To think reading to pre school aged dc isn’t that important

[TeenLifeMum]

I was led to believe that reading was the most important thing (I love reading and my job involves writing in different styles for different audiences so I’m not anti reading). Dd1 would sit for hours looking at books. Dd2 would only engage in a book it it had pop ups or something tactile. As she got a bit older we tried introducing reading before bed and she wasn’t interested. By age 8 she saw reading as a punishment.

She’s currently predicted a 9 at gcse. Dd1 (the one who reads at every opportunity) is predicted an 8.

I’m not saying don’t read to dc but I’m saying, to anyone with young dc struggling to be the perfect mum… chill. Love them, have fun with them and let them be them.

100% agree

YANBU.

Your dds is doing great and you did right not forcing the issue and letting her chose what she is interested in. You don't have to justify yourself. It's clear that you are a loving, intelligent, educated and involved mum, which is giving your dc the best possible start.

I 100% agree that forcing books on someone who isn't too bothered creates a negative experience. We are also lucky to live in an era where you can get information by other means.

It's always a good call to worry less about the little difficulties they have.

You and your dds are doing great OP, well done!

I can't agree with this. I think the vast majority of children get some value out of being read to.

It won't necessarily mean they will go on to be professional novelists or even novel readers and it won't automatically correlate with GCSE/A'level results. But that doesn't mean there isn't a benefit.

It's not just about the material read, it's about the ritual, the time spent together talking, demonstrating an enjoyment of books. Some children will enjoy it more than others but I don't think its ever a waste of time.

I think it is important, but probably not solely responsible for how well they’ll read at 16.

both mine liked being read to, but dd1 was very quick to pick up reading on primary and got a very high score at SATs. By y11 English lit was her weakest subject and she really didn’t enjoy it.
dd2 liked being read to but hated reading in primary. I don’t think she finished a book at all until she was probably about 11. Then at secondary she developed a love of reading and has been selected to join an advanced group where they work at A level level.

I read to them both the same as small kids. But isn’t reading to little kids more about language development, concentration skills, enjoying a quiet activity together etc than actually making them good reeders?

*readers

The posters saying is statistically insignificant are right but that doesn't matter as statistics don't usually tell the full story that's why any decent researchers will collect both numeric and qualitative data to analyse. What the OP says can be helpful and useful food for thought to some parents. Not all kids fit into the same mould. She has done right by her dc by being responsive and showing an interest in her dc. Generally the mother's level of education is a good predictor for success. Oh and keep them away from highly addictive games and programmes. Don't get a tablet, you'll mess up their eye sight and attention span.

Reading TO a child is not the same as making the child read to you though.
by sharing books with children from a very young age, it encourages all sorts of skills, not least spending quality time with someone they love - ie a parent. Listening to stories is how children internalise the skill of story writing, expands language, develops their imaginations and so much more.

This is extremely poor advice and goes against all research. Also confused as the title says thinking that reading ‘to’ a pre-schooler isn’t important, but then you go on to talk about not forcing children to read. These are two different things.

Absolutely read to pre school children- the impact is huge. Continue to read to them through school. If they really aren’t keen on reading themselves, they will benefit from someone reading aloud to them.

My youngest son would grab the book and sit on it when he was about 3. Then he found one book he loved and it had to be read over and over. Just that one.
He learnt to read quickly and fluently but still wasn't interested in books.
Now late 20s, very good career. He owns just 5 books. I love reading and so does his sister. Other siblings can take or leave it. All different I suppose.

Yes but I'd guess your child is from a well off and well educated family, has inherited her parents intelligence, was spoken to and engaged with a lot as a child and has had a huge amount of opportunities that a child from a deprived back ground with poorly educated parents might not.

Apart from speaking to your child as much as possible and keeping them safe fed and happy I don't think there is much that has more value than reading to a child and listening to them read.

To be frank, GCSEs don’t require much reading. A child can get a 9 through being quick, a good memoriser, and able to apply what they’ve been taught by their teacher. Reading skills come into their own when they start needing to do it for their own research - so A Level (depending on subject) and degree level.

@WonderingWanda do you have a link to that research please, it's perfect for a project I'm working on?

