At the end of the summer, we invite everyone back for an outdoor movie night and watch the movie version of the book together on a big inflatable screen.

We put out blankets, snacks and popcorn, and the kids get to see the characters and story they've spent all summer reading come to life.

It's such a fun way to wrap up book club—and gives them one more thing to look forward to as they're working their way through the book.

Plus, after spending all summer reading, crafting, cooking and playing together, ending it with a movie under the stars feels like the perfect little celebration.

You Don't Have to Be a Teacher to Do This

I think something like "summer book club" can sound intimidating when you see it online.

You start imagining lesson plans and discussion guides and perfectly coordinated crafts for every chapter.

It doesn't need to be that.

Pick a good book.

Invite a handful of your kids' friends.

Divide the book into manageable sections.

Meet every other week.

Put out a coloring page.

Do one craft.

Plan one fun activity.

Then send them outside to play.

That's it.

And if you want to add comprehension, writing, vocabulary or math at home, you can. If your kid wants nothing to do with that part one week, that's okay too.

Because after doing this for several summers, I've realized something:

I'd rather have a child leave my house thinking, "I can't wait for the next book club," than leave thinking, "I got every comprehension question right."

We have plenty of years to teach kids how to analyze books.

First, I want them to love reading them.

And if someday they think back on Charlotte's Web and remember sitting around our kitchen table with their friends, making spider webs and then running around outside on a summer night?

I'd call that a pretty successful book club.