At what age did your child start reading for pleasure?

[Fuzzymum1]

I know it varies hugely and there isn't really a 'normal' here but I can't remember when my older boys started curling up with a book by choice.

All of my boys have learned to read quite easily and I remember there were times when both DS1 and DS2 were getting through books quicker than I could keep up with visiting the library! As a family we all love to read.

DS3 has just turned 6 and has been reading lime at school for a while and needs very little help with them, his teacher says his comprehension is good too - working at around 2A I think. He has lots of books with a variety of themes and styles but he's yet to make that move to wanting to read for pleasure. I'm not worried about him, he loves to be read to and loves audio books - he's having a chapter a night of harry potter at the moment and really enjoying it, but I am looking forward to the day he wants to curl up and read on a rainy day. instead of insisting we all play school assembly and sing

[learnandsay]

My four year old loves to read to her sister. But then my one year old loves to read to us. She's just learned to turn the book the right way up but she still says da da da when looking at the pictures and not the words. I'd thinking of booking an appointment with an educational psychologist.

[GrimmaTheNome]

You're right there's no 'normal' - for my DD it wouldn't come under 'primary education', she didn't really start curling up with a book voluntarily till secondary. Whereas there's probably a few precocious G&T who start doing it in preschool!

I rather think my DD was turned off by the primary school's well-meaning 'book challenge' type awards.

[DeWe]

Mine were all early readers for pleasure.
Dd1 was the latest at 5.3yo when she discovered rainbow fairies.
Dd2 discovered rainbow fairies at 4yo and since then has missed many things due to having a nose in a book. Mostly time to put her light out at night.

Ds it's a difficult question. He started reading non-fiction for pleasure from about age 3yo. But in a lot of ways that was easier because it's small snippets, also a certain amount was on the internet-he'd search for a topic he liked and read that. He now (6 in June) does read some fiction for fun, mostly Beast Quest, but not as avidly as the girls, he'd still rather be read to if it's fiction.

I do love going to the library though. I get about an hour of complete peace when they are curl up with their books to read them. (but ds will get non-fiction)

[teta]

My 6 year old wasn't enjoying the school books so we went to the local library.They had lists of various topics/genres for the different age groups.After a bit of trial and error he found out he really liked Beast Quest [he especially likes the collector cards in the back of each book].He is still working his way through them [the story is somewhat formulaic but he is enjoying them].We are also having interesting discussions on the motivations of different beasts and how good and evil can coexist in one.Think about the games/toys /interests that your son has and that will help you find something suitable.Also mumsnet is good for suggestions on different genres [in the childrens reading section].

[mintyneb]

we're not there yet, my DD will be 6 this month

[BeehavingBaby]

7 precisely, Enid Blyton.

[GoingGoingGoth]

Dd probably started around 6, with library books, although she did like the Golden Key(?) books from school. I found it was when she was at a stage to read books that had a proper story.
Now we can't get her to stop!

[simpson]

DD is in reception and has been reading to herself every night since at least the beginning of the school year (could be longer I don't know).

DS (yr3) has always been into non fiction (newspapers, footie books/magazines etc) but has only started reading fiction for pleasure by himself in the last couple of months...

[crappypatty]

Dd1 never really read for pleasure until she was about 15 and started reading my crime thrillers. Dd2 rarely read for pleasure but has stacks of boos that she buys and then never reads, such as Michael Morpugo sets.

Ds is 8 and has been reading for pleasure since about 5. He has Autism so it used to be Enclopedia style books, or whatever his current obsession was, currently he loves his horrible history sets and all the diary of a wimpy kid books.

[redskyatnight]

DD was 6 I think - she was around purple level (i.e. could read with some degree of fluency). Rainbow fairies cemented the love!

DS has always loved being read to, but really didn't start to read for pleasure until half way through year 3 (so 8.5 ish). In his case it was books that span off "interests" (e.g. star wars, batman ...) and then Harry Potter.

