Where storytelling is led by a volunteer, reading circles are led by the children. Peer groups that meet regularly to read, discuss and recommend.
A reading circle is a small group of children who meet regularly around books they have chosen themselves. An adult may be in the room. The adult is not running it.
How they work
Groups of roughly six to twelve children meet on a set schedule — often weekly — in a library, classroom or community space. They read, sometimes together and sometimes separately, and then they talk: what happened, what it meant, what they would recommend to each other.
Over time, a circle develops its own habits. Some become book clubs with reading assigned between meetings. Some stay read-aloud groups. Both are fine.
What they build
- Reading confidence. Reading in front of peers who are also still learning is far less frightening than reading in front of a class.
- Curiosity. Children take recommendations from other children far more seriously than from adults.
- Discussion skills. Making a point, hearing an objection, and changing your mind are all practised here.
- Vocabulary. Words met in a story and then argued about tend to stick.
- Imagination. "What if the ending were different?" is a question a circle asks constantly, and it is the same muscle futures literacy uses.
- Peer relationships. For children new to a school or a language, a circle is often the easiest room to belong in.
Running one
A circle needs very little: a set of books, a regular time, a space, and an adult willing to hold the schedule without dominating the conversation. We help schools and communities set them up around an existing library, and we can supply a starting set of books.