Does your year 1 child read to themselves at home?

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DD is year 1 but summer born so still 5.

We have read to her all her life.

She reads her school books at home (they have to read 5 per week). She reads the Oxford Reading Tree books (Biff, Chip Kipper etc) and is on level 6 (orange label). She seems to find these ok, probably one or two “new” or tricky words for her in each book.

She is so reluctant to read the school books it is painful. I have come to hate it but obviously try to be jolly & encouraging.

She is totally reluctant to read anything else for herself out of school. She likes being read to. she has a book shelf of beautiful books.

If we are out and about, she will say “what does that sign say” and refuses to read it herself.

The other year one parents say their kids are reading Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Worst Witch etc which is so far ahead of DD’s level

Should I be worried?

She doesn't like reading, not all people do. Its just her personality, were all different, Don't read too much into it, pun intended.

My DD will be 5 next month and she reads books at home to herself - Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, David Walliams etc. We've been reading 'chapter books' to her for over a year now, plus she has a Yoto player so listens to books through that. Not sure if that's had an effect - listening to non picture books regularly may have helped I guess?

However, as other posters have noted, she's not ahead in all respects. Can't ride a bike, is quite shy, etc.

I think her reading level is above average but she has a huge love of reading, so the enthusiasm and eagerness is naturally there. It's her favourite thing to do.

I'm aware that in 5yrs time she could have gone the other way and not be wanting to pick up a book at all!

Sorry, I meant to say she will be 6 next month, not 5!

If you sit down with her open up the book and point at each word slowly as you are reading it that will help if she will read other books but not school books let her read one of those and write down that she's read it, she's still young yet trying not to worry to much.

I have a summer born Y1 DD too and she very occasionally reads, to her dolls when playing schools etc. but not otherwise. Having seen her older sibling really struggle to read, I'm happy to see her enjoy being read to tbh.

Focus on reading things that she enjoys - poems or stories with a strong rhyme so she can dance to them, or stories with silly pictures. I'm not rushing mine to read to herself.

LOL they are absolutely not reading Roald Dahl at that age! I teach reception age children and did Year 1 last year. They’re still learning new sounds in year 1 so if they’re reading Roald Dahl I can 100% say they’re not understanding what they’re reading. Even if LO is reading books not for their level if they can comprehend what they’re reading then that’s a start. Ask her questions about the book at the end. Turn it into a game, “did you see a red sock somewhere in the story? I bet you can’t find the red sock!” She’ll start reading for pleasure soon enough but from my experience that doesn’t come until around Year 3/4.

Mine is in Y2 and never reads to herself. We make a big effort to find books she doesn’t hate and she will happily read a chapter a night but it’s always us pushing it and she’d never just pick up a book. School are happy and she reads pretty fluently. But given the choice she’ll always do something else eg drawing if she’s having quiet time in her room. Meanwhile my 3YO ‘reads’ books to himself ie recites them from memory all the time. They’re all different.

The other year one parents say their kids are reading Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Worst Witch etc which is so far ahead of DD’s level

Just a wild guess, but I reckon the parents who talk about what their child is reading at home are the ones who have advanced readers! The ones whose children are on a level with yours are likely staying quiet.

DS is year 1. He will read signs, subtitles etc out loud all the time, but doesn't read books to himself for pleasure.

I think he could probably read a Road Dahl book in the sense that he could decode/know the words, but several of the concepts in the story would go over his head and he doesn't have the attention span to read anything very long yet. He can read a whole Julia Donaldson to me in one sitting, but that's about his limit in terms of length.

Really?? My DD’s class had one of the easier RD books as one of their class books in Y2 so it seems perfectly believable to me that an advanced reader could be reading and understanding one of the shorter and easier ones in Y1?! Even my reluctant, summer born Y2 has got through The Magic Finger, George’s Marvellous Medicine and The Giraffe The Pelly and Me! Not that it’s a competition or anything.

Yes that’s perfectly reasonable however there will definitely be words or phrases in the book that they won’t understand. If you asked them to surmise what they’ve read most probably wouldn’t be able to. My 6 year old could read RD as in word for word but won’t actually understand what he’s reading. And I said read for pleasure in Year 3/4. Most children won’t pick up a book on their own and read alone.

We bought a Yoto to encourage an interest in stories in general. Still had bedtime stories and school books. Now loves reading along to the Yoto with accompanying book or reaching for a book on the shelf to read by choice: it helped ingnite the interest

I saw a friend's 4 year old reading Roald Dahl (by choice) the other day. I'm surprised that as a teacher you've not come across children who read at that level at that age. And by the insinuation that they couldn't possibly know sounds they haven't been taught in school. They might have asked their parents how to read particular words, for instance, and have been told by the parents about the sounds they haven't yet learnt in school.