[Doyouthinktheysaurus]

Ds2 is 8, it's only really since he turned 8 that he has developed a passion for reading and chooses to do so every evening. Before that he read because he had to, but stopped as soon as he could.

Ds1 has always loved reading and it's hard to get his head out of a book.

All children are different, I wouldn't worry really.

[Primrose123]

DD1 was always a bookworm. When she was a toddler we would get books from the library and then get home and I would read them all to her. She loved it. She read very early herself, and started reading books for pleasure when she was about 5. She won a school reading competition in Year 6. She is 15 and still loves reading.

DD2 always loved to be read to. She read very well in school but when she was younger she preferred looking at factual books. She's never really read for pleasure. This surprised me a bit, especially as DD1 is such a bookworm (and I am too!). She always did well in primary school, she was in the top group for everything, so I didn't worry. She has just started secondary school. They had an English exam at Christmas, and she amazed us by coming top of the whole year in English! Her English teacher can't believe that she doesn't read for pleasure. She reads the set books with no problem, and seems to enjoy them. We have so many books in the house (because of DD1's obsession) and it's a shame that she doesn't read them. I try to encourage her, but don't push it too much. Hopefully, she will start to enjoy reading soon!

I wouldn't worry about your DC. Some children just don't seem to enjoy reading to themselves.

[noramum]

DD is 5.5, Y1 and started reading around mid-January for her own pleasure. She has a break after lunch at the weekend and often listen to a story tape and reads the book as well.

We have a lot of the Usborne Young Reader series, she likes them as they are still slots of pictures compared to the typical chapter books. But as we read these to her at bedtime we know she reads them a bit as well. We now have to start re-checking on her in the evening and reminding her that light has to be out at 8pm during the week.

[issynoko]

Really for pleasure at around 6. Although DD2 is 4 and 'reads' to her baby brother - pleasure in books but can't really read yet.

[MaterFacit]

DD around 5. She hated all the fairy and animal books but loved books with lots of action and adventure.
DS too young yet but loves to sit and look at the pictures in his books just as his sister did at his age.

I was reading for pleasure around four, but my brother didn't take to reading until he was eight and then it was Biggles books, Asterix, Sharpe books and non-fiction that he devoured. Once he found the genres he enjoyed he was away and he reads a great deal now at 28.

[squiddle]

dd reads for pleasure - she has just turned 6. Dss still doesn't - he is 16. Your ds might prefer books with less type - ie the wimpy kid series.

[sittinginthesun]

DS2 is 6 years, happily reads school books (reading level 8 Ginn books at school), but his reading for pleasure basically consists of the Beano.

DS1 read non fiction at the same age, particularly history.

[mrz]

My son was very small (3ish) and my daughter was a teenager

[jalapeno]

My DS1 was just 6, we often go into charity shops and for some reason he picked out a book (either Astrosaurs or Captain Underpants) and he read it, loved it and badgered me for other titles in the series every day after that. Prior to this epiphany he didn't read for pleasure at all. Since it he loved both those series, also Wimpy Kid and currently Beast Quest but won't read other things to try them.

[jalapeno]

Also should say at the time of the epiphany we were on a camping holiday so perhaps he was missing the TV!

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Five going on six

Beast Quest, Horrid Henry etc etc

[EmmaGellerGreen]

Learnandsay, really?

[AMumGoingMad]

Both my 2 have always looked at books for pleasure, even when babies. They got enjoyment out of them even though they couldn't read. I would spend hours reading to them. This love of books has just continued as they started to learn to read and both now read at night before their lights are turned of. They are 6.

[pigsinmud]

Ds1 - 7 (enjoys reading, but never obsessively so like dc2 & 3)
Ds2 - 5 (bookworm through primary, but has lost it now - sob)
Dd1 - 5 (9 now and total bookworm)
Dd2 - still waiting....she's 6.5 at the moment

[Saracen]

Dd1 - 9. Reading was hard work before then. She desperately wanted to read for pleasure but it was just too exhausting to be fun. Now she's 13 and reads loads.

Dd2 - not yet, she's 6.5 and can't read anything yet, let alone for pleasure.