What age did your child independently pick up a book and sit to read?

[gogettum]

My dd is just turned 7...she won't read unless it's bedtime and I'm with her. All (well not all but most) of her friends and cousins etc will all sit and read for entertainment and it's freaking me out that she won't do it. We gave books around the house, there's a great selection (although there could be more I suppose!) PLEASE tell me she's not the only one!? Or is this some normal step/milestone that she is just not "doing"?!!

As a teacher it does make me really sad that so many of the kids I teach 'hate' reading or are indifferent about it and don't read for pleasure. The one thing I found is that generally the kids who read for pleasure come from households where parents read for pleasure.
Have you tried her on audiobooks? Audible has loads of free ones for children at the moment

If she's doing great academically, and also your DH is a non-fiction type, and she does lots of other stuff then she's almost certainly absolutely fine, reading just isn't her thing.

Trying to make her read more is likely to be counterproductive.

DDs primary school had a 'reading challenge', badges for so many books read (initially they only allowed fiction) - it turned reading from any sort of pleasure into a chore. In year 6, the teacher behind this ran a quiz where they'd answer questions on 5 specific books. DD read 4 of them - but properly, understanding and absorbing the content - and won it. The teacher was quite pissed off.

Please don’t worry about it because each child is different. When my DD was young she wouldn’t touch a book, apart from her school reading book, and then when she was about 14 she suddenly got interested in books.

She is now 27 and has just finished reading her 8th book since we were first locked down!!

My kids have picked up and sat looking at books, turning the pages etc from toddler age. But I'm an avid reader as is their Dad and they had very limited screen time. (Less than 3 hrs a week).

My s/kids have owned multiple devices since toddlerdom and their parents aren't avid readers. They have only just now ( from ages 8, 11) started to choose to sit and read. I believe that it was caused by a lack of internet combined with screen time restrictions across both homes that led to ('I'm bored' ) being willing to give books a go.

A lot of it boils down to exposure.

I only have the one so can't really compare but mine picked up books from the time she could pick things up I suppose and made up her own stories to the pictures, first just babbling rubbish to herself. She's eleven now and loves reading. She especially loves reading out loud to anyone who will listen, if there isn't a person around she reads to her teddies! . She also wants to be an author when she grows up.

But all kids are different, some like reading, some don't, don't stress. Some grow to love it, some never do. Encourage her as best you can but don't make it into a chore otherwise she will always hate it. Maybe get her to have a look on Amazon, or a book shop website and let her choose something to read. If she has chosen it herself it might help...

My ds loved fact books, maybe she would like to try them first? The Ripley’s believe it or not books, Guinness book of world records and 1001 facts for kids type of thing. It took ages before he would read a fiction book but he loves reading now. I wouldn’t worry about it at all as long as she is reading her school books but she might enjoy those books mentioned above

@Ciwirocks they would be too hard for her to read independently and she would get frustrated but something a long that line yes, maybe?

It doesn’t always follow that children who love reading come from homes where ‘reading’ is the norm. My DH & I are a great readers, always had a quality newspaper delivered every morning & read it thoroughly, always had books on the go, regularly went to the library, always had a bedtime story etc etc but our DS has never been much of a reader, went through a stage as a 7/8 year old of buying sets of books but I think that was more for the fun of ‘collecting’.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him happily sit and read a book, somehow got his English GCSEs (modest grades) but now 19 & at Uni .

Carry on reading at bedtime.
Mine would never read for pleasure in the day. In fact, they probably wouldn’t have read at night either but I kept trying, encouraging and insisting.
They still won’t ever think to read in the day but happily read before bed now. My teen has been staying up til the early hours reading horror.

I think my ds liked the way he could read a random fact and there was no expectation to read the whole thing from front to back, he was still reading though so that’s a good thing I think.

Mine were 8 and 10 when they really started reading for fun. Basically when they were able to read books that properly interested them.

Until then we read to them and they could keep their light on longer if they read in bed (not monkey around with nerf guns). Also in the school holidays they read for half an hour after lunch.

Mine all loved fact books too. At that age, they loved the Usborne lift the flap books
www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13&sprefix=usborne+lift+&rh=n%3A266239&k=usborne+lift+the+flap+books&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Your post made me think about what DD likes to read... does she like fairies or animals? The Rainbow Magic books were a favourite as were Holly Webb animal stories. Maybe give us some things your daughter likes and we can come up with some suggestions!

