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Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

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Original poster

Who still reads to older children?

32 replies

Parisbanana · 27/04/2015 20:50

I think I'm unusual but interested to know.
I still read to ds who is 12. I stopped reading to his sister when she was about 8 (her choice but that was fine)
Have to say at times it has been a bit tedious but now it is so interesting. I am suggesting books that I "should" have read but never did. So things like The Hobbit, Swallows and Amazons, lots of children's classics. But also rereading and introducing him to things that I love(d). I just get excited about all that we can read together, and trying current books as well.
I do ask him to let me know if he's had enough of it but he assures me he still loves being read to
Anyone else?

OP posts:

CamelHump · 27/04/2015 20:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 27/04/2015 20:56

I still read to mine. They are 11 and 9 and we all get into bed together and get cosy. They love it and learn so much from me explaining vocabulary and the reasons behind a character's motivation for something etc. We've been going through all the Harry Potters for months now.

I will be gutted when they tell me they want to read on their own. It's almost like a shared hobby at the moment. The 3 of us want to visit Harry Potter studios as a result of this - DH isn't bothered by it so it willbe nice to have something that just me and my boys can enjoy instead of DH hogging them all the time with his talk of football and gaming stuff!

CurlyhairedAssassin · 27/04/2015 20:58

It's like belonging to a very informal book group!

VictoriaPeckem · 27/04/2015 20:59

DH reads to DD (11) every night. She's a good reader but prefers Daddy doing the work . She loves Ruby Redfort (spy novels by Lauren Child). No matter how tired she is, she still wants a bedtime story.

cheerfullady · 27/04/2015 21:09

I'm working my way through Terry Pratchett with my eldest (10 yr old) at the moment. So far I've read the Wee Free Men to her and nearly finished Hat Full of Sky and I actually enjoy it more than reading to her younger sibling. I'll keep on reading as long as she wants me to!

Original poster

Parisbanana · 27/04/2015 21:44

Not just me then!
I love that I read different things with him. That he sometimes suggests things. That I can introduce him to harder stuff. That he hears stories he wouldn't contemplate reading to himself.
Best book recently read that I wouldn't have had the pleasure of was Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo. Simply wonderful read.

OP posts:

meglet · 27/04/2015 21:49

aaaw curly Me and 8yo DS are working our way through HP. Only on PoA so I'm hoping we have 2/3 yrs of bedtime stories ahead of us.

MistyMeena · 27/04/2015 21:50

Still read to my almost 11 yr old son. I enjoy it as least as much as he does!

ChocolateWombat · 27/04/2015 21:54

I still read to a 9 year old who is a very good reader. He reads to himself and then I/DH do.
I considered giving up, but continue because firstly it is special 1-2-1 time cuddled up and sometimes we have lovely chats about the book or other stuff.
Secondly, it has been a great way to keep the reading progressing and introducing new stuff. Often I will read the first couple of chapters of something DS might have not fancied himself, but he enjoys it and then carries on to read the rest. It has given him a wider range of reading,a wider vocabulary and I plan to continue until he is at Secondary - not sure beyond that.

BeautifulRedBoots · 27/04/2015 22:00

I read to my eleven year old ds. He finds reading hard work, which makes me sad as I have always love to read and get so much pleasure from it. I really enjoy snuggling up with him and reading something to him which he would never otherwise have read (the only books he enjoys reading to himself are Diary of a Wimpy kid books or Minecraft manuals).

JiltedJohnsJulie · 27/04/2015 22:05

Me, however it does sometimes make me a little sad to we seem to be the odd ones.

StrongAsAnOx · 27/04/2015 22:11

Oh definitely YES! I love being read to myself and I'm centuries old.... Tonight I had my 11 and 13 year old listening. Tried to read to my nearly 17 year old tonight - sometimes he is in the mood but not tonight which disappointed me as we are reading a great book together!

Smartiepants79 · 27/04/2015 22:14

My dad read to me til I was a teenager. I hope my girls still want stories when they're big.

