12 year old dd reads for pleasure for on average an hour at. Aibu to think this is the norm?

[Cheezepizza]

BTW this is not a boasting post. I know more kids will read much more, I'm just asking out of curiosity as I would like her reading more now that winter is coming in.

All kids are different OP.

Some kids will be absolute bookworms and read for longer than an hour. And some kids will be more than happy to never read a book and would rather be in front of screen for hours, or out playing football, swimming, gymnastics etc.

I personally think that all children should read regularly. But not all of them want to.

Unless someone knows the habits of the whole cohort of 12 year olds how could anyone possibly say what's normal

Always encourage reading if you can, but don’t make it a chore. That way, intellectual curiosity and vocabulary is developed…if these qualities are developed incrementally, they will stick and carry on throughout life.

I spent a lot of time in libraries over the summers and remember these times with great fondness.

You say you would like her reading more .. if you're dictating when she has to read, this is no longer 'reading for pleasure'. Let her read when she wants to read, or you'll just turn it into a chore.

This is disingenuous. If it's something she does for pleasure, let her crack on.

Tell her to read MN. She'll knock that hour straight out of the park no matter what the season.

I've given this serious thought and I think the OP has to be taking the piss out of aspirational parents.
Nothing else makes sense.

If reading is something she enjoys then brilliant, let her read as much or as little as she wants to. If she doesn’t enjoy reading for pleasure, brilliant, let her find some hobbies she does enjoy.

Always this. Or she will likely stop.

One of mine is a reader one of them wouldn't pick up a book at gun point. In my experience you can't force a kid who doesn't want to read to read and 'normal' varies massively from kid to kid.

Tell them to go and tidy their room.

Also works for instrumental practice.

When I was that age I could easily go through a book a day in the holidays/weekends. Why in the world would you think there's something wrong with a 12-year old reading for pleasure?

I think the phrase reading for pleasure implies that she’s picking up a book because she feels like it and wants to enjoy it. Once you start monitoring and ‘encouraging’,it’ll cease to be for pleasure. My son used to read a lot at that age, my dd did but then found other things to do. She’s now 25 and occasionally reads a book for fun but she still has a fulllife!

It’s significantly higher than the norm. Most kids do not enjoy reading. Last year the National Literacy Trust survey found that only 28% of kid read daily.

https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2023/

So an hour a day is going to be a lot more than most.

My kids read a lot as small kids, several hours every evening. Then there was a bit of a lull around 10 ish when covid hit and we let them have a lot more time on screens so they could connect with friends virtually. But their reading has picked up in the last few years. Most of it is online, though. Either original fiction by other teens, factual stuff (history and science mostly) or kindle books.

I have one, now 15, who always read for hours per day. One who is dyslexic and never really reads. Another one who has never read a book, but did him no harm as he's at Oxford (doing a humanities subject). What is normal?

This is a strange post surely. I had one brother who was into books and probably read five hours a day, all the time. Another who was into sports and still does two-three hours a day exercise as an adult.

Reading is a hobby. I don't think it's a good or bad thing particularly - your DD isn't reading a lot compared to a readaholic, but is reading a lot compared to a sports addict. Does it matter?

I read every spare minute as a child and teenager and still do now. My son found it difficult to learn to read and as an adult, reads for information, not pleasure. DH reads for information only too, but will listen to an audio book.

I don't know if it's normal, but I'd be delighted if mine read for that long. I have tried everything to get them reading and read to them as babies, toddlers and preschoolers. They're just not interested. I was a total book worm, read for pleasure all the time, got through multiple books on holiday as a child. I finally have to face the fact that neither of my children are readers. But it's not for a lack of encouragement.

😂😂😂

My three DDs rarely read for pleasure at 12 - unless class group chats count!

They had to do 20 mins of reading a night at primary school, which I always made sure they did. But as soon as they went to senior school, I left it completely up to them. And they more or less chose not to read for pleasure.

Literally😂

My 9-year old DS reads for 90 mins a day. We got a library card, because he devours books and we need to put time limits on reading!! He’s just finished the Chronicles of Narnia and started on The Hobbit. He’s already asked if I can get The Lord of the Rings for him next. His vocab and comprehension have skyrocketed since he started reading so broadly.

My 7-year old DS on the other hand needs to be cajoled and bribed to read even his basic school books 😂🤦🏼‍♀️ I don’t think he’ll follow his brother’s love of reading. He’d much prefer to run about. Every child is different. I don’t think there is a norm.

I hate to break it to you but there is no such thing as a normal amount to read for pleasure. If she is reading for pleasure she will read as much or as little as gives her pleasure. If you want her to read more then just ask her to do so but you can't dictate that she will enjoy it. I really can't understand what you are asking.

It's more than some; less than others. It's a bit pointless comparing. I'd be happy your DD reads for pleasure and encourage it by taking her to the library, giving books as presents, letting her see you read for pleasure etc. Forcing her to read more, however, will more than likely have the opposite effect.

I’d read for hours at a time, my siblings didn’t read at all. Surely you realise all children are different and there’s not a norm