Blogging A to Z: Have Conversation

When you love something, you want to talk about it! It should be the same about books! Talk to kids about what they’re reading and ask them questions about the story. Kids might not be willing to share what they’re reading right away, so you might need some questions to get you started. A great place for talking about books? Driving in the car, you have to focus on the road, so your kid might be more willing to talk with you! Another great place to talk about books is at the dinner table. Pull the whole family into the conversation!

Don’t forget that conversation is a two-way street. Talk to your kids about what you’re reading too! Kids should see the adults in their life read, it reinforces the idea that reading is a valuable way to spend time. Plus, you then get to talk to your kids even more about books!

Here are just a few examples of the types of questions you can ask your child about their reading. Make sure to remember to actually listen and respond to what they’re saying. You want them to see that talking about books is important and that you truly value their opinions. What I love about these questions is that they can work for almost all books, mainly fictional stories, but some can still work with nonfiction too.

Book Questions

1. What do you think the book is going to be about?
2. Will you catch me up on the story? What’s happened so far?
3. What does the place look like in your head as you read? Would you want to visit there?
4. Is there something you are getting curious to learn more about as you are reading?
5. If you had to describe what you are reading in five words, what would you say? 
6. If you could hear this same story from another person’s point of view, who would you choose?
7. Does this book remind you of anything else you’ve already read or seen?
8. What was your favorite part of the book?
9. What did you like least about this book?
10. If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be?
11. Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
12. Would you recommend what you are reading to someone you know?
13. What songs does this book make you think of? Create a playlist together!
14. What surprised you the most in the book?
15. If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?
16. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?
17. What was something cool you learned about in this book?
18. Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?
19. Is there something special you will keep thinking about even after you finish reading?
20. Are there other books you’d want to read by this same author?

And above all else, if your child tells you to read the book – READ THE BOOK! It will make a great bonding experience between the two of you and make it even easier to talk about the book together.

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For the month of April, I’ll be sharing tips for reaching reluctant readers as part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. There are dozens of reasons why a child might be considered a “reluctant reader.” As summer nears, continued reading practice helps students to keep the reading skills they learned while reading for fun. But, that’s not easy when a child doesn’t want to sit down and read. I’ll be sharing 26 tips to meet reluctant readers where they are. And hopefully find a way to make reading bearable, if not even something they want to do!