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"?!!

7 is definitely too young to label her as "not a reader" - I would also recommend getting a comic subscription, mine have loved The Phoenix and Beano/Dandy.

3 years for magazine of their choice

9 (i.e. now). Though only short ones. She still much prefers me to read to her.

Dd1 about 5, she’s been a reader from the days he could read.

Dd2, still waiting! Well, not really. I guess around 8, though she’s never been an avid reader and rarely finishes a book.

They’re now 12 and 15. Dd2 however is strangely, the better creative writer of the two. Work that one out.

My son started to do it for enjoyment at 6.5 but he’s been able to read for a year before that. He doesn’t read a lot but we’ve found a few books he likes lately, plus his reading level has taken off a bit recently plus boredom. Daughter learnt to read v young so has been reading to herself since then really, 3 or 4. She was a terrible sleeper so I’d leave books in her bed to give me some peace!

My 9 year old boy has loved books since before he was one. My 7 year old girl still wont read for pleasure and isn't even really bothered without a bedtime story although we always force the issue! She does really well at school though.

I don't think it's anything you've done, I don't think it's anything you need to worry about. One of my friends with older children once told me that it's about finding their niche, her daughter turned out to be a fantasy fan and once she read her first fantasy novel she was hooked.

Persevere, don't give up, I firmly believe there is a genre for everyone and reading is for everyone

I think having nothing to do except read makes a big difference - have you tried audio book or book at bedtime, no other options?

The DC will often choose a book over a screen now, but only because they’re in the habit of reading. I, on the other hand, need to get back into the habit!

What set my son off with reading was Dogman and Captain Underpants books as they’re comic strip style. Also me reading gripping chapter stories and him wanting to know what would happen so being allowed to read on in bed after I’d said goodnight.

Mumsnet children are all very advanced readers compared to what I know of friends and family children so true

My eldest 2 would sit and read as soon as they could actually read iyswim. My youngest has a vision problem that makes reading a lot more effort so not really a relaxing activity. Lots of books in the house and both parents read for pleasure.

At 3.5.

My children are quite different; I’d say DS first did this, you know like an adult might with a chapter book, around Y1 (he is a huge bookworm and has loved them since he was tiny) and DD in Y3, but latter I don’t think did it particularly in earnest - it was more a demonstration of “Check me out for being so intellectual.” It’s the only time she’s ever done it anyway.

In terms of picking up a book and looking at it, DS would have done that pretty early.

Eldest was nine, which is when she became a fluent reader. Before that it was just too much effort.

Youngest is 13 and doesn't really pick up books, but she can't really read yet so that's unsurprising. She has recently become more interested in listening to me read and listening to audiobooks, so she does seem to be heading in that direction. I somewhat doubt she will ever be a huge reader as she has a very short attention span, but you never know.

I was one of those annoying little precocious brats, and could read properly before I went to school. This was a combination of a teacher mother, and an obsession with books, which exists 40 years on!
So, I was 3.5/4 when I was reading easy books. I was 6/7 when I was reading books the primary school borrowed from the local high school. I’m still shit with numbers though!

My sister was completely different, despite us both being ‘encouraged’ by our mum. She hated reading, unless it was fact-based. She is a science whizz though.

So essentially, what I’m trying to say, is all kids are different. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. They will do it when they’re ready.

I was one of those annoying little precocious brats, and could read properly before I went to school. This was a combination of a teacher mother, and an obsession with books, which exists 40 years on!

Me too. Annoyingly DD 1 was an even faster than me. At 4 she could read upside down, and mirror writing just as well as 'the right way up'. 5 years later she had an Asperger's diagnosis.

Eldest could not read at all until he was 8, hated it up until then but since he learned he always has a book in his hand and loves reading.
Youngest child was 5 when he was able to read proper books by himself, he also reads daily and enjoys it but not to the same extent as his brother.

1. My eldest son is 8.5 and will pick up a book and read with the same enthusiasm he holds for his Nintendo or kicking about a football.

My other son is 6 and reads far and above his grade level, but he’d much rather dance, draw or bake. Maybe he’s still too young, but he was never much into books, whereas my eldest was obsessed, even as a baby.

About 4/5 with my eldest, she loves to read.

I've read from a very young age my brother never read a book in his life that school didn't make him read. But my DS who will be 2 next month can't read but will pick up a book and babble his own little story

I didn't start reading until I was about 13 or 14. My older siblings were very in to reading from a very young age. I tried to be like them but just couldn't "get it". Don't get me wrong, I was very good at reading for school etc. but just did not have "it" to sit and read a book myself.

Then all of a sudden, when I was 13 or 14, everything just clicked. And I took off! I'm in my late 20's now, and I love reading!! Probably read more than anyone else I know (except my siblings, whom still read a lot as well ).

The best thing to do is try to relax about it, OP. I know it's easier said than done and I was exactly the same as you when mine were younger.

Children pick up on parents' anxieties so if they feel a pressure to read when they're not ready, it can turn into a source of stress for them which might put them off further. So as long as DD has the basics down and access to reading material, I'd back off and wait for her to get curious.

Some children aren't voracious readers and the that's ok too. As long as you know it's not an issue with her eyes, I'd just leave her to it. One of mine has always been a big reader, another learned to read really quickly but couldn't sustain attention and has only started actually enjoying while books as a teen, and the third hates reading (has LD and other interests)..

Once lockdown is over, one of the most magical things at that age (or any age!) is browsing in Waterstones and choosing something special, so that might be a nice treat for later.

DD1 started doing it at 8. She will get a book and sit and read for 30min or so. We got her a kids kindle and she loves reading the books on it. She didn’t use to do that with her kindle fire tablet. She goes through books quickly and without the library, we got her the kindle so she has new books to read.

DD5 has just started doing this.

About 6?
She will get through a YA novel in a day.
But yes, screens have invaded her time, she's an avid gamer and consumer of streamed TV.

My nearly 4 yo is starting to learn to read and seems much more able to memorise words than get phonics. She’s memorised a lot of books and just sits there ‘reading’ to herself at night. She has always been happy to sit with a book. I remember being really worried about her starting nursery at 13m as she just wanted lots of books during the day and I didn’t think she’d get that 1:1 time. She’d happily sit for an hour cycling through lots of different ones. In contrast my 13m old likes a bedtime story and will flick through a book during the day but doesn’t have the same love of them. There is no way she’d sit down for an hour like the eldest one.

I’m interested in the nature/nurture aspect. I was reading before school as a summer baby and I think my daughter would get on better with the old methods of reading. Eg she’s taught herself to some words like dragon but getting her to do the sounds of something simple like ‘sat’ is painful.