There seems to be an abundance of family activity suggestions for families with young children—but what about “tweeners” and teens? Here’s a suggestion for starting a family book club that just might get everyone reading and relating (with some debating thrown in for good measure!)—
If your middle or high schoolers are already reading a book in school, it might be fun for mom and/or dad to read the same book and then you can have some conversations and debates about the book at home. Middle and high school reading lists are increasingly sophisticated and this might give you the chance to revisit some of those classics you “missed” when you were a student. Expect some Shakespeare, “The Scarlet Letter, “ and maybe some “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
Perhaps you’d like to pick a book separate from school work for the family to read and discuss. Your local library has ready-made reading lists of age-appropriate books available and you may also be able to find some lists of book ideas online. Make a list of your own and take a vote about which books you’d like to read. Since you’re reading within the family, you may not need a copy of the book for everyone, or you may be able to find books at the library, or a used book store inexpensively.
You can then decide if you want to meet weekly, bi-monthly or once a month (weekly is good) to have your “family book club”—prepare snacks and beverages and let different family members start and lead the discussion. You may even want to come up with discussion questions in advance (let everyone try their hand at these) so people can come prepared—just as you would if you were participating in a community or other book club.
See Also: Great Books for Teenagers, and Encouraging Reading–Why Not Read to the Cat?