FOR FAMILIES AND CLUBS · AGES 5–11
How to start a family book club for kids: questions, activities and name ideas
A family book club is a few children and grown-ups who read the same book, then meet to talk about it, with snacks and no marks. Here is how to start one, questions to ask at ages 5 to 7, 7 to 9 and 9 to 11, activities where the children take charge of the story, name ideas and a meeting sheet to print.
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What is a family book club?
A family book club is a small group of children and grown-ups who read the same book, then get together to talk about it. It can be you and your own children at the kitchen table, cousins on a video call with grandparents, or three or four friends from school taking turns to host on a Saturday afternoon.
It is reading for pleasure, not homework. There are snacks, everyone gets a say, nobody is marked, and the children run as much of it as they can: they choose the books, chair the talk and make up their own endings.
Talking about books with other people is something children practise at school too. The national curriculum asks that Year 1 pupils are taught to “participate in discussion about what is read to them, taking turns and listening to what others say”, and in Years 5 and 6 it includes “recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices” (national curriculum). A book club at home practises both, just for fun.
How to start a kids’ book club
Six things to decide before the first meeting. None of them needs to be perfect: you can change anything after a meeting or two.
- Who. Start small. One grown-up and two children is already a club. Cousins, neighbours or a few school friends whose families you know make it more of an occasion. Mixed ages work well if the book is read aloud.
- How often. Once a month is a good place to start: it gives slower readers time to finish and keeps it feeling special. With younger children, a picture book shared every week or two works just as well.
- How long. About half an hour for ages 5 to 7, and up to an hour for older children, snack included. Stop while they still want more, not when they have had enough.
- Where. Take turns to host at home, so each child gets a go at being the host. Cushions on the floor, a plate of something to share and the book in the middle are plenty.
- The first book. Choose something short that everyone can finish: a picture book, a short chapter book read aloud over a few evenings, a comic or a free interactive story where the club votes on what happens next. After that, take turns choosing.
- Different reading levels. Nobody has to read it alone. Listening to it read aloud, sharing it with a grown-up or hearing it as an audiobook all count, so a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old can be in the same club.
When it is a child’s turn to choose, ask them to say why they picked it: a book a friend loved is a good reason to try one. The DfE’s reading framework makes the same point about grown-ups: “As adults, we might choose to read something by an unknown author if it had been recommended by another author whose work we had already enjoyed or by a friend whose judgement we trusted.” (DfE). For a first book with no copies to find, try one of our free interactive stories.
Ground rules that keep it fun
Agree these at the first meeting. Better still, let the children write them on a card for the host to put out each time.
- It is not homework. No tests, no marks and no reading record to fill in. The DfE’s advice to parents on children’s reading is worth pinning to the fridge: “What matters most is that they enjoy it.” (DfE)
- Every opinion counts, including “I didn’t like it”. Ask what put them off: a book somebody disliked can start a great conversation.
- One voice at a time. Pass a talking object round the circle (a soft toy, a wooden spoon, a bookmark), and only the person holding it speaks. It can help younger children wait for their turn.
- Shout “spoiler!” first. Anyone about to give away the ending says so, so that anyone who hasn’t reached it can cover their ears.
- The children are in charge. A child chairs the meeting, picks the questions out of a hat and chooses the next book. The grown-ups’ job is to listen, join in and keep it kind.
- Anyone can say “pass”. Nobody has to answer a question or read aloud. Being there and listening is joining in.
When someone hasn’t finished the book
It will happen, often to the grown-ups. Say from the start that everyone is welcome whether they finished the book or not, then make the meeting work for them:
- Read a favourite part aloud first. Someone who loved it reads their best page or chapter, so everyone shares at least some of the story.
- Ask questions anyone can answer. What do you think happens? Who would you like to meet? Would you carry on reading it?
- Let them guess the ending, then let them decide whether the others tell them or they find out for themselves.
- Change the book, not the child. If it was too long, too hard or just not their thing, choose something shorter next time. Giving up on a book they aren’t enjoying is allowed.
