How a Book Basket Can Help Your Child’s Reading

Did you ever wonder how to help your child read better and read more—even with a busy lifestyle?

Today I’m sharing one easy way to help you reach those goals:

BOOK BASKET (or box or bag or tub)

Honestly, your child’s “book basket” could even be a specific section of a book shelf.

A book basket, as I’m referring to in this post, is a designated area for books selected for your child to read at designated times.

As a classroom teacher, I used this method with chair pockets that hung on student chairs and held a handful of books. During quiet reading time, each child had those selected books from which to practice reading. In your home, you should have specific times for your child to practice reading.

If you’re waiting until you child feels like reading, your child may NEVER get sufficient practice. Particularly if a child is discouraged from the struggles of reading, he may never select a book to go and sit and practice reading.

People sometimes forget that reading is a skill. Just like you wouldn’t expect a child to get better at adding and subtracting without practice, you can’t expect a child to improve their reading skills without having time to practice reading. Often, when I meet with tutoring students, the primary hinderance for them is that they have not had adequate practice reading. If their parents made an effort to work in that practice, they would undoubtedly notice growth. The book basket method will provide a framework for getting in reading practice.

Let’s brainstorm a few times of the day that might work for your child to practice reading:

• Morning time at the kitchen table

• Before bedtime to wind down

• After school while having a snack

• On the go (in a car or waiting room)

This time (whichever time you choose) should be protected. Make sure your child knows and understands that only reading should take place during that time. If you are new to this idea with a reluctant reader, I suggest sitting with your child for several days or weeks to train them how to sit and read quietly. You might start with just a few minutes and increase it over time.

Can you think of ways you would implement a book basket? Would you use a basket? Which time and place would you choose? How would you adapt if something wasn’t working? Comment below!

What to put in the book basket

1-2 Easy books

These books should not be memorized books.

They should be filled with words that are fairly easy for your child to sound out and read.

The goals of these books are entertainment, building confidence, and building fluency (smooth and steady reading).

These books can be read and re-read.

2-3 Medium books

These books should have 1-2 words per page that cause your child to pause and sound out (just a bit of struggle but not too much).

These books are a higher level than the easy books without being overwhelming.

Reading and re-reading these books will cause your child to grow in reading skills.

1-2 Challenging books

These books may be challenging for your child simply because they are longer and require more focus and stamina.

These books may be challenging for your child because they have fewer pictures or are non-fiction.

These books should have more difficult words than the books in the medium category, such as 3-5 words a page (depending).

Remember, a page for a lower elementary reader is much different than a page for an upper elementary reader.

Check-in with your child

Providing a time of day and material to read is only part of the book basket strategy. Check-in with your child throughout the week (daily if the child is struggling) to allow him to read aloud to you (10-20 minutes). You can choose to listen to an entire book or choose to listen to a few pages of different books from the basket. If a particular book isn’t working, isn’t a good fit, or has been read too much, you can switch it out for another book.

The book basket should change every week

or every couple of weeks (depending on the level of the child and book lengths).

Checking in with your child is a form of assessment.

It’s not a written test, but it’s a time for you to hear and observe your child reading. You will be AMAZED at how much you notice about the growth of your child: both in confidence and skills.

Checking in gives accountability.

Your child realizes that the book basket and reading time is important. Don’t be surprised if you find your child eventually reading more voluntarily during free time.

Checking in provides bonding and opportunities for discussion.

I continue to check in with my 12 year old. I ask him about what he’s reading and probe him with questions about what happened. If his answers are sufficient, I leave him alone to continue. If not, I may pick up the book and scan the chapter for a few questions to ask. I might even reread a chapter with him or encourage him to do so. If your child is enrolled in a school, I guarantee you that you will be able to more effectively “check in” with your child than a teacher can. You have fewer children than a classroom full. It’s a numbers thing. You have weekends and evenings. Fit it in where you can. Again, checking it doesn’t have to be daily all the time for every child.

Choosing the books

Remember to include variety: graphic novel books (comic book style), nonfiction (science, history factual books), chapter books (if appropriate), rhyming books, poetry, etc.

Your child needs practice navigating various types of books. In a nonfiction book or poetry collection, your child can flip around or read captions. In a chapter book, however, reading the story in order is imperative.

Library books provide novelty. They aren’t owned by us and are therefore NEW in the eyes of my children. We visit the library every week or two and switch out books or add to the collection.

Sometimes, I pull books off the large bookshelf since they may sit there unnoticed (due to not being arranged cover first).

How do you feel about your child’s reading practice? Is he getting enough? Are you holding him accountable throughout the week. Especially if your child is enrolled in a school, do not assume there is enough quality reading practice throughout the day. You are not there to observe and say that with certainty.

As I tell my tutoring parents, something is better than nothing. Even 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference and help form good reading habits. Use your weekends to make a difference as well.

If you’d like a guide for finding GOOD FIT books (especially for the “medium” category), check out my Good Fit Book guide.

Have you watched my Youtube series, How to Help Your Child Read Better?

Remember, YOU are your child’s most influential teacher. Start maximizing the difference you make TODAY.