Reading for pleasure, when?

[IsabelleRinging]

Do your 7 year olds read on their own for pleasure without having a timetabled reading slot?
My dd is 7 (just) and in y3 at school. She is a capable reader, and when asked to read she will and appears to enjoy it, she is not on the reading scheme anymore so is choosing her own books, and she is able to read them well. However, she doesn't read for her own enjoyment of her own accord (not regularly anyway) and if I don't tell her it's time to read she won't bother!
At the beginning of the half term week I helped her choose a suitable book form her bookshelf (her choice) and she read the first chapter to me. I told her that I wanted her to finish the book by the end of the week, so she left it next to her bed, but it's the end of the week now and the book hasn't been touched since, despite her having time when she wakes in the morning, before bed and time to play in her room.
Just wondered what everyone elses kids are like with reading and if they start to read more as they get older, or if she isn't interested now is it a sign she never will be?
By the way, she has access to any books she fancies from the library, home school and bookshops!

[mrz]

What does she do when she goes to bed before she goes to sleep?

[sittinginthesun]

Hhm, both mine read for pleasure - I have two boys, aged 8 and 5. They both read in bed. I just put them to bed half an hour before I turn the light out, and leave them to it. The youngest liked to look at the pictures, then went through a Where's Wally phase, but has recently started reading his school scheme books.

Maybe it depends in the child?

[simpson]

My DS (also yr3) does not really read for pleasure very much...

He has just finished Charlotte's Web and it was only because I "timetabled" time to read it that we did iyswim.

But as usually what happens maybe 2 thirds of the way in the book, then he gets into it more and will read more by himself to see what happens next...but it is an effort to get him to this stage...

OTOH DD who is in reception literally eats books and will not go to bed without a book that she can read to herself (this is despite her reading 4 books to me this eve)...

[IsabelleRinging]

mrz At bed time I usually read to her (sometimes we read a page each) and then sometimes she reads some of her reading book, some to me and some on her own, but I get the feeling she only likes to read at bedtime if she thinks it allows her to delay going to sleep and turning her light off for a little longer.

[mrz]

I wouldn't worry you are sharing books and perhaps she just enjoys that as a special time with you.

[RedZombie]

About halfway through y3, DT1 discovered Horrible Histories and read the Tudors book from start to finish in two days. I almost wept.
I dont think either of mine would choose I read over watching TV/iPod/DS but they both enjoy half hour reading time before bed enough for me to threaten to withdraw it as a punishment for not getting ready for bed quickly enough.

[Whyamihere]

My dd was very much the same, I read to her every night and she didn't often read by herself but this summer we did the library reading challenge and she read through her six books eagerly, she's eight and will now sometimes read to herself but it very much depends on the book, she has to really like it so I'm always looking for new ones that I think may interest her, she prefers real people (as opposed to fairies etc), but they seem in short supply as the bookshops seem endlessly stocked with fairy books.

[Acinonyx]

Dd is also 7 year 3. Until the start of this term, she was reading a lot, mainly at bedtime. She chose her books from library/charity shops and they tended to be on the fairy/princess/mermaid/ballerina themes. When she started school, she was encouraged to choose books from the class bookshelf and branch away from her usual choices. The result is - that in the last month she has completely stopped reading by choice and now only reads her schoolbook when I set a reading slot.

In fact it has got worse in the last week, now she doesn't want to choose a book from class at all - and she deliberately left the last one in class over the holiday. She draws at bedtime instead.

I understand that they want her to vary her reading (she did read those horrible histories as well). I'm wondering if I should talk to her teacher about it but not sure what we should do about it exactly.

As for reading as a delaying tactic at bedtime - I don't care! Time well spent AFAIC. After a certain time we go and turn down the light.

[IsabelleRinging]

Yes, the only books I have not been able to get her to put down were the Ottoline ones, she loved them, but there are only 3 and I haven't been able to find anything since that has truly grabbed her!

[treadonthecracks]

My DD, also 7 yr 3, is another fairy book fan.

At our recent parents evening her teacher asked us to steer her away from these "fluffy" books as the writing style shows though in her stories.

We came home and had a look through our bookcase, we came up with Famous five, and so far she is loving them.

She reads before bed, until lights out at 8 (8.30 if not a school day), and will sometimes curl up with a book on the sofa if we are having a quiet day. She will read in the morning if she wakes up early. DH and I are both readers and she is used to seeing us with a book.

[mrz]

My son has always read for pleasure (usually non fiction when he was younger) my daughter rarely chose to read for pleasure when she was younger but as a teenager discovered a love of biographies

[IsabelleRinging]

Oh well, I don't feel all is lost then as she does read sometimes without me asking her to, maybe she just needs find her own interests a bit more before she will really love it.

[steppemum]

my ds decided to read to himself when he was in year 3. About half way through the year, he finally started to pick up books for pleasure. It was helped by him moving into his own room and being allowed to read for 10 minutes before bed. He now is a real bookworm and hates not having a book on the go.

dd has just started year 3, she will pick up a book for pleasure, but isn't into it yet in the way ds is. She would read at night but still shares with her sister so bedtime reading is difficult.

