How often do your primary age kids read to you? Honestly?

[Awcw1234]

Have two primary aged DC. They are both average readers. Unfortunately, I really struggle to get them to read to me at home. We are supposed to read with them at least 3-4 times per week but I struggle to get mine to read to me once!

Only about 3 times a week and it’s a chore for her. She reads to her self at least once a day and hates having to read aloud as it’s a slower pace to reading to herself. She doesn’t even like us reading to her anymore for the same reason.

Oh and she just reads her own books not school books, no worries from school. I hate the idea of reading becoming homework - it really should be about building a love of reading & most school books will not do that (past a certain age at least!)

Interested to know if there are definitely benefits to kids reading aloud to adults if they are already reading widely independently? We read to our kids every night and then they read their own books until lights out - but we gave up with getting them to read school books to us pretty early (they are now 8 and 6).

Every day, but she's in reception so the books are very short.

Well that’s fine then! Just put their own books in the reading record. DS felt the same (and also used to be allowed to choose all kinds of random inappropriate books - he kept coming home with reception m-level books without words in Y2 when he was meant to be on lime band 🙄). We just used to put library books in the record instead, school we’re happy with that.

We read together every night and they read to us about 4 days a week - 3 times with school book which is tedious and then another book at the weekend.

7 days a week here but dd is really behind so have to really

We read every night before bed and have incorporated it into our bedtime routine. I guess the only advice is keep trying with them!

We read school books every morning for half an hour (15 min x 2DD) and then in the evening at bedtime they also read to me, then I read to them, then they choose a poem each to read to me. Woe betide if I want to miss any of it!

Most nights for 6 year old because she wants to. 10 year old stopped a while back and 8 year old has learning difficulties so he can't really do it and we have audible instead.

Daily. Private school insists on it.

personally I’m not sure it is the right approach. So sometimes I read bits to her or we play games with her books, like can she find a particular word on a particular page

Mine reads to me every day, but she prefers the books we have at home to those the school give her. Those she is a bit reluctant to read.

Probably 4-5 but dd likes to read so will often instigate it at bed time. Sounds like your going your best, it's hard fitting it all in sometimes 🤯

Everyday. We get to school 10 mins early and my daughter reads to me in the car.

I think DS(10) was 8 when he last read aloud to us. I don’t see the point given that he’s a good reader.

We’ll carry on reading to him every night for as long as he wants.

My 5 YO reads to one of us every morning before school, and has a story or two before bed. He's quite a good little reader for his age and loves it.

My 10 YO never, she reads to herself and we'll sit and read our own books in the evening together sometimes. I absolutely love reading and am a book worm.

4 nights a week - Monday to Thursday, but they enjoy it and it's never been a battleground. If it was, then it would be less.

The time they spend at home after school should be calm, purposeful and a time to re-connect with each other after a day apart. That is far more beneficial than getting the reading done.

Annoyingly things that have proven to be beneficial to children after school are a consistent and calm bed time routine, a family meal shared together (even more so if a male is at the table according to one study and sharing a story together- it can be solely the parent reading. For the most part, homework gets in the way of this!

Also I agree with other posters, just let them read what they want and write it in their record books ok. Boring books can kill reading for pleasure.

While we still had story before bed they'd take turns reading, and if they had a book brought home I'd listen to them read that. We had a little book to write down what pages they read that they brought back to the school daily. So I'd say about 4-5/6 days a week. Of course once competent they didn't need me to listen. They had books every week from school to read.

Literally never. I'm an avid reader and I want them to come to it in their own time and love it, not treat it like a chore.

DD1 was slightly ahead of average, found a few series of books she adored and now reads well ahead of her age and expectations.

DD2 is slightly ahead of where she's expected to be and I'm sure will come on leaps and bounds as and when she finds something that captures her

They're 11 and 8.

We read every week night, sometimes at weekends too. But they read what they wanted to, not just the reading scheme books. And by the time they were 7 they were free reading by themselves. They were voracious readers though and didn't need encouragement. All other homework was a battle in primary and after trying for a couple of years we realized that making a fight out of it was pointless. So we just concentrated on keeping them engaged in learning and encouraging their curiosity. They're teens now and knuckle down when they need to.

We struggled to read their schoolbooks with them as, let's face it, the content of reading scheme books is appallingly dull and threatened to turn them off reading. I don't think we managed to read the reading scheme book 3 times a week for more than half a school year in total with each child (though maybe we did and I've blocked it from my mind - it was a painful chore).

But, we did read with the kids, (other, more interesting and engaging books) regularly and enthusiastically, and told the school what we were doing, which they were fine with. We did a lot of reading to them, getting them to point out a word I'd read in the last sentence, getting them to sound out a few words, or read a line, or a paragraph, a page, a chapter (as they progressed). We also shared audiobooks and watched documentaries together - being able to pause and discuss what they've seen and/or heard encouraged verbal comprehension, which I guess may have helped with their reading comprehension. Regardless, they both got turned on to enjoying stories and knowledge.

Both kids only really developed a love for independent reading once they were able to enjoy longer, more interesting books (things like Kay's Anatomy, Monster Doctor). The more reluctant one got reading for pleasure during Yr3, going through things like Captain Underpants books, The Monster Doctor series, Dog Man, Investigators, Asterix, Level Up books, The Danger Gang, and The Last Dragon Chronicles (the last took a while). They both read in their rooms before going to sleep, and whenever they feel like it throughout the day.

Other things which I think help their enjoyment of reading are that they have library cards and online accounts with the library, so can research things they'd like to read next, place reservations, then go to the library together after school (independently) and exchange their books, so reading is tied in with their developing independence. The also see the adults in their life reading for pleasure.

My year three reads to me three times a week, but reads to himself all the time. Year six loves reading but rarely reads to me. I am lucky that my kids love reading and we did a lot more reading aloud when they were younger.

now, if you ask whether we actually practice times tables every day like we should - no way!

5 year old 5-6 times a week.

8 year old reads to herself every day but I do get her to read a bit to us two or three times a week just to help with expression/comprehension and to make sure she knows how to pronounce stuff as I grew up reading to myself and mispronounce a lot of words!

I read with my 6yo every night at bedtime. Sometimes she reads the whole book herself if it's short, but mostly we share the reading. But she doesn't read books independently yet really.