Early Reader Book Club is a reading program designed for children in kindergarten through second grade. It provides a fun and interactive way to practice reading skills through group reading, activities and games, all centered around a different theme each session!
This program is designed for a demographic that often feels a lack of programs specifically geared towards them. Children in grades K-2 are at an in-between age where they are too old for storytime but not quite old enough for many of our elementary programs. Early Reader Book Club fills this gap, further supporting and fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning in young children.
During storytime, we incorporate the five Every Child Ready to Read practices: read, sing, talk, write and play, taken from Anne Arundel County Public Library's Kindergarten Readiness initiative. Early Reader Book Club uses these practices to model ways parents can interact with their child and foster emergent literacy skills.
Unlike a typical book club, there's no need to read the book ahead of time! We read all the books together as a group, selecting two or three books from our Early Reader section. We start with a simpler book and work our way up in complexity so that all children, no matter their reading experience, feel included while also gradually getting comfortable reading aloud.
The second half of the program is dedicated to a hands-on activity based on the session's theme. Past activities have included:
- Making paper snowflakes
- Launching paper airplanes
- Building structures with Legos and MagnaTiles
- Playing with Cubetto robot kits.
We always choose an engaging, hands-on activity that gets the grown-ups involved, so everyone can have fun!
This program not only helps children practice their reading skills but also helps them develop connections with their peers. Even younger siblings can participate in the activity, creating an inclusive environment the whole family can enjoy.
Early Reader Book Club is currently available at Odenton and Eastport-Annapolis Neck libraries and will resume at Severna Park, Broadneck and Edgewater libraries after this summer break. We plan to bring this program to other branches in the future.
If you have any questions about this program, feel free to contact any of our branches that offer Early Reader Book Club. We welcome any feedback or suggestions!
Published May 15, 2023