Book List
View and print the book list for sixth to eighth grades students.
At-home Activities
Model Positive Reading Habits
- Let your children see you read for pleasure.
- Share your excitement for reading with your kids. Talk about what you are reading and why you are reading it.
- Give books as presents for holidays or as rewards for special accomplishments.
Make Reading Part of Regular Family Activities
- Schedule time into your daily/weekly schedule for the whole family to sit down and read.
- Take a trip to the local bookstore, or an online bookstore, and shop for books as a family.
- Visit the library as a family; help each other select books to read.
- Attend readings by favorite authors at local bookstores and libraries. If possible, purchase the book and let your child get the author's signature or borrow the book from the library.
- Encourage older children to read to younger children (siblings, cousins, neighbors, etc.).
Read Aloud to Each Other
- Ask your child to read a book aloud to you. If they seem resistant, ask them to read a smaller section such as a paragraph, or page from their book.
- Read aloud interesting articles from newspapers, magazines, or online sites. “Listen to this, the mayor thinks we should..."
- Incorporate these read-alouds into your daily/weekly routines: while doing the dishes, making food, etc.
- Read aloud an instruction manual, or ask your child to read it aloud to you, as you put together a new item in your home.
Create a Reading Environment in Your Home
- Set up a comfortable space in your home for reading, free from distractions like TV/computer/games/phones. Placing pillows or cushions on the floor is an easy way to make your regular space into a reading space.
- Have reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.) throughout your home and easily accessible to your children.
- Use reading as a vehicle for learning. Research and read about topics that come up naturally in conversation. (“I wonder when the subway was built—let's look it up.")
- Ask relatives and friends that do not live near you to send letters or emails to your child.
- Remind your child to bring a book when they go on public transportation and when they anticipate having to wait in a line (like at the doctor's office).
- When traveling, buy bookmarks as souvenirs (they are inexpensive and promote reading!) or pick up the free ones offered at most bookstores.
Talk about Books
- At dinner, or other informal times, ask your children about the book they are reading.
- Use reading questions to have deeper conversations about books.
- Share your childhood memories about reading and books. Talk about your own favorite books and authors from middle school, your struggles/successes with reading, etc.
Provide Books Aligned to Your Child's Interests
- Notice what your child is most interested in reading and provide them with more reading materials on that topic/genre.
- Encourage relatives to give books as gifts. Suggest topics in which your child is interested.
- Ask a teacher or librarian for book suggestions —they usually know the new and popular reading material for children of different ages.
Help Adolescents Balance Reading with Their Active Social Lives
- Set aside a span of time every night that is just for reading (turn the phone and TV off).
- Make a schedule with your child to help plan out reading (the bus ride on the way to karate lessons is a great time for reading).
- Buy a couple copies of a book and encourage your child to invite his/her best friend to read it together.