This thread has made me feel really stressed. My son is nearly 6 and he can't read yet. I didn't think it was that much of an issue but this thread has made me think it is. He can recognise quite a few words and knows a lot of sounds. He can also sound out and write down a lot of words. But he can't read. 😔

The school books are so dry. Can you push back on the number of different school books she has to read to 1-2 per week, even if read daily? Ask if she can find certain words on the page? Ask her to help you read certain words? See what school suggest?

I'd still read the books she enjoys to her as well and encourage that love of books. Mine read quite young on their own - Dahl etc as you mentioned, but also liked me reading to them. There are others in class that needed lots of help in that area. Different strokes for different folks - some kids don't like to/can't read on their own until much later. She'll get there.

Absolutely I don’t disagree and yes there are children you come across that do have a higher reading level than others. My own older children are an example of this, but the OP is asking if it’s normal for children to be reading RD and DW at this age and it’s absolutely not. You will not find those books in the reading area of a school library for those year groups. I have a Year 1 child who I am quite thorough with in terms of phonics and for his assessment received 40/40. However if I gave him a RD book to read he’d definitely read it but there would probably be no comprehension whatsoever so the reading is pointless.

And these types of posts end up become a brag all about what everyone’s child can do and makes you feel rubbish! Your child is where they’re at. In terms of reading my advice is carry on with whichever programme they use at school, use at home and make sure he’s blending properly. He has to know the sounds form a word before he can start reading.

Neither of my kids read to themselves at that age, if ever! Both clever, both had "reading age" of 17 by the time they left primary school. Both preferred to be read to.
I learned to read at age 4 or 5, but had zero interest in reading for fun until my 20s. Now I'd read all day if I could!

Ah, fair enough, I'd agree with that; my friend's 4 year old is unusual - that's partly why I clocked what she was reading tbh! Her siblings weren't like that either.

I'd agree with you that I wouldn't expect the majority of Year 1 children to read Roald Dahl.

In Y1 my daughter was utterly interested in reading, now she always has her head in a book (Y3).

The main motivator was books about a topic she likes (dragons) that were 'chapter' books. We started off reading a sentence each and because she liked the stories she was more keen to keep going. School books didn't appeal to her enough to make it worth trying.

Oh for sure you get the odd one who completely surprises you! We’ve had a few parents who are adamant their child can read beyond their levels and demand higher band colours. The child has been trialled on the books and failed miserably. Unless the child can confidently surmise what they’ve read and give alternative explanations it’s just a bunch of words on paper.

Summer born Y1 parent here so DD is still 5. She loves reading and will read for pleasure. She's reading some chapter books. However, she dislikes maths and whilst she's working above her age for reading, she's not for maths. Swings and roundabouts. I wouldn't worry. They all get there in the end and it's not a race.

This is so sad. I'm a primary teacher and I can't believe five books a week age 5!!

the most important thing you can do is read with / to your child as often as possible, for pleasure. Read funny books, do the voices, try different authors and genres, talk about the pictures, what might happen next etc.

Make it about reading for pleasure.

(also 5 year old reading Roald Dahl and David Williams independently? Hmm... I'd say not many).

My first child picked up reading pretty easily but now (aged 14) doesn't read for pleasure at all.

My second child, a June baby, loved being read to. She would 'read' picture books to herself from memory (not quite the right words but the right story. But actually reading was too much work to be enjoyable.

I decided to do a minimum of reading homework and never insist on it. We did lots of me reading to her, with all the stuff like running my fingers under the words as I was reading. Around the Christmas of year 1 something clicked and it became easy enough that it was enjoyable and she read voraciously, until recently (12) when other things have taken over.

I love reading and I had assumed, for some reason, that my children would also love reading. I have tried to make sure they see me reading for pleasure (best excuse for sitting and reading!) as well, so it seems like a thing people do.

OMG on the other parents - collectively we do know how to make this hard for each other. I have a brighter than average year 2. She hates reading at home (always has) - so we read to her and she does it to us once a week. I’ve found other ways to get her reading - the occasional magazine, game instructions, recipes etc. she is definitely not reading Dahl on her own. Occasionally (now 7.5) will read pages of an Isadora Moon. I would drop the worry and any battle with the child - instead get creative with doing little bits of reading here and there and switch your mindset to that being enough. They all level out in the end (unless there is a SEN need and that is obviously different).