OP, 4 children here, all readers.

She is very young at 7 and you say she's not very confident...well then it's work for her....start reading one or two pages a day for confidence....with lots of praise.

My focus was ALWAYS....didn't care what they were reading as long as long as they were reading.

One of my children is exceptionally bright and he reread Captain Underpants at that age.....and would only read comic books until about 10.....I didn't worry ......I was just glad he had a book in his hand.

The focus should be completely that they hold a book in their hand.. that's how the habit is formed.

When she is that young i would focus on books that are just below her ability to give her a feeling of confidence and relaxation.

Reading is fundamentally about pleasure.
They have to enjoy it for it to have any chance to become a habit.

Google the best books for her age, the funniest, the absolute best sets that are rated. Book depository will deliver even during this crisis.

While you are waiting for the books to arrive get practicing.

When my eldest had just turned 8 his reading was poor and slow. We began the summer holidays and he read everyday out loud for about 10 minutes. By the end of the holidays, his reading was transformed and I bought lots of fun reads that he was well able for and enjoyed. He's an adult now and loves fiction...he associates reading with relaxation.

Focus on improving confidence.
Get the best of fun reads for her age. The set Amelia is a good one I think. Children love reading about bratty children!

Both of mine (2 and 5 years old) picked up books and recited the story from memory, or looked at the pictures from being young toddlers.

We visit the library, have kids books in all rooms around the house, and read during the daytime and at bedtime, so I think they just see it as part of their toys/play.

Now the 5 year old can read since starting school she sometimes reads books to herself and to family over facetime etc.

She has also recently got into comics and makes the stories up from the pictures so that may be something to try? They both also like the "look and find" type books (a bit like variations on Where's Wally) which may spark an interest.

I never read in the daytime in front of them, other than on my phone, so wouldn't worry about that.

@Randomselection she would like those but again she is not at that stage yet really! If the book is too long or there is too many words that she needs help with she gets put off and thinks "she can't read" 😭

20 months old.

He would sit there and turn the page on his own. Telling us what animals he can see.

DS was reading at 3 and obsessed with books at that age. He’s 7 now and will read magazines and factual books that interest him.
DD is 4 loves books and stories but she can’t read yet so she just makes up her own little stories which is really cute.

Ds1 6yr asks us to read to him and enjoys bedtime stories a lot. He can read but prefers it when others read to him. He enjoys audiobook a lot lately (he maybe copying dh).

Ds2 is 3 and he don’t like it when people try to read to him. He prefers to read it himself and has a lot of times picked up a book and recited books from memory. Or make up his own story. He can’t read yet but has pretended to read a lot.

@gogettum Have you had a look at them? They are actually really easy to read. There are different levels of them... Especially the animal ones. Or what does she like? If she likes princesses, have a look at the Princess Poppy books, they are also quite simple words and if I remember correctly they have pictures in them too so not as daunting as just words.

Or how about any of the Julia Donaldson books? They all rhyme so it's much easier to read as they almost read themselves with the anticipation on the end of the line (if that makes sense ). Giraffes Can't Dance is my absolute fave! But the Snail and the Whale and A Squash and a Squeeze and oooh, The Smartest Giant in Town. Brilliant, still love them!!

My eldest around 3/4, she was one of those strange children that taught themselves how to read. My 6 year old son has only really got into reading now after years of painful phonics, he has in the last few weeks started reading short books unprompted and on his own.

DS is just 2 and will sit with a book and point out what he can see, he will sit for about 30 minutes independently.

@RandomSelection yes she has one of the fairy books (the one that has her name 🤣) and she won't go there at all!! She likes the Julia Donaldson books and can read them and has read them to me and dh but won't sit and read to herself. I think maybe she is just "not there" yet and maybe reading is just not her thing...yet if at all.

I can't say I was ever sorry that DD never read any rainbow fairies book or their ilk.

@gogettum Ah, yes, my daughter loved the one with her name on too! . Ah well, as I said in my original post, some love reading, some don't, she may well grow into it. Just keep the books around and let her read to you as much as you can bear! Mine used to read to me whilst I was preparing dinner, or ironing or (boo hoo) whilst I was trying to have a relaxing bath and read my own book. She thought she was doing a nice thing reading to me whilst I "relaxed", bless!!