What is year 2 child - age 6/7 - reading? Or you to them?

[MrsPear]

Our old primary was non pressured and as long as you read something at least your reading type.

New primary pressured and all about levels. Anyway I mentioned that ds year 2 asked for gruffalo for his bedtime story and the look I got from the head and his teacher. I felt embarrassed tbh So what should I be reading to him?! And should I just cull all his books ? Is there a list somewhere ?!

@ZogorElmer In my experience being able to read before starting school makes no difference to reading ability in the long run. The most important thing is to foster enjoyment which is done through sharing great stories and children seeing their role models reading. No need for blending cvc words before school.

My ds is in year 2 and it's all about beast quest! He absolutely loves reading them! Also likes diary of a wimpy kid. He reads his school reader to me every night, but reads these books independently.

Personally I think age 6 is the perfect age to still enjoy simple pictures books, AND to just start listening to you read more lengthy novels.

My DD is an August born year 2, so only just 6. She has been way behind academically in school but her reading made huge leaps over the summer. She is just now at the stage where she can start to read the more simple chapter books herself, and I usually encourage her to read a page or 2 of one of those. Currently it is The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark. She is more than capable of reading the words but her attention span will only stretch to one page a night. We've also done this with the Daisy books by Kes Gray, which I'd recommend as they have a big font print.

Then I read her a picture book, and then a chapter of a longer book for me to read to her. Currently it is the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton. With my older kids I've done exactly the same, and we started with me readint Enid Blyton Magic Faraway tree and Road Dahl. I've only added the chapter books in very close to their 6th birthday. All picture books before that and still continued with them. Mine have all preferred picture books until 7, and I think that are aimed at up to 7 year olds too.

Last World Book Day at our school, another parent spoke to me and asked what my DD was reading. The school had announced a Harry Potter dress up theme, and this parent had commented that Harry Potter seemed a bit young for the infants. Apparently the head teacher replied that her child was reading it at 5, and it's the perfect age . I think this is quite a was attitude. Why rush them? They get so much more out of books when they are close to the protagonist in age. My 6 year old would be terrified of Harry Potter.

zogor my year 3 child got greater depth in reading in year 2 sats last year, he is a very strong reader and we didn’t do anything with him at home before school except read to him. He couldn’t read or blend before he started school but knew letter sounds from nursery. They all get there in the end though, as adults most of us can read to a similar level! 2 is way to young to expect blending

PP asking when strong readers started reading. DS1 could spell his name when he started school but that was it. He hit free readers at the end of Y1. There’s a small group of them in his school (3 classes per year) who are (he tells me). I don’t think it’s spectacular...he’s just got a good memory, decent pattern recognition and loves books. I was the same and wasn’t unusual in my (admittedly university town) school.

Yes Dd2 year two free reader almost from the beginning of year one chooses to read the orchard fairy magic books. I'm not keen but she loves reading them, I do try to suggest other things often. She has mixed them in with Roald Dhal, some Enid Blyton, Story tree house series. But as long as she's reading that's all that's important I'm sure she will find another series soon.

I'm currently reading the first Harry potter to both dd's which they are really enjoying.

My P3 child is a good reader but not into fiction at all so instead of transitioning to chapter books he reads a mixture of non-fiction (the sort with lots of paragraphs mixed in with photos/pictures) and age appropriate graphic novels.

Oh and he's been reading basically fluently since just before turning 5 but is a terrible speller - he recognises the shape of whole words instead of reading phonetically. My 4 year old doesn't read much at all yet bar recognising a few letters and numbers but I think his style of learning will make things easier for him in the long run.

(Just realised it doesn't make sense to say DS isn't into fiction when he likes graphic novels! I mean he's not into chapter book fiction, though he did read one of those 13 Storey books, and a Minecraft one)

I still read the picture books to my 8.5 year old ds, keep doing that if that's what your dc want. The time sitting cuddled up is special, the story familiar and comforting and they're still learning. My youngest is is much better at expression when reading than his older brother who whizzes through everything quickly.

In terms of what I read to mine at y2 age, we did Roald Dahl (hate reading that aloud!) Narnia (slight edit to language by me!) Owl afraid of dark and other animal stories by Jill Tomlinson, worst witch series, a series of early starter chapter books from the book people that I or they read to each other, Harry Potter.

My boys also have a couple of series of books based around star wars as novels which they enjoyed and beast quest, wimpy kid, how to train dragon.

Ds2 was classed as a “fluent reader” at age 6 so he could read what ever he wanted instead of the school reading books, and even now at 9 years old, he still (secretly) loves The Gruffalo and Zog

Back then he was also reading Beast Quest, Boy vs Beast, Zac Power, Roald Dahl, The treehouse series (13 storey, 26, 39 etc) Diary of a Wimpy kid, Geronimo Stilton, the first 3 Harry Potter (me reading to him)

I'd be very disappointed at any teacher who looked askance or made comment about what stories your child chooses to have read to them.... it's not all about constant learning.

I only read the traditional Thomas the tank engine stories and all the beatrix potter books and so.e famous fives to my children because of the fond memories I had of my dad (now dead) reading them to me I even took my little brothers first postman pat stories back from mums to read to my children because I remember dad reading them to him and I was a teenager then!

Keep doing what your dc want because in many decades time this will be the foundations of what he does with his children and grandchildren. I have found memories now of how much mine loved the gruffalo, I used to know that book by heart we read so often

@crosser62 that sounds just like my nephew, especially the same word being a challenge just a few words later. He turned out to be dyslexic. Maybe ask the school for an assessment?

DC 6 reads all kinds of books including baby books when he reads to our baby. Picture books, factual books about machines, chip kipper and biff books for school and more wordy books such as Tom gates, horrid Henry and famous five.

I'd let your dc read whatever they enjoy, reading is supposed to be fun.

Read what they love. My 7yo will listen happily to the gruffalo or Harry Potter.

Thank you everyone for your kind responses.

I will not cull his books promise!

Although I have had a google for dinosaur (his big interest) chapter books - I’ve picked up some dinosaur cove and astronaurs ones. He did like dinosaur diary over the summer - he even read the majority himself and could explain it which isn’t bad for a band blue reader!

I’m also looking for some more non fiction.

I feel so much better.

Glad you feel better The Book Trust also have a great website, including a Book Finder:

www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookfinder/

Topy and Tim and the mister men are often found in DS's bed with Harry Potter. Reading is reading!

When DS was that age, he was independently reading The 13 storey treehouse series, Dirty Bertie .. that sort of thing.

DD has just started yr 3 and is a very strong reader -during the summer term of yr 2 she got into Harry Potter and read the first 5 books by herself. However she also loves reading much shorter / easier books; mainly the Rainbow Magic fairy books and anything else about horses / unicorns / animals.

They should read whatever they enjoy 🙂