Do bedtime stories still work?

My DD is 12 and I still read to her every night! One of the best parts of my day. We've read so many super books together. We did all the Harry potters when she was younger. The wild robot series is also really good.

DH also reads to her (we take bedtime in turns) and he picks totally different books to me so she gets a good variety.

It helps that I'm a voracious reader so it's just part and parcel of daily life in our house.

Totally agree.

Absolutely. I read my 3 year old 4 x short books before she snuggles down for the night and the duration that takes, my husband is reading the 6 year old something Roald Dahl, Harry Potter, Julia Donaldson, Tom Fletcher etc. It's everyday routine and they wouldn't be happy or settled if we didn't do it.

12 is definitely too late. Give him a book to read himself.

8 might still enjoy it for a bit.

I read to my DCs from the time they were babies until they were about 11 or 12 when it just sort of fizzled out. As they got older it was a really nice time to chat to them.

As long as your child enjoys what your are reading there is no right or wrong. Perhaps let them choose some books in the library.

I'd vote for Harry Potter or Mr Gum books. It's better if you do different voices for different characters. I stopped reading to the kids when they started reading for themselves and didn't want me to read to them any more. I do remember a holiday when I was a child and an uncle read a group of us kids Swallows and Amazons every evening. I loved that.

If you want to get them develop a love of books maybe get some books that have been made into films then have a project of reading the book together - either you read to them or you all read the same book at the same time (like a book club) and then when finished watch the film together to compare and decide which version was best.
You can get books cheap from websites like World of Books so you can easily get 3 copies of the same book.

On he other side of this my eldest hated being read to, we did a bedtime story from newborn, Dad would give him a bottle so I could pump and then sleep and he would read him a story and as soon as he was old enough to object he did. Then he had the attention span of a gnat but particularly hated books. We persevered and tried. Eventually got him a yoto player and he would tolerate yoto stories or music while one of us cuddled him at bedtime. He only started enjoying being read to once he learnt to read, which was just before turning 7 and turns out he's dyslexic and was confused by the whole affair, literally distressed by words on a page. It gives me so much joy reading him roald dahla and Enid blyton and Terry Pratchett and him genuinely enjoying the stories and the time.

My youngest has devoured books since birth. Adores being read to. A trip to water stones and then a cafe is her favourite day out. She can read and write a little at 4 and still at nursery

They are all different and some kids genuinely hate being read to, wouldn't have believed that before.

What kind of genres do they like? My 11 year old has loved Cressida Cowell (how to train your dragon series, the wizards of once series, which way to the future series), Harry Potter, northern lights, fire born, skandar, impossible creatures. They are all fantasy though.

Im honestly so surprised! I dont get how people put kids to bed without it 🤣 like what else do people do? Pjs on right in bed goodnight? Maybe that’s why my bedtimes always take so long. 🤣

I love reading to my 11 year old - he is dyslexic and can listen to much more advanced books than he would read himself. We are working our way through Tolkien and Phillip Pullman. We both look forward to it and it’s a lovely way to connect at the end of the day.

Of course! My now 4 and 2 year olds have had a story with milk before bed since being a few weeks old. They love it and regularly read/ask me to read to them in the day too. Setting an example to love reading was very important to both me and my husband.

It does make me sad how many households don’t have a routine which includes a bedtime story, or too often any sort of story time. It’s such a simple but effective way to spend some quality time with your child.

I've had mixed experiences with bedtime reading for my two - they've each gone through phases where they've found it too overstimulating rather than calming, and we've switched to audiobooks or singing/music for a while.

Now my 5 year old tells me to go away after a goodnight cuddle so he can read his book by himself, so it can't have done much harm 🤣 We've always read to them at other times though, even when bedtime hasn't been the right time for them, so this is probably the main thing.

Wait have you not read to them since babies? Do it!! So important.

Mine has no patience for being read to.
She’s six.
I loved reading as a kid and would have loved to be read to. I used to get books on tape out of the library.
My dd will only listen for a couple of minutes then asks me to stop.
She likes you to make up stories instead then she keeps changing the details til she’s basically telling the stories.
She can read but says she hates it.
I had picture books and started reading them to her when she was a baby.
It’s another thing about parenting that just hasn’t happened for us, along with nice, peaceful bath times.

I remember when DD1 was “too old” for bedtime stories but I was still reading to her little sister. Dd1 would sort of loiter by the door of my bedroom where we were reading. Then slowly edge towards the bed, then end up cuddled up with us, just enjoying the whole experience. Ahhh I miss those days.

Absolutely. Mine can both read books themselves now but still ask for a bedtime story.
Anything really.

Surely there's a little time between work and bedtime? Like homework time? After or before dinner? It's not a long task

More evidence that mumsnet exists in a whole other galaxy!

I was going to say YABU, but see you're a late starter.Well, nothing beats a trial but a failure, so go for it.

It doesn't need to be just at bedtime either. My daughter's school encouraged DEAR (drop everything and read) time, where parents read to children for an hour, or you all sit and read individual books.

Find out what types of books/stories they enjoy reading/listening to at school for guidance.

After school? Weekends?