To wonder if anyone else’s DC is not into reading?

[Notintobooks]

I’ve always been a reader, DH isn’t, but our DS (2 and a half) isn’t hugely interested in books. Every now and again he’ll have one he latches onto but for the most part during the day he won’t sit still for long enough to read. He does read with me as part of the bedtime routine but doesn’t seem very interested and often just kicks the book or messes about!

He's only two years old, it'll come and you just need to chill out.

As they got older I found our boys much preferred non fiction so we would buy magazine subscriptions instead. They also preferred the children’s nonfiction section of the library.

I was going to make all sorts of helpful suggestions about finding a genre he likes but FFS! He's TWO! No two year-old is READING anyway. Don't make him sit looking at the pictures in books if he'd rather be doing something else.

I’m quite chilled … I’m asking a question! 😅

No one is making him do anything 🤷🏻‍♀️

This place is mad.

Ds1 loved books and being read to from 8 months old. Always had to force him to read when older, even age 9. Age 11 he suddenly discovered his love for it and will now read for hours.

DS2 - never interested in books as a baby/toddler. Didnt even want to be read to. Started to enjoy being read to age 6. Now 9 and loves being read to (but max 15 minutes) but hates reading.

Basically just relax! DS1 got into reading through non fiction books (dinosaurs, science,....). He now adores fiction.

DS2 likes joke books and amazing fact books. But not large non fiction books and certainly not fiction books!

Try poetry, especially nonsense verse like Edward Lear, Hilaire Belloc and Spike Milligan. My youngest wasn't much of a story lover, but his loved what he called his 'funny bits' at bedtime 🤭

Just to be clear here - I am relaxed about it and I’m not posting because I’m angry or upset or anything. It’s just a question I wondered about in the sort of idle, curious way you do sometimes. Or I do but this is MN and asking a question is clearly the sign of an enraged woman.

He sounds about right for his age - assuming he can't read yet? I don't know any two year olds who can read. Might be able to recognise their own name at this stage, but actually reading? Wouldn't have thought so.

So books aren't going to be of much interest at this point.

Listening to stories as part of the bedtime routine is enough at his age.

A toddler enjoying lift the flap or feely books isn’t an indicator of a future reader anyway.

He might like high interest board books such as tactile, pop up, lift up the flap, noisy books. Books with a hand puppet popping out.
You can also make books using a laminator or laminating pouches ( can iron to seal with paper over) with patterns, photos of animals, trains, family photos etc.

We did the whole Harry potter series as audible audio over the school run

My point is that even 'non readers' can get into book nowadays.

Dh and I are both solicitors, So read a lot, for work and relaxing and when growing up.

Both dcs (late teens) never voluntarily picked up a book.

Keep doing what your doing, provide a variety of reading material and see what happens.

ds has always loved having stories read to him, he hated reading for ages but in year 3 something clicked for him. He doesn’t read fiction by choice at 13 but loves non fiction and always has something on the go.

OP I think I understand what you mean. It’s not a worry or concern or anything as such just a genuine wonder if there’s anything to get him more interested in books or if he will ever like reading or always be a bit uninterested.

I have a 3.5 year old and a 1.5 year old and when my oldest was around your child’s age he seemed really unbothered by books as well. Didn’t pay attention much, played around a bit as I read to him etc. But now he loves his bedtime books. Gets 3 every night that he chooses and he always chooses different ones (except when he’s going through a phase and I think please don’t bring out Oi Frog again!).

I loved reading when I was a child/teenager, not sure if either of my sons will or not, but I definitely think at this stage it’s so hard to tell however give it time, you might find in a few months to a year he is a lot more attentive when you read to him.

i get you. there’s so much emphasis on the important of reading and a lot of it implies that kids will sit still long enough to read anything. I’d persevere mostly because it helps with their language skills etc, but wouldn’t fuss if they won’t sit for it. I read to them anyway because I enjoy it, my first loves it but my second is only now coming around. Different strokes eh!

Dd1 loves reading. She’s read 5 books in the last 7 days (on hols) dd2 can’t be arsed, has very little attention span but is taking English at A level, we’ve explained how much reading she’ll need to do!

None of my dc are into reading yet both my dh and I are. The house is full of books and we've tried everything since they were small to get them to love it like we do. We've been more relaxed About it in recent years and dc11 has started to show a bit more of an interest. The other 2 couldn't care less.... It really does show in their English at school too. But I can't force it.

At 2.5, if they hold a book, they are not 'reading'. They are just imitating reading. My dcs did that but they were not true readers.

When dcs are older, they have smart phones and consume a lot of written text that way. It is not a book but it is what this digital native generation of children do. I presume you think you are going to restrict your dcs' use of smart phones when older. Good luck with that.

My children loved being read to until about 12. They also read a little but found it hard and not fun.

My eldest and his friends were all cheering after their english lit gcse as they would never have to read a book again. Some actually burned their set texts..

I have 4DC and all are bookworms. Dc3 took a little longer, and we eventually got them hooked via Dogman.

I also believe that exposure to screen time has an impact. (Dons hard hat)

Mine got into it more just at bedtimes - so they are now 10 and 9 and we've said they can read as long as they want after bedtime. No screens or devices in their rooms. They consume books like air after bedtime

Can't get them to read for pleasure during the day though.

But yours does enough!!

Mine liked rhyming books like Tales of Acorn Wood (Julia Donaldson). Lift the flap books from Usborne. Jonny Lambert. And enough rotation...

Oh and I sing lots of children's songs. For fun and language development.

My 9 year old never reads for pleasure but she's autistic and years above her reading age 🤷‍♀️.
Her teachers always comment on how she can read absolutely anything with amazing comprehension and tone but never picks up a book through choice.