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Original poster

What age did you stop reading aloud at night to your dc?

74 replies

Southerngal5 · 07/02/2022 21:18

My dc are 10 & 8 & I still read aloud to them for around 30 mins a night, they get an hour of reading time then before lights out. Just wondering what age people generally stop?

OP posts:
AnneLovesGilbert · 07/02/2022 21:20

About 10 when they started reading to themselves and asked to be left to it for a few minutes. There was a cross over where we read something aloud and they then read something else after, usually facts rather than stories.

ABCeasyasdohrayme · 07/02/2022 21:21

At about 8 or 9 they would read to me, then at about 10 they just read to themselves for 30 mins before they go to sleep.

Siezethefish · 07/02/2022 21:23

13 -still going strong…

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autumnboys · 07/02/2022 21:23

I still read to DS12 at bedtime. He likes stories and is dyslexic.

Fuckaduck21 · 07/02/2022 21:24

DS is 10 and still likes to be read to before bed. I think it's more the spending time together without any distractions that he likes, rather than "needing" to he read to. Occasionally he will continue reading on his own for about half an hour before lights ou.t

MarineBlue33 · 07/02/2022 21:25

Stealth brag or what.
No i don't read to 9 yo.
6 yo a bit here and there

specialsauce · 07/02/2022 21:25

My 12 year old son still sometimes like me to read to him so if he asks I do it as one day he'll stop asking and that will be a sad day. He's quite cool in front of his mates and plays a lot of football - he'd die if his friends knew I read winnie the pooh to him last week! He's such a sweetie

EishetChayil · 07/02/2022 21:26

Ohgod I don't want to stop, ever!

Drywhitefruitycidergin · 07/02/2022 21:27

Still reading at nearly 11 although I now read separately to 11 year old & 7 year old.
I imagine when she goes to high school she won't want me to anymore but for now we both love it!

Thesearmsofmine · 07/02/2022 21:27

My eldest is 11 and I still read to him(and his siblings). He actually bought a book with his own money for us to all read together because he thought we would all find it funny.

ABCeasyasdohrayme · 07/02/2022 21:27

@MarineBlue33

Stealth brag or what. No i don't read to 9 yo. 6 yo a bit here and there
🤣 how is reading a bedtime story a stealth brag?
KittensTeaAndCake · 07/02/2022 21:28

@MarineBlue33

Stealth brag or what. No i don't read to 9 yo. 6 yo a bit here and there

Huh?

I stopped when my kids were about 11/12 I think. They're all older teens now, I miss those days 😭

Seeline · 07/02/2022 21:28

Not every night, but both mine still liked it until they were about 12. It was a lovely end to the day, snuggled up on the bed with them.

Yika · 07/02/2022 21:29

I read to my 11 year old. We read classics which she would not have the vocabulary or stamina to do alone, for example we’ve been reading Arthur Ransome and Jules Verne books with her recently which are lovely but long and heavy. I’m going to carry on as long as she lets me :)

feliciabirthgiver · 07/02/2022 21:30

Sometimes I read, sometimes DD reads but a lot of the time she falls asleep listening to Audible, it's a great resource for bedtimes, travelling and on rainy weekends where we download a book and snuggle up and listen together.

gogohm · 07/02/2022 21:31

Until 14&12

PhantomErik · 07/02/2022 21:32

DD13 very occasionally. She reads every night to herself but will sometimes ask me to read to her. I always do if asked.

DS11 every night. He also reads to himself every night as he loves it.

DS9 every night. He hates reading but loves stories.

DramaAlpaca · 07/02/2022 21:33

Around 12, I think.

Wazzzzzuuuuuuup · 07/02/2022 21:33

About 10 for the youngest. Maybe 11 for the other two. The youngest was an accomplished reader of chapter books and I had been on story duty for around 15 years by then so was glad to drop it. I miss it now, and despite being read to every night of their lives, none of my three are really readers

KimDeals · 07/02/2022 21:36

Rarely now the 8 year old likes to get stuck into a novel by herself. I sometimes read a chapter out loud but it’s not a regular thing.

The younger, 8, reading is done with me getting him to read…

ViceLikeBlip · 07/02/2022 21:38

There is zero chance that my 8yo would let me read him a bedtime story! He does quite often hover when I'm reading to his little brother though 😉

HerRoyalHappiness · 07/02/2022 21:41

I still read to my 6 and 8 year olds. The 13 year old stopped wanting to be read to at about 10

Nc123 · 07/02/2022 21:41

I haven’t yet. My younger ones are 9 and 7 but the 9yo is a bit dyslexic so prefers to be read to.

Stompythedinosaur · 07/02/2022 21:44

I read to my 10 and 9yo dds. I won't stop until they ask. They both also read to themselves (I so read for 20 mins then they read to themselves for 20 mins). I really enjoy our time together, especially now we can read decent chapter books. I find bedtime is when they talk to me most.

I was happy to see on this thread that other people still read to similar age dc. I don't want to stop yet, bit I also don't want to embarrass them. I guess one day they will ask me to stop? I think until then I will keep going.

Like a pp, we read books that they might not have the stamina for, or which require a bit of explanation to make sense because of the era they were written.