Reading Slumber Party

The day after a holiday can be ROUGH - when that particular holiday involves a ton of sugar and falls in the middle of the week, it's brutal. Sometimes these are the days when you just have to throw the lesson plan out the window.

One of my favorite activities for these kinds of days is a reading slumber party.  This is not meant to be a planned activity, it is a special excuse to take it easy and snuggle for the afternoon.  I've always done reading slumber parties after nap time - but you can surprise your students any time of the day. 

I love to pretend that the afternoon is going to be business as usual.  Everyone wakes up from nap, we put our things away, and we have snack just like we always do.  After snack I start pulling their blankets and stuffed animals back out. I add any blankets and stuffed friends that we have in the classroom.  By this time the children are pretty confused and want to know what in the world I'm doing.  This is when I tell them that we're having a slumber party.  This usually creates a little excitement - who doesn't love a party?!

The real fun comes when I start pulling out the books.  I get out a ton of books, more books than I would ever put out in the classroom at one time.  They get scattered all over the floor and we spend the rest of the afternoon digging through the pile to find forgotten treasures to read together.  smaller groups form naturally based on who wants to read certain books.  The children share their favorites, and we all enjoy each other while we read. 

I think this is a wonderful way to make reading fun, and it's also a fun memory to share.  Unwinding with some good books after a couple of crazy days can help get everyone back in the right mood help you slow things down just a little.