How much reading does your DC's school send for your 7 year old?

[ghosty]

DS started Year 3 two weeks ago (NZ)
He is a fluent reader, no problems etc etc.

He is bringing home a reading book every night ... pretty long ones - today was "How I trained for the Junior Triathlon" and took us 20 minutes to read. 30 pages and between 1900 - 2400 words (according to the blurb on the back) So no mean feat.
He also brought back a chapter book that he is to to have for one night (he says) and he has a new one every night (he says)
He also has to get 3 Library Books a week to bring home.
This is on top of a spelling list of 15 words brought home on a Monday to learn by Friday AND a homework sheet to be done by Friday.

He was 7 in November. He is at the top of the class in his reading but I just don't see how they expect him to have the TIME to read all this. He has books at home that he got for Christmas that he is dying to get into but since term started he hasn't touched them. He also has a story read to him by me every night that he and I do not want to stop as it is a tradition and the only time we have 'bonding' time (as DD is in bed when we do story)

I will go to the teacher to check on the Library books and the chapter books as I honestly feel that this 'compulsory' reading is having an affect on his personal enjoyment of reading.

Not to mention the fact that he didn't have time to play today AT ALL - he has swimming on a Monday after school which is not something I am going to stop as I feel it is a vital life skill ...

How much does your 7 year old get from school to read?

Is there such a thing as too much reading??

Sorry for rant ...
g x

of course he shoudl not read it all in one night - he has his wires crossed.

DD now mostly ignores the books she gets from school and reads ones from home as and when (reads every night )

She has to fill in her reading record book (which I hate) but hardly ever does.

She is a fluent chapter book reader

The chapter book thing is silly isn't it Beety? I told him that couldn't be right but he was adamant. When I asked him when he was planning to read the whole thing he kind of saw my point

My dd is in year 2 and turned 7 in September. Her school asks them to read every night and recommend they read for about 20 minutes. The books she brings are quite long so normally take her 2 or 2 nights to complete. When she finishes an book she chooses another.

Meant 2 or 3 nights.

Hmm ... I really have to talk to the teacher about it. They are in groups and all read the same book - goes back every day for a new one. The reading book we can cope with - its all the other stuff that we struggle with time for. 20 minutes reading a night, a homework sheet and spellings is enough surely? Not the school forced chapter book and 3 Library books too? When we have loads at home that he doesn't have time to look at.

Ds2 is 7 and is Year2 and he brings home a hefty reading book of about 30 pages , but they only change his books twice a week. So I split the book in half, he reads half one day with me and half the next. He too is fluent reader. He brings home a library book and has that for the whole week, but to be honest we don't look at them much unless its about dinosaurs or space travel.
He reads every night by choice, for about 20 mins, his own books like Harry Potter or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Horrid Henry or those freebie books from the cereal packets. He also has 20 spellings to learn in one week.

But he is Yr2 not Yr3 so the amount of reading your dc may have to do could be normal for a Yr3 child.

I would chat to his teacher if you feel that he is getting too much reading work. She may paint a clearer picture to you than your son could. He may have crossed wires or misunderstood what the teacher has said to him about how long he should have each book.

Thanks Moosh ...
Year 3 here is really UK Yr 2 I think ... they don't have a reception year and start straight into Yr 1.

Ds1 would be in the same year as your ds (7 in early summer). He brings home one book every 1-2 weeks. The class also learn spellings and have one homework sheet a week. Nowhere near as much as your ds, Ghosty.

My year 2 ds has one reading book a week. We don't always read it.

The school also encourages children to take books home from the bookshelves but my ds rarely does this - we go to the library once a fortnight and he prefers the books he can choose there.

We read every night for about 20 minutes together and then he has quiet reading on his own for an additional 30 mins or so 4 times a week.

My DS who is in Y2 has one reading book a week. But they also read every morning for half an hour. Parents can also go in for half an hour on a thursday morning.

Saying that, before we changed his school, he has a new book once every three weeks, which we thought was shocking!

Our school likes Y3 and 4 children to read for 10 minutes every night - no need to finish the book in their case - DS3 usually takes a week over his.

ghosty my ds is only 4 but I wanted to say do NOT ever let these school books affect his enthusiasm and love for other reading....if a child is reading through their own wishes outside school then that's BETTER than if they are reading all these 'set' things....if he's hankering after reading his own books, let him! Just write a note to the teacher explaining what he is reading at home and that this is from his own enthusiasm....

The teacher really ought to see that this is fantastic - this is what all the set reading is meant to be aiming towards, surely - getting kids fluent enough readers to have reading as part of their everyday life and part of life that they love.....

ds is 6 and is in year 2 in the UK.

We get a book a night, 4 times a week. If not finished it is kept. But ds is still on smalish books and we can finish them in a night, he has usually started them in class and they run to about 14 pages

Seems a bit OTT Ghosty. Have you spoken to the teacher yet? What do the other parents think of that reading pensum?

Perhaps the library book thing is aimed more at families that may not have many books at home. If you have enough other things to read, I think you can leave the library books for now and get back to them when you've run out of books at home.

Let us know how you get on. I'm planning on spending a year in NZ with dd from Dec (she'll be 7) and I doubt very much that we could cope with that much reading!

Our class of 7 year olds (year 2 in England) are given a chapter book (about 45-50 pages) a night. Takes DD about 35-40 mins, but she reads it in bed before lights out, so is fine with this. There is other homework too, but that is done when we first get home from school.

Our school asks that the children read a minimum of 3 times a week at home. It can either be a book from home, a book from the classroom or a book from the library and is recorded in a little diary. The children also read once or twice a week with the teacher, but this is more about reading skills and discussing the book than just reading out loud. We also set spellings or times tables once a week and also a piece of homework. The idea of reading at home is that it reinforces what is being done at school and also, as you say, fosters a healthy, enjoyable love of reading and often allows children to spend some lovely quiet time with parents or siblings. You need to clarify with the teacher!