To be worried about the number of 6 year olds reading Harry Potter?

[mydogeatsnutstoo]

My dd is 6, nearly 7. I think she is quite a bright child, she is creative and outgoing and quite athletic. Her school reports always suggest she is doing well.

However, I have been worried that she has not taken to reading as I thought she would - I was one of these precocious and avid readers as a child and she is just not! ( and not for want of opportunity, loads of books in house, taken to library a lit etc). She is on level 2b reading book which I think is about right for year 2 but definitely not Harry Potter level! Getting her to read in itself can be a trial, although she has spurts of interest and improvement though would not sit down and read a book herself very often.

I am trying not to push her but will be v disappointed if she doesn't like reading! Please tell me that there are other bright 6 year olds at this stage not reading The Hobbit (as my friend's daughter apparently has!) and that they can suddenly just 'get it' a bit later!

I have a very precocious reader. She read the whole of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by herself, when she was 5 - and understood it. She is now 7 (has a reading age of 13 apparently) and read the first four Harry Potter books over the summer holidays and has been badgering me to let her read the next ones. I'm not convinced that she will have actually understood all of book 4 as there are a lot more adult themes emerging at that point. She still enjoyed reading it though. She hasn't yet read The Hobbit

My middle daughter (6) is also an excellent reader but is not addicted to it in the same way that my eldest is. She is perfectly capable of reading harder chapter books in terms of reading skill but I don't think her comprehension is at the same level so, whilst she could probably read the first Harry Potter book, she really wouldn't understand a lot of what's going on! She reads books like The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog and some of the shorter Jaqueline Wilson books (ie books with very little substance to them) but her favourite books to read are Charlie and Lola books or pregnancy and labour books from the library!! The latter lead to some interesting conversations!!!!

My son (4) has just started showing an interest in reading - finally! - and so I've been starting him on simple phonics and sight words. By the time he starts school he ought to be reading some of the easier ORT books I expect. He has always loved books and being read to but was always very reluctant to learn his alphabet and sounds etc so I was going to leave him until he started school (didn't want to scare him off reading!) but he's now decided that he can do it.

Both my girls were also writing very well (relatively speaking) by age 4 but my son, whilst he loves to colour and scribble, is unlikely to be writing by the time he starts school as he just doesn't want to and I'm not going to force it on him!

I think there are a number of children who like the prestige of reading a book that's aimed at a higher age than they are but I suspect that a lot of the 6 year olds who have supposedly read Harry Potter, The Hobbit, etc., may have done so without actually understanding the story very much. I don't think Harry Potter appears on the recommended reading list until Year 5, IIRC, so I shouldn't worry if your 6, 7 or 8 year old isn't reading it until they reach that age!

I've always saved HP for Y3 at least - why give them it at 6, get them hooked and then have to deny them the later books which contain themes that aren't suitable for 6 yo's.

OP, please don't worry.

My DD is 6 and in Year 2 and has a reading age 3 years above her age. Yet she doesn't actually read at all at home. She just seems to 'get it' when she reads at school.

We are reading HP to her and currently 'The Children of Green Knowe' (thanks to the 'Xmas Books' thread on here ). We insist on reading to her every night. She asks lots of questions when we're reading to her to confirm her understanding of the book and her comprehension is excellent.

I do fear that we've put her off reading though because she started reading before she started school so we are definitely not pushing it now. I love reading so I totally get how you feel, but they will find it in their own time.

The first 2 Harry Potter books are quite thin and my dc's managed them well at aged 7. The sheer size of some of the later books would have put them off at that age though!

Vlad I have an Ancient Greek lover too, although we haven't explode Homer yet (just the myths). My DC loves the Beasts of Olympus series which is v. funny and can be read independently.

For my older DS he found it a leap to go from simple chapter books with pictures (Horrid Henry, Flat Stanley that sort of thing) to proper chapter books. It wasn't that he wasn't able to read or comprehend them it was more a mental barrier from young child to older child book.

