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Original poster

What do you think the youngest age is suitable for watching the 1st Harry Potter ?

58 replies

Lardlizard · 07/05/2020 16:37

?

OP posts:
BeingATwatItsABingThing · 07/05/2020 16:39

Depends on the child. My DD keeps asking me if she can read it. She’s 6 and I think she’s too young at the moment. I think she’d find the film scary.

goldeline · 07/05/2020 16:41

My son watched it at 5 and is now, age 6, HP obsessed. We've read the first book and are now reading the second.

teenagetantrums · 07/05/2020 16:42

My kids saw it at Cinema after my son had read book. They were 8and 6 . I had to Google to check year film came out. They loved it and up until the last one we were always in midnight queue for books and films.

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Coronacurls · 07/05/2020 16:43

My DD went to see it in the cinema for her 5th birthday âš¡

Crystal87 · 07/05/2020 16:43

About 8 but depends on the kid. I don't think there's anything really scary in it but they might not really get the storyline.

PeonyTruffle · 07/05/2020 16:43

My 5 (and a half) yr old is completely and utterly obsessed with it, he doesnt like the goblet of fire film very much but the others he is fine with.

I have booked the studio tour for his birthday so crossing my fingers it'll be open then

Grumpbum123 · 07/05/2020 16:44

My 5.5 is obsessed has seen all the films has listened to all the books and had the best day ever at HP studios

PickleSarnie · 07/05/2020 16:48

My youngest read all the books when he was 6 BeingATwatItsABingThing I was a bit reticent tbh but equally it felt weird telling him not to read.

The scary bits seemed to have gone right over his head whilst him managing to understand the rest of the story.

Still won't let him watch the last few films though.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 07/05/2020 16:50

@PickleSarnie

I’m like you. Telling her not to read doesn’t feel right. I absolutely adore everything HP. I’m a complete nerd about it. Maybe I will start reading them with her while she’s asking...

TerrorWig · 07/05/2020 16:50

Mine was 7. Probably would have allowed younger but I don’t like them.

cheeseismydownfall · 07/05/2020 16:52

I think it hugely depends on the child. My nearly 8 year old still finds all HP books and films too scary. His older sister was exactly the same at the same age, but has just (aged nearly 10) got into them and is now enjoying both the books and films. Mine would have been petrified at 5! I breed them soft, clearly!

WindmillsofmyMind · 07/05/2020 16:52

I think mine have watched them ever since they were born. My seven year old read all the books in a year. After she had finished the books I allowed her to watch the rest of the series.

Bumbleb79 · 07/05/2020 17:04

My son is 7 and we have read the first 4 books and watched it after we read. He's really obsessed with it at the moment.

HelenaJustina · 07/05/2020 17:09

My 6yr is currently reading The Order of the Phoenix, she loves them. I honestly think that some of it is going over her head but she is accessing it her level. I have insisted that they read the book before watching the film so we have only watched the first two together so far. I think reading the books or listening to the audio book gives them much more control over the story line and ‘scariness’

Happyspud · 07/05/2020 17:10

My 7 yr old has watched them all after begging for months. He’s handled them perfectly fine. Not scared or anything.

PragmaticWench · 07/05/2020 17:13

DD is seven and could easily cope with reading the books but I just don't think the books/films after the first are suitable at her age. No point reading or watching the first yet if I'm not going to let her read the rest. She's too young for most of the themes.

Brokenchair1 · 07/05/2020 17:15

DD nagged me as her friend had seen it and I relented at age 7.5. I would say a lot of it is over their heads but the first 2-3 age appropriate IMO. Depends on how sensitive the child is too.

GrumpiestOldWoman · 07/05/2020 17:18

Mine was 4/5 for first couple of films, but probably won't get to see the later ones until about 8.

cakebythepound1234 · 07/05/2020 17:21

My 5 yr old DS loved the first 2, but I was really reluctant to let him watch the 3rd one because I thought the dementors might upset him. He wasn't bothered and now constantly runs around the garden with a stick shouting 'expecto patronum' 😂. He asked to watch the 4th one so I said yes but that if he got scared to tell us and we'd turn it off, but again he was totally not bothered. We've watched the 5th film together but I'm not sure about the rest as the Horcrux hunt can be quite jumpy and the death count really ramps up. But so far he loves them, the books are now in the post too.

elQuintoConyo · 07/05/2020 17:39

DS watched them at 6, all of them, one each day of our holiday. He was fine. He has read the first one but has zero interest in reading the others, and isn't bothered about watching the films if they happen to be on TV.

He's now 8 and loves watching Just Add Magic on Prime Grin

I can't say I'm a HP fan, the film's are shite and I have also only read the first, back in 2001 at a book club, we all wanted to see what the fuss was.

Anyhoo I digress!

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 07/05/2020 17:52

DD1 is 8, has read book 1, and a bit of book 2. Has decided she will watch the films when she's read the books (she doesn't like films very much, dislikes the cinema etc)
DD2 is 7, doesn't want to read the books yet. Loves Worst Witch, Isadora Moon, Amelia Fang etc, which are aimed at her age group.

The real danger of introducing thebooks too early is them thinking they are too old for them before they are old enough to fully understand the plot.

HildaSnibbs · 07/05/2020 17:55

My 8yo has read the first three books but I won't let her read the rest and we haven't watched the films yet - she has a big imagination and is easily scared (as am I - a complete wuss and I can't watch any even vaguely scary film Grin) so I do think it totally depends on the child.

BasiliskStare · 07/05/2020 17:59

Films , 5 with parent the early ones are not dreadfully scary - in fact probably earlier than that - the child actors ( who I am not sure about ) make it seem safe

Reading , older

BasiliskStare · 07/05/2020 18:00

Just to say the only really scary bit I thought was the big spider - ( I am arachnophobic )

BasiliskStare · 07/05/2020 18:02

But just to say not early doors - with my son - 4 or 5 would have been fine