TheHouseofMirth · 27/04/2015 22:19

DH reads to almost 10 yo DS every night. They're currently reading the Skullduggery Pleasant books and DH is enjoying them as much as DS!

MrTumblesBavarianFanbase · 27/04/2015 22:22

I still read to my 9.5 year old (and her younger brothers) - we're a bilingual family and the community language is German so I will read to them as long as possible to keep their English at native speaker standard - I think hearing books read and talking about them has a lot of great things going for it even when kids read to themselves. 9.5 isn't really properly "older" I realise (though it's an age when I though most have stopped).

When I was a secondary school teacher I read all of 'Of Mice and Men' aloud to my bottom set year 10 each year - they were some of the best lessons and much better than setting them reading they just weren't capable of doing at home then showing the video and teaching them how to write about themes and characterisation in a book that they wouldn't actually have read, which was what the head of department felt should happen.

itsveryyou · 27/04/2015 22:25

DH reads every night to our DS, 11 and 8. They LOVE it as part of their daily routine (time with dad after long day still special to all of them), both DS are incredibly keen and able readers who pick up books enthusiastically, but they still love to be read to. Currently it's a Percy Jackson book which they've read before but love hearing it again, another time it might be Hobbit or LOTR or something similar.

kansasmum · 27/04/2015 22:39

My son is 8 and I love reading to him. We often take turns to read chapters.
I have fond memories of my Dad reading to me when I was a kid and even in my teens when I was poorly. Often Wind in the Willows- dad and I loved it!
I read Wind in the Willows to my Dad when he was dying- Ds who was then 6 would cuddle up in bed with my Dad to listen - they both loved it.

funnyossity · 27/04/2015 22:44

10 year old still likes a bed time chapter. On holiday when the children are sharing a room the teenager listens in too which is nice - a good choice recently was some Sherlock Holmes.

I loved hearing teachers read in school.

ineedaholidaynow · 27/04/2015 23:07

We still read to DS who is 10. I mainly read books that I loved from my childhood, many years ago . So have read things like Swallows and Amazons, Moomins, The Railway Children. We are currently working through my collection of Gerald Durrell books. DH also reads to DS, he tends to read more recent books, sometimes ones that DS has already read, they are currently laughing their way through Captain Underpants books!

DS is a very competent reader himself but still loves being read to, and it's lovely to see him enjoying the same books I enjoyed at his age.

Leeds2 · 28/04/2015 20:14

I stopped reading to my DD when she was in primary school, can't remember the age. But I do recall her English teacher telling me that she still read to her 16 year old daughter.

Tattiesthroughthebree · 09/05/2015 21:49

DS had a bedtime story up to the end of primary school. He's a voracious reader on his own account.

Mintyy · 09/05/2015 21:52

My ds, one of the oldest in Year 6, still loves to be read to for 10 mins at bed time. We read Phillip Pullman, Charlie Higson, David Walliams - the usual suspects.

He also reads on his own, but this is a little luxury we are happy to indulge him in.

Sgtmajormummy · 09/05/2015 22:09

Absolutely YES!
DS had a rousing sendoff with The Amber Spyglass at the age of ten but carries on listening to his sister's storytime through the open bedroom doors at the age of 16. She's 9 and showing no signs of wanting to stop.
It's such a cosy way to end the day and can only do them good. I know they're perfectly capable of reading to themselves but it's my pleasure and privilege to carry on as long as they want.

Sgtmajormummy · 10/05/2015 07:55

Another thought... Until TV came and took over our lives, it was normal for the whole family to gather and listen to books read aloud. Usually the Bible I suppose but I know Dickens intended A Christmas Carol to be read aloud on Christmas Eve!
We're not doing anything revolutionary...

verona · 10/05/2015 14:06

I still read, though not every night, to my boys. They're 14 & 12. They'd be mortified if anyone found out but they love it. I love it too as I've been able to read books i missed out on when I was young

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