Your first meeting, in 45 minutes
A shape for the meeting that works for ages 7 to 11. For ages 5 to 7, shorten each step and stop at about half an hour. The minutes are a suggestion: watch the children, not the clock.
- Hello and a snack (about 5 minutes). Everyone says their name and one word that sums up the book.
- A favourite part (about 10 minutes). Each child reads aloud, or points to, a part they loved. A grown-up can read it for them.
- Talk (about 15 minutes). Pick two or three question cards out of a hat and go round the circle.
- Make something (about 10 minutes). One activity from the list below: a new ending, a cover, a character in the hot seat.
- The next book (about 5 minutes). The next chooser tells everyone what it is and why they picked it.
Print the meeting plan with question cards to cut out.
Book club questions for kids, by age
Questions for a group, not a test. Pick two or three, put them in a hat and let the chair draw them out. Everyone answers, the grown-ups included.
Ages 5 to 7
- Show us your favourite picture. What is happening in it?
- Which character would you invite round for tea?
- Did anyone in the story make a mistake? How did they put it right?
- Pull the face a character pulled at the funniest or scariest moment. Can we guess who it is?
- If you could jump into one page, which would it be?
- Thumbs up, thumbs in the middle or thumbs down? Tell us why.
Tip: Keep it to two or three questions, and let them answer with a drawing, a face or an action as well as words.
Ages 7 to 9
- Which character is most like you, and which is least like you?
- Was there a moment you wanted to shout a warning to someone in the story?
- How would the story change if the baddie, or a pet, told it?
- Which chapter would make the best scene in a film? Who should be in it?
- Give the book a score for funny, exciting and surprising. Did we all agree?
- Did you change your mind about any character as you read?
Tip: Ask each child to bring one question of their own, written on a scrap of paper for the hat.
Ages 9 to 11
- Whose side were you on, and did that change by the end?
- What do you think the author wanted readers to feel on the last page?
- Was there a choice in the story you would have made differently? What would have happened then?
- Which sentence would you put on a poster for this book?
- Does anything in the book remind you of something in the real world?
- If there were a sequel, what should it be about and what should it be called?
Tip: Let them disagree. A good argument about a character, with reasons, is the club working well.
For questions to ask before, during and after reading at home, and what the VIPERS letters on school reading sheets mean, see questions to ask your child about a book.
Book club activities that put children in charge
The best part of a book club can be what happens after the talking, when the children stop being readers and become authors. Pick one activity a meeting. The tools linked here are free, with no sign-up.
Write a new ending
Did it end the way they wanted? Each child writes, draws or tells a different ending, then the club votes for its favourite. A story mountain can help older children plan the build-up to it.
Make up the next chapter
What happens the morning after the last page? Start with a first line and go round the circle, each person adding one sentence.
Interview a character
One child sits in the hot seat as a character from the book, and everyone else asks them questions. They answer in character, voice and all. Grown-ups have to take a turn too.
Design a new cover
A new picture, a new title and one line for the back that would make someone want to read it. Line them up and see how different they are.
Roll a twist
Roll the story dice and fit what comes up into the book. What if a storm, a key or a dragon turned up in the middle chapter?
Invent a new character
Who could join the story? Find them a name, then decide what they want, who they would get on with and who they would annoy.
Write a review for the next club
A favourite part, a star rating and who else would like it. Keep the reviews in a folder, and the club slowly builds its own list of books to try.
Book review template (ages 5–7) · Book review template (ages 7–11)
Vote on what happens next
Read one of our free interactive stories aloud together. At each choice the club votes on what happens, then talks about whether it was the right call.
