When my daughter started to learn how to read, in JK she had a hard time of it. This difficulty meant that she was not so keen on reading books. We wondered: was it that she was in a French as a first language school (so her whole day was in French)? Was it that she had attention problems? Was it that she lack confidence? Was it that she was pretty normal and our expectations were too high? These are all questions that we struggled with.
The reality was that there was a combination of all of those factors. So when she was in grade two her teacher took H. under her wing and nurtured a safe, supportive environment for her to develop self-confidence, she became more positive and she began to better grasp how to read.
In order to develop her English reading skills a friend of mine and a few other moms decided to start a Little Girls Book Club. Since they were only 9 years old at the time, we would read chapter books with them to encourage their reading. We participated in the discussion and encouraged them when to make book choices on their own. As the years have passed, the girls now pick the books, lead the discussions (with a little help) and even go to plays that have been adapted from books (Hanna’s Suitcase, The Wizard of Oz etc.).
We picked wonderful books that held the girls attention and that would capture their imagination: Hanna’s Suitcase, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Willoughbys, The Giver, Percy Jackson, June B. Jones, Anne of Green Gables (we’re Canadians what did you expect?). We have chosen both classics and contemporary books.
Reading plays such an important part in anyone’s life but for young girls it can be the key to unlocking imagination, knowledge and self-confidence.
Today is the International Day of the Girl. It’s a day that we will celebrate with positive message for all girls across the world to encourage greater awareness for the education of girls whether they be in developed or developing nations.
Join me and Cyn Gagen ( @CynGagen ) today at 2 pm today as we talk about book clubs for girls. We’ll discuss books and strategies to help you develop your very own book club to get those girls reading!
We are part of Tweetathon lead by @HollyPavlika in conjunction with @10x10act from 9 am to 9 pm. Follow the hashtag #IDG2012 to join in throughout the day!
Topic: Girl’s Book Club
Time: 2 pm – 3 pm EST
Hashtag: #IDG2012 #GirlsBookClub
Tweetgrid: http://is.gd/sDiGso
Moderators: @DownshiftingPRO and @CynGagen
Thursday, October 11, 2012
#IDG2012–International Day of the Girl– Little Girls Book Club–Twitter Party 2 pm Thurs. Oct. 11, 2012
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I would have loved to have joined the chat but with 2 kids running around it is next to impossible
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the idea of this! Reading is SOOO important and it's something I've had a passion for since I was very little. I encourage reading and writing with my kids, even at the young age that they are, and I'm so fortunate that both my son and daughter gravitate towards books :)
ReplyDeleteACK! I wish I had seen this earlier! I would have loved to have joined. Great post. I encourage lots of reading, but thankfully Little One doesn't need much prompting. She LOVES books more than anything else.
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed this. My girls both love books! A book club sounds fun.
ReplyDeleteLove love LOVE the ideas behind your Little Girls Book Club. What a fantastic initiative.
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