I do admit that I thought I needed to push him a bit to get over that hurdle but in the end (as hindsight has shown me) he got there himself. It was year 3 and were were away travelling and he had bugger all else to read, so HP it was! At 16 he is an avid reader.

My younger son (6) is probably a less able reader, but will happily sit and "read" books that I'm not sure he fully understands. Often they'll be books we've read together (Roald Dahl, that sort of thing) so I imagine he knows the story well enough to enjoy it. School seems to be much more keen to push, push, push rather than let them coast and comprehend and enjoy a book that might be too easy for them.
I believe he's one of the more able readers in his class (yr 2) but am pretty sure he'd only gain from reading HP because he's seen the film and knows the story.

explored Homer, obvs, not explode!!

DOn't fret.

My oldest hated reading (also dyslexic) and was still on Horrid Henry in year 5/6

My youngest was reading all the Harry Potters by year 3.

The oldest now reads regularly, and has discovered books he likes.

The youngest has read so much, that he now feels there are no books left for him. He finds the teen books not nice, and "too old" for him, and he finds there is nothing left for him now, age 10, until he'll be older. He is losing his love of reading.

Just let them read at their own pace, there is nothing to be gained from reading HP at as-young-as-possible an age, other than one-upmanship over those who still read Horrid henry

Op, a couple of other suggestions for your dd: Lauren child's Clarice Bean and Ruby Redfort series, and Chris Riddell's Otteline and Goth Girl Books (awesome illustrations). More contemporary, Chris Riddell is certainly also a beautifully written book. My oldest dd has just turned 9. A very good and early reader, desperate to read Harry Potter (actually watch, but I said she needed to read the book first). She got the first 4 Easter this year and the next two for her birthday last week. She will read and re-read constantly.

I cannot at all get dd2 into reading. She is able, but has AsD and is very demand avoidant. I really wish she'd 'discover' reading perhaps to help calm her.

I still have dd5 and dd3. Dd5 is not a very able reader like her sisters (yr1) so I will start reading rainbow faries etc to her. I detest rainbow fairies, but they need to read what they like, especially when they just start reading independantly!

OP, I was an avid reader as a child and still am, and I share your disappointment. My DC (age 6, 8 and 10) are all bright and good readers, but nowhere near as keen as I would like them to be! Also my DD age 8 prefers Horrid Henry and Tom Gates to my old favourites!

I just have to face the fact that this is who they are. I encourage them to read, obviously, but I don't bang on about it as I don't want to put them off. My DH isn't much of a reader so I blame his genes

BG

For your youngest, from a magazine article about 'finding appropriate books for precocious readers':

"The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
For any fans of Doctor Who, this is a chance to read the adventures of the original time traveller.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
One of the master sleuth's most notorious cases - a gripping tale of detection set in the wilds of Dartmoor.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The original, classic ghost story that's since been brought to life by the likes of the Muppets and Bill Murray.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A timeless tale of adventure that will build pupils' reading stamina.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
This extraordinarily strange tale is filled with inventive word play and humour.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
A multi-award-winning trilogy that mixes fantasy, parallel worlds and weighty themes.

Hitler's Angel by William Osborne
For readers looking for high-octane thrills, this high-concept World War II-set story creates a blockbuster tale.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
A thrilling historical adventure from a masterful storyteller for confident readers with a taste for tales of the past.

Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge
The debut novel from an inspirational author; the polished craft of Hardinge's prose will enrich every reader's vocabulary

The Last Wild by Piers Torday
This first book in an award-winning trilogy is a real page-turner and a must-read for any fans of dystopias or readers concerned about environmental issues."

Hope this might help. Also recommended was The Underland Chronicles, a series for younger readers that Suzanne Collins wrote before she penned The Hunger Games, or Phoenix by S.F. Said, an epic space adventure about a boy who's searching for his father.

My son (4) has just started showing an interest in reading - finally!

That made me laugh!

I would add Philip Reeve's latest, 'Railhead', which is not too 'teen-ish' and thoroughly gripping.