Book club name ideas
Let the children choose the name, or vote on a shortlist. A name from a joke in the first book you read together works too. Some ideas to start from:
For younger readers
- The Picture Book Pals
- The Cosy Corner Club
- The Bookworm Burrow
- The Giggle Readers
- Stories and Snacks
For older readers
- The Chapter Chasers
- The Plot Twisters
- The Midnight Readers
- The Spoiler Alert Society
- The Last Page Club
For the whole family
- The Kitchen Table Book Club
- Sunday Stories
- Books and Biscuits
- The (your surname) Story Club
- The Bedtime Book Gang
Running a book club at school
The same ideas work for a lunchtime or after-school book club: the children choose, the talk is open, and nobody is marked. To bring families in, try one of these free lessons:
- Family reading café story lesson: a class story the children start in school and finish with the grown-ups from home.
- Library visit story lesson: a class story to go with a trip to the local library.
- Reading for pleasure ideas for teachers: what the DfE reading framework says works in school.
A book club sheet to print
One sheet of A4: a page to fill in by hand for each meeting, the meeting plan to tick off, and eight question cards to cut out and pick from a hat. Nothing is typed on screen, and nothing is saved.
A family book club
Our book club
- Our club is called
- This time we read
- Host
- Snack
- Next book
- Chosen by
Our meeting
- Hello and a snack (5 min). Everyone says their name and one word that sums up the book.
- A favourite part (10 min). Each child reads aloud, or points to, a part they loved. A grown-up can read it for them.
- Talk (15 min). Pick two or three question cards out of a hat and go round the circle.
- Make something (10 min). One activity from the list below: a new ending, a cover, a character in the hot seat.
- The next book (5 min). The next chooser tells everyone what it is and why they picked it.
Question cards: cut out, fold and pick from a hat
- What would you ask the main character if they came to our club?
- Which moment would you draw for a new cover?
- Who was the bravest person in the story?
- Which part would you read again tomorrow?
- Where should the next adventure happen?
- Which character would make the best friend, and which the worst?
- Was there a moment you didn’t see coming?
- Give the book a new title. What would you call it?
litsee.com/parents/family-book-club · Free to print and share · No sign-up · Litsee
Questions about family book clubs
What age is a family book club for?
Any age from 5 to 11, and mixed ages can share one club. For ages 5 to 7, read the book aloud together and keep the meeting short; older children can read alone, chair the meeting and lead the activities.
How many children should be in a kids’ book club?
There is no right number: two children and a grown-up is a club. With a bigger group it gets hard for everyone to have a turn, so split into two circles for the talking and come back together for the activity.
What should a kids’ book club read first?
Something short that everyone can finish before the first meeting, chosen by the children from two or three options. A picture book, a short chapter book read aloud, a comic or one of our free interactive stories all work. After that, take turns choosing.
Can we run a kids’ book club online?
Yes, with family and friends you already know, such as cousins or grandparents who live far away, on a video call that a grown-up sets up and stays on. Don’t join or set up open online book clubs with people you don’t know, and don’t share children’s full names, schools or photos.
What if my child doesn’t want to read the book?
Don’t make it a chore. Read it aloud to them, try the audiobook, or let them come anyway and enjoy the snack and the activity. Next time, let them choose the book.
Do we need to buy the books?
No. Borrow them from the library, swap copies between families, or share one copy read aloud. Our free interactive stories need no copy at all.
Keep reading
- Questions to ask your child about a book: Questions for before, during and after reading, and what the VIPERS letters on school sheets mean.
- How to choose books your child will want to read: Start from their interests, with a picker for kinds of book.
- Do comics and audiobooks count as reading?: Why every format can earn a place in the club.
- My child hates reading: what actually helps: For the member who would rather be doing anything else.
- Reading at home, on one page: A 10-minute bedtime routine for the evenings between meetings.
Sources
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (key stages 1 and 2) Department for Education, September 2013
- 10 top tips for parents to support children to read Department for Education, 16 July 2020, updated 25 April 2022
- The reading framework Department for Education, July 2023, updated 22 September 2023
The steps, ground rules, meeting plan, questions, activities and names are Litsee’s own suggestions. Spotted something wrong? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it.
About Litsee: we make an interactive storybook app for ages 5 to 11, in which your child creates the hero and decides what happens next. How it works.