Do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of hosting eight extra people for dinner? Me too. But you can show hospitality without serving dinner. Consider demonstrating Christian hospitality where you simply invite others to join you in something you’re already doing. Perhaps you invite a new neighbor to walk with you one morning. Maybe you invite a family to join you for you weekly trip to the park. 

In our house, we’re already reading and discussing books, so I chose to show hospitality this summer with a Homeschool Kids Book Club. My eight year old son actually asked me to write about our most recent book club because he had so much fun he wanted kids all over the world to experience it.

Here’s how to host a homeschool kids book club. We started with an evite pictured above. (Side note: we didn’t get to do water balloons as we had planned because praise God it rained, ending a LONG streak of 100+ degree days.) Because we’re homeschoolers we fully expect older and younger siblings to attend our book club, and I believe a great picture book gives the whole family something to enjoy and discuss. And Jonas Hanway’s Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella is a fantastic picture book biography that delighted all of us. 

On the day of the book club, I let the kids play for the first thirty minutes or so because they everyone was so excited to see each other. We served hot tea, juice boxes, cookies (thanks, Mom, for the cookie dough!) and fruit. And then I asked my dear friend, Jillian, to read the book aloud because she does the best British accent of anyone I know.

My three year old and I listening to the story. Here’s the shirt I wore to book club.

After our refreshments and reading I asked a few questions about the book.

1) Did anything surprise you about this book?

2) Could you use an umbrella for years if no one else in your country did?

3) Did this book make you think of any other books? (In the back matter, when we read about Jonas Hanway fighting to protect little children who were chimney sweeps, I thought about Sweep.)

4) What was your favorite word in this book? (Mine was scurrilous.)

Then we analyzed the beautiful illustrations by looking the pages, including the end papers, to see every time the orange cat appeared. There were a few I missed and a child pointed out to me. Next, I showed everyone (mostly the grown ups) the gentleman in the khaki colored trench coat that I think looks like His Royal Highness, Prince Charles. That was it. The kids played loudly while the moms talked.

So that’s one way you can show hospitality without hosting a dinner party. Have you ever shown hospitality by inviting others to join you in something you’re already doing?