I know what you’re thinking, “What on Earth are gentle book reports?” Or maybe, “Isn’t kindergarten a little young to be doing book reports?” And I completely understand. I just recently heard the term “gentle book reports,” and was completely baffled originally. But I would bet that you’ve done several pieces of a gentle book report without even realizing it, and you may have started even younger than kindergarten!

What is a Gentle Book Report?

Just as a normal (not qualified as “gentle”) book report is all about reading comprehension and some critical thinking, so is a gentle book report. The idea is to find out what your child is getting out of a book in a fun way. Since these reports are done in kindergarten and are an introduction to the book report concept, your child doesn’t need to write everything down or formalize their understanding of a book. There are no worksheets and no pressure. It can simply be fun and conversation with your child.

Some of the methods utilized in a gentle book report may include:

• Retelling the story
• Guessing what happens next (learning to make educated guesses)
• Sharing something they’d change and discussing how the rest of the story would change
• Drawing and coloring pictures of scenes from the book

Basically, if there’s something you can think of that would help your child to get more out of the book, it likely can be used as a part of this method. And although I mentioned your child wouldn’t write everything down, you can transcribe their thoughts and ideas if you think you might want to reflect back on them in the future or use them in some way.

When to Start Using Gentle Book Reports

Does your child like to tell stories? Do they like to share about exactly what happened while playing or a conversation they had? If yes, then they’re already expressing their comprehension of real life. If your child also shows interest in books and characters along with what happens to them, then it’s likely time. Once they start asking questions about the book, then you’re definitely there.

There’s no rush to get started, but it’s not super-formal so it shouldn’t hurt. A gentle book report should increase their understanding of a book, and could potentially make them love it more. It’s about meeting your child where they’re at and helping them express themself.

Getting Started

As you can likely see from the above ideas, a gentle book report is intended to be fun and easy for both parent (teacher) and child. An easy way to get started is to stop while reading a picture book to ask your child what just happened. If they can remember and share, ask them if they think they remember the entire story. Your child can share the story back to you… if they seem to be going off track, forgetting a lot, or getting nervous, you can always open the book and have them tell the story based on the pictures (you may need to cover the words so the focus is on retelling instead of reading). Another way to retell the story would be by sequencing, or putting the scenes of the story in order. You can draw key scenes (yes, you can draw them and show your child that it’s fun and that you don’t have to be perfect) and then see if your child can put them in order of occurrence.

You could have them answer their own questions or you can ask some of your own. “Why’d he do that?” “I don’t know. Why do you think he did that? What could he be thinking? If you were in that situation, would you have done the same thing or something else?” You can also ask how a character felt during the story and see if they ever felt the same and when. This might be a good time to go over the 5 Ws (and an H!): who, what, where, when, why, and how. 

Now What?

Want to build your child’s confidence? It’s time to share their book report! They can share with their other parent or a sibling or you can even get her their toys to act as an audience while they share. My favorite thing is to call grandma and grandpa or Aunt Shell (you know her as Miss Michelle, our favorite children’s librarian) and ask them if they would like to hear K share. If your family is anything like mine, they will be enthusiastic and love being involved.

Even though you homeschool, you can still do some school-like activities. Try buying a poster board at the dollar store or craft store and adding the pictures they drew and anything else they may have made. Help them to find clothes to dress up as a character, or as “the author” so they feel special when they retell the story. Take a video of them so they can see themself.

You could also take the book and create a unit study around it. Talking about the character’s feeling or how your child would feel in a similar situation is a great way to include SEL. You can add in math, science, or history as applicable. “Why do you think his ‘big important wheels got stuck’ in the mud? Do you think the ‘big, green toad’ could’ve pushed Little Blue Truck and the dump truck on his own? How would the story have changed if it was ‘Little Green Truck’ or ‘Little Purple Truck’? Which farm animal is your favorite and why?” Silly questions are always worth including for young kids – if you can make them laugh, you’re doing it right!

What’s Your Experience with Gentle Book Reports?

I think the most important thing to remember is that these kids are young so things won’t go perfectly. Kindergarten book reports don’t need to be boring or stressful. Anytime your child chooses to share about a book or you request them to and they try or succeed in sharing, be sure to celebrate with them!

Now that you understand the idea of gentle book reports, I’d love to hear about your experience. Have you tried any of these ideas with your little learners? How do you encourage conversation around books in your homeschool?

What’s your favorite way to teach science to your kids?