I think y3 is the year when the start to take off.
BTW my dd hates all the fairy, princess, magic unicorn books. She prefers Horrid Henry, and I have to say I think some of the 'boys' books are more exciting to read.

ds hates all school books and really sticks to an author he likes till he has read them all (started with enid blyton, so it took him a while!) When he needs to find a new author he hates it, and he loves reading a book and then discovering there are more to the set. He is into Animal Ark at the moment (older ones not the Little Animal Ark) very nice series about 2 vets and their family

[maizieD]

Reading for pleasure is not obligatory.

[Floralnomad]

My DCs have both always been capable readers . My DS did not start reading for pleasure until he was 18 and my DD only started at 12 , she's now 13 and probably reads too much as she is no longer in full time education and reads for much of the day.

[redskyatnight]

My DS didn't start reading for pleasure until about half way through Y3. The breakthrough in his case was that he was moved down a level on the reading scheme (having moved schools) and reading became less of a chore. He also enjoyed reading his sister's (2 years younger) books! I do find he chooses books well within his comfort zone for reading for pleasure - which in retrospect makes sense that easy reading is more enjoyable than "having to work at it" reading.

DD has been reading for pleasure since she discovered Rainbow Fairy books at 5. But she now (aged 6!) reads anything she can get her hands on - actually she is more widely read than DS. Definitely a case of different children getting different things out of reading.

[mrz]

I think any parent with a love of books hopes their child will also share that love

[GooseyLoosey]

She sounds quite like my dd (8). ds (9) reads all the time (think walking into lamp post when reading) and I just imagined that dd would be the same. She just doesn't seem to derive the same pleasure out of it that I did and that ds does. Don't think there is anything I can do about this though. I keep hoping that if I present her with enough variety, eventually she will find something she is hooked on. We did have brief success with Rainbow Faries and got through loads of those, but have yet to find anything else.

[amidaiwish]

DD1 was reading for pleasure since she was a toddler
DD2 (age 7 yr2) never reads for pleasure but is a competent reader.

i did try to encourage it but now leave it, i don't read much for pleasure either and am still a great reader!

[learnandsay]

I guess the main thing is to ensure that the child can read and read well. The rest is a bonus. (Presumably children who read for pleasure get more practice and perhaps have some advantage, have access to a wider vocabulary and other things. But presumably those are the results of being a bookworm.) They're probably not necessary per-se.

[maizieD]

I think any parent with a love of books hopes their child will also share that love

I agree, mrz, but I think that it has to be seen in perspective. Forcing books down the throat of a child who doesn't find recreational reading pleasurable isn't going to change its mind! As a parent one can have all sorts of 'hopes' for one's child but parental hopes can't over-ride a child's individuality.

You can give a child the skill of reading, and try to encourage them to get the same pleasure from it that you do but, ultimately, it is up to the child what they do with the skill. Do we sometimes forget that reading encompasses much more than just being a pleasant pastime?

[seeker]

I have a theory. I think that for many children it takes much longer for the actual activity of reading to become automatic and not hard work than we think. I think a child can be a very competent reader, but for the process to still feel like work for ages.

That's why reading aloud to them is so important, even after they can read. And why them seeing people ( particularly men, for boys) reading for pleasure is so important.

[mrz]

I agree maizieD sometimes you have to let your children discover their own pleasures in life (and just hope they share some of yours) but you can't dictate when or if it will happen.

[overmydeadbody]

I agree with maisie

HAving said that, I have to prise books out of my DS's hands to get him to do anything else. He speed reads books, reads all the time, even when we're walking around town.

[Prarieflower]

My dd is the same age and year and adores reading,I have to stop her sometimes as I've found her still reading when I go to bed.

She loved Ottoline books too.

I limit screen time so basically when she wakes up and goes to bed there isn't much else to do.Also all her books are very accessible.She has 3 baskets under her bed with all the big books,fairy tale collections,harder picture books etc.Next to her bed is her book shelf with favourite paperbacks,there are a further 2 bookshelves on the landing and in the bedroom next door.Her brothers have their own bookshelves and the non fiction is in the playroom.

I let her decide what to read and she can get up to get more etc.In the morning I find a masseeeeeve pile by her bed,in her bedclothes,on top of her etc.

I buy a lot of stuff I think she'll like from Red House etc or her brothers have passed them on and we go to the library.I will select some I think she'll enjoy and she'll pick some(used to be fairy,puppy,pony,kitten shite but I went along with it).

Basically the fairy,puppy shite got her hooked and she has now moved on.She has also loved Pippi Longstocking,Mrs Pepperpot,Ivy and Bean,Bella Donna,Madame Pampelmousse series,You,Me&Thing books,Polly books,Judy Moody,TumTum&Nutmeg and Jacqueline Wilson.I now say only 2 or 3 fairy/magic kitten books a week so she naturally moves onto the better stuff.My only other rule is 1 book at a time as she was reading several.

Sooo I'd say don't force,provide loads she loves(however shit),sneak in some stuff you think is good,keep them accessible and give her control.As long as she is doing what school want anything extra will come and is an extra bonus imvho.