My daughter is a very good reader but she is 8 and I have not given her Harry Potter to read although she is getting it for Xmas. I read in school with children and none of them are reading it,

My kids are considered quite bright by their schools.
At age 6 I was reading chapter books to them, not getting them to read them themselves, then gradually working up to taking turns with them. You can encourage a love of books by it initially being a bit of quiet 1 to 1 time with mum or dad, maybe stopping to chat about the story line here and there. Arguably that way they'll also get more from it than perhaps speed reading independently.
My 10 and 8 year olds are currently very keen readers, the teenager though is now lost to snapchat et al...hopefully she will get back to it one day.

You get so much more from Harry Potter when you can understand the inferences rather than the literal, there is no rush!

WhatToDoSue thanks for the Cello Wars link. It was amazing. DS is home sick from school and is now begging me to find more

As for the OP's question, I don't know many 6-yr-olds actually reading HP or challenging chapter books. DS is in the top group for reading. He may have told school he was reading HP but actually he means we are reading it at bedtime so I'm the one doing the reading he is doing the cuddling and listening

Unbidden and unaccompanied, he reads books about superheroes, Horrid Henry and whatever project topic they are currently studying at school.

My Ds (8) has always enjoyed reading yet. He really does not like long books and I can't imagine him ever wanting to read harry potter..Simply the thickness of the book. He can read complex books.. It really doesn't matter what they read at that age anything she wants to read if it is comics, Books from the library.

OP my DS2 was reading at an average level for his age when he was 6 but he didn't really 'get' or enjoy reading. It suddenly clicked in the couple of months before he became 7. When he started back at school after the summer holidays he jumped two reading levels, and 4 months later jumped two more. He suddenly understood reading and really began to enjoy it.

He now devours books, and it is a joy to me as I love reading. His DB who is 12 is not a big reader unfortunately, however, having a younger brother who now has a similar reading age to him has spurred him on to read a bit more.

I guess my long winded point is that there is certainly time for the love of reading to come.

Dc1 is G&T. Now at secondary he is still at the top of his English class. He reads much more complex oils than most of his friends, I cl adults books.
He was NOT reading HP at 6yo! Actually he wasn't really reading by himself at that age and didn't read for pleasure until he was about 8~9yo and he could read stuff he doing interesting (or there was a big gap between his ability in reading add his understanding/interests).

I really really wouldnt worry about it

My dd1 is an avid reader and didn't read Harry Potter until she was 10/11.

I have a prolific 6 year old reader. She reads at least a book a night ,but I would even think about giving her Hp just yet. They will get much more from the books if you just leave it a few years I think.

She's reading Roal Dahls autobiography at the moment ( schools choice not mine) and despite her having a very advanced vocabulary the language is advanced. In the first page alone there are words like seared ( seared onto my brain) autobiography, prosperous, consciousness, dislocated and lapse.

Yes she can read the words but often hasn't encountered them and they need explaining. Has she gone off and read it alone, she would just read them not understood fully. Better she reads books that she can understand and enjoy.

Don't worry about the race to read, the love of reading is the crucial bit.

When I was that age I loved Dick King-Smith's animal stories like The Fox Busters, The Mouse Butcher, The Sheep Pig, Martin's Mice. And Noah's Brother and The Queen's Nose. Pretty much anything by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, the "classics". CS Lewis. And when I got a bit older I enjoyed non-fiction a lot, books about animals or mysteries or the supernatural.

I have a precocious reader. So I'm envying you your sporty, creative child and worrying about those things and whether she has any friends.I think they do what they do. They're individuals and grow in their own directions. I think the best we can do is shape they way they grow by providing guidance and encouragement and opportunities. But trying to force it is counter-productive.

^ this. What a great post.

It is hard when your DD is so different to you, and society values certain attributes - such as precocious reading. But the post above is so true, and what we are for as parents. We just need reminding of that at times. I do, anyway.

Isn't this a bit like comparing when baby A rolls over for the first time to when baby B does it?? I've beaten myself up over this, but I now intend to beat myself up less over who does what when. I'm an average person with average kids. That's ok.