Family Dinner Book Club – A Fun, New Initiative!

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Today’s post is our very first guest post here on The Library Adventure! I am excited for Jodie of Growing Book By Book to tell you all about the new project she, another blogger (Daisy at Home), and our very own Jill of Enchanted Homeschooling Mom have launched!

Have you ever thought of bringing your library adventures to the dinner table?

Family Dinner Book Clubs are a fun way to build family relationships, increase literacy skills and share great food. Many of us have very busy schedules and are looking for easy ways to squeeze in more quality time with our families.

We all have to eat! So, why not share a meal together, talk about a great book, and even create some art to visually stimulate the conversation!

Literacy Benefits

• Increases exposure to vocabulary
• Builds conversational skills (listening and speaking)
• Promotes oral storytelling

Choosing Books

• Use books that have been assigned as required reading by your child’s school. Your child already has to read the book so why not make it a family affair.
• Select books on a theme or topic your family is interested in learning more about. Planning a trip to Hersheypark this summer? Why not read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl to help get excited about the trip! Would you like to teach your children a lesson on friendship and hope? Then, you might enjoy The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Both of these are chapter books, but you can also have a family dinner book club with a picture book.
• Follow along with a larger book club such as the Family Dinner Book Club. A new book is announced each month!

Tips for Planning a Successful Dinner

• Choose a night when you can have a relaxed and leisurely dinner with the whole family.
• Select foods that were mentioned in the story or brainstorm foods that characters in the story may like to eat.
• Browse through cookbooks for recipe ideas. Some of my favorites include: Kids’ Kitchen by Fiona Bird and Eat Like a Dinosaur: Recipe and Guide Book for Gluten Free Kids by Paleo Parents.
• Get everyone involved in creating fun table decorations for the special dinner. Think about symbols or scenes from the story that could be recreated in your table setting.
• Prepare a few questions or prompts about the story and jot them down on strips of paper. You can then select a few at dinner to get the conversation rolling.

Most of all, enjoy spending time with your family and reading great books!

Family Dinner Book Club is a new initiative started by Growing Book by Book, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom and Daisy at Home. The project debuts in January 2014 with the first book club selection. Families are encouraged to read the book together during the course of the month. Ideas will be shared for table decoration art to accompany the book, conversation starters and a yummy menu to compliment the featured book of the month. All participating families are encouraged to snap a picture of their family dinner book club and post it on the Family Dinner Book Club Facebook page.

Jodie Rodriguez is a National Board Certified teacher, reading specialist and administrator with over 18 years of experience. She currently stays at home with her two young sons (3 years and 20 months). Her newest adventure is the creation of the Growing Book by Book blog dedicated to helping caregivers nurture young readers. You can also connect with her on Facebook .