To read five books to ds every night?

[Howdoyoushop]

This started when they were That’s Not My books and the like but now he’s into Julia Donaldson and so on.

So it is a lot.

OTOH we both enjoy it. So should I try to cut back or keep going?

Unless you’re forcing the kid to listen to stories against its will, eyes propped open by matchsticks then I cannot see how this could possibly be an issue

Have you read any Michael Rosen books? Bear Hunt and Wolfman (amongst many others) were firm favourites at that age

Get a good anthology of children's poetry with lots of classics: nursery rhymes but also ones like AA Milne's poems and The Owl and the Pussycat. It means you can read as many or as few poems as you want at bedtime, and you can also read them again and again so that they learn them off by heart by osmosis. Oh, and poems are great for sometimes picking out words and sounds that are repeated in the text when they start to learn to read.

My son would have ten books if i allowed it. He was a fan of saying 3 books because I’m 3 and of course the books are longer. Now he’s 4 we’re onto 4. 😂
never cut back on the reading.

@hoarahloux 🤣My thoughts exactly.

If it is getting to be an issue, switch to x minutes rather than x books. But if everyone enjoys it, don't worry about it!

I can honestly tell you that I read ' a wash and a wheeze' so many times to DD1 that I still remember every word and she is now 22! It was her favourite book from when she was less than 18 months. DD2 (now 19) loved Monkey Puzzle and they both loved The Smartest Giant in Town ( I sung a song for parts of the latter and was so miffed when a CD came out with the actual song and it wasn't the same tune as the one I made up!).
These are golden years and reading to them is excellent for their vocabulary and to encourage them to read also. Keep reading OP.

If you have the time and both enjoy it then carry on. My DS would happily have 5 books each night but we rarely manage to get him into bed early enough for 5 so it’s usually 2, a longer ones like a Julia Donaldson (or Thomas the tank engine at the moment) and then a shorter one like one of the Acorn Wood books.

@Howdoyoushop He's much to young for Roald Dahl. Don't rush. Loads of time.

We read 4 books a night to DS as he loved it plus he had a minor speech delay at 2 so we were determine to expose him to as much vocabulary as possible. He’s 9 now and we now read a chapter book to him, and depending on the length 1-4 chapters a night. He often alternates reading a chapter to us too.

A friend said why are you doing that because you send them to school to learn to read themselves, and she stopped reading to her DC at 5-6 years. Another friend has never read to her now 8yo and he won’t tolerate being read to either and is making poor progress with his reading etc at school - he has no interest and just wants the iPad at bedtime. I feel it’s a positive experience to read with your child while they are young but everyone is different I guess in how they perceive that.

Absolutely - it’s great for vocabulary development .

when I was a childminder we always did story time before nap time . They loved Julia Donaldson - shark in the park was also a favourite .

When my DD was little (maybe 3/4) we'd read whichever book she chose that night, then we'd act out another story (usually a classic fairy tale or Peter pan type thing). She was always the princess/hero, dad was always the villain and I was everyone else! She's now 24 (a great reader) and it's a very fond memory for all of us. Read as much as you can, it's so valuable.

We do 3 a night for DGS (as my DD and her DH do) ..he's nearly 3. But depending on the night and how tired we both are depends on the books! The Hairy McClarys are always good if I need a short one

But I read to my four, and they still remember how much they loved it, and we will do the same for DGS, reading many of the same ones!
We have just moved onto some longer ones like Shirley Hugh's Alfie stories and I love reading them again :)

The only time it’s ever a problem is when I’m doing bedtime alone and the baby gets fussy and cries

I suspect you will begin to see what a rod you've created for your own back when you are reading 10 books every night (or more if you go on to have a 3rd child).

Don't get me wrong, it's lovely to read with your dc, but I think you are going to find it difficult to sustain, once there is an expectation for several books per night.

If you both enjoy it it is a wonderful way to spend time together and one of the best learning experiences a child can have. We read a lot with our children but also if they have an interest in a particular thing or animal etc grab a few books in the library about that so that they can enjoy gaining knowledge.
All became avid readers from an early age and a live of books and learning has stayed with them throughout life.

If you can manage 5 Julia Donaldson books in a row, then all power to you.