8 year says reading is 'boring'

[xmasadsboohiss]

My DD has been gradually going off reading for the last six months or so . She starts lots of book but rarely finishes them and tonight she tells me that she finds reading page after page 'boring'. I'm going to see if I can find her a book of short stories perhaps and wrack my brains yet again to think of storylines she might be more interested in. Has anyone had experience of this - is it a phase? If so I'm not worried but if it's an indication that she's perhaps not understanding what she's reading then I'm more concerned. I'd say she's an average to good reader for her age.

Do you read to her? Sometimes it's nice even though my 7 yr old wants to read by himself, I know he gets a lot out of listening to me and following the words. So we'll share a book and then he reads something by himself (sometimes out loud, sometimes silently if he's not in the mood) while I listen and frantically tidy up!

I choose a book, he chooses a book. We take it in turns. Sometimes he chooses what I'll read and vice versa. I don't always enjoy reading the ones he's picked. But I go for the easier, funnier ones.

There's almost too much choice these days and they want to be seen reading what their peers are reading too.

She's read plenty of chunky books in her time without a problem so why the sudden halt?

Perhaps she really truly does find them boring

After all, we all have different tastes.

She devoured most of the David Walliams ones and honestly she loved them - talked about them loads - but now