Select a location to hold your reading buddies program. It can be in the classroom, at the library or any place that is quiet and comfortable for reading. Make the environment a place where students want to be. You can use bean bag chairs, a reading table and plenty of lighting to help establish the appropriate environment.
Download free student and teacher materials from the Martha Speaks PBS Parents website. (See Resources.) These materials include awards, curriculum and games and activities that can be used to engage and encourage students. They are in PDF format and free to print.
Establish goals for students. Goals may include reading a specified number of books in a month or giving oral or written book reports. Establishing goals early can help keep students focused when they are participating in the program.
Inform parents about the reading buddy program you've designed by sending a letter home that describes the program and its goals, along with the meeting times and places. Invite parents to participate in the program and encourage them to read with their children at home.
Pair students up. Putting older students with younger students may be an ideal method of pairing students because the older students can help younger readers. Another possible reading buddy partnership is parent/child pairings, or you can allow students to select their own reading buddy.