It's so important, for one to one time, to get them to wind down for sleep. Picking their own books to read and making up their own stories might have helped and definitely helps children's attention. I have a very active child, books are a useful tool.

It opens up areas of the brain that help them study, etc. GCSEs might have been fine but what about when they have to read out of choice in college and uni where it's not required but a choice to be in education? Many find that change difficult.

@TheBitchOfTheVicar

Here you go. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you can download the report. It's really interesting.

https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poorer-children%E2%80%99s-educational-attainment-how-important-are-attitudes-and-behaviour

But you can read TO them

Storytelling is the magic of life and how we really are on the inside of us....at deepest level. All we learn is through words. My paternal grandma told me a story about a magic book with very old, almost burned edges which survived a fire few generations down the line and she has it hidden in her house. She would say that each story she is telling me and fairy tale comes from this book. This created in me a life long journey of hungering to read, write, create and use my imagination which helped me on so many levels .....you decide

Reading to preschool and school aged children is essential for language development and the development of comprehension skills. It’s one of the foundations of learning. Good vocabulary development is based on a wide exposure to different genres, with children also learning to understand the rhythms and structures of language.

The new govt reading paper is out today and this is a key tenet, with an emphasis on story telling and reading to children in school as well as at home. They need the foundations to take off and you will be nurturing their love of stories, facts and language by reading to them.

A sound vocabulary is a good predictor of academic success too.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-reading-framework-teaching-the-foundations-of-literacy

I read to my son from when he was a baby and we read every single night (he's nearly 6). He loves it and I hope he continues to read when he's older

I recently read something that had the average amount of words a preschooler knew if they weren't read to at all, were read one book a day, two books a day, up to give books a day. The difference in the amount of words was amazing.

My 4 year old has been read to daily since birth. We have been told he has a great vocabulary for his age.

My 10 year old we still read to now. He enjoys it and so do we.

I don't think it's all about making them
Intelligent or good at reading although I'm sure it helps. Reading to a child opens up new worlds in their imagination, gives them a place to escape to. Teaches them about new topics and emotions. Makes them
See things from different peoples perspective. In my opinion it's essential!!

I just read books with my three and the youngest just wasn’t interested. He is now earning a huge amount as a a graduate and his vocabulary is eye watering! I am well educated but I genuinely have to google some of his words!!

I read to all 3 of mine,as did their Dad.
The thing that I really think improves and inspires is seeing a parent reading.
Mine get told to leave me alone.. need to finish this chapter.
Don't worry they are all old enough to cope. But it's been in their lives. Mum reads. And enjoys it.

Possibly the most ill informed OP I’ve ever read on here. Actually finding it hard to believe this isn’t some GF having a laugh 🙄

Both my parents read to me when I was v little. My grandfather,a man who worked physical jobs am his life, used to make up stories for us. My dad, who wasn't that interested in parenting on the whole, went through a phase of bringing home books after work for us. Kids' books- Wombkes or thomas t tank etc.
My gran used to go to the library with a bag full of books.
My dad used to turn the telly off to read- which meant we couldn't watch the telly either.
Mum used to read anything and everything.

We grew up in a culture of reading and talking about books- even just a 'ey, this book is bloody brilliant' or 'they're making a film out of x'.

I read to mine, or made up stories, for as long as we could all tolerate it for. Even when all I wanted to do was sit silently, in the dark, or i knew all my work was waiting for me. I sang quite often too. They remember bits, but mainly sitting all together in the big bed, with a book.

I had 1 reader and one not so. Currently neither reads, but their vocab, writing style and general knowledge is good and maybe they'll come back to it. They see me reading and going to the library. Dh occasionally. But I think a world of instant gratification makes it harder to develop the stamina to read. Think I was 35 before I gave myself permission NOT to finish a book.

Agree with a pp who says you can get by at gcse even as a non reader. But you can tell the difference at A level.

Don't often post on here but this has made me really angry. The most important thing that you can do for your child's education (assuming a stable, loving home) is to read to your child and to have them read to you. It's so basic. The more your child reads the cleverer they are likely to be. The more words they are exposed to the better their vocab.

Why wouldn't you read? Why wouldn't you want to widen your child's options? Probably because you just can't be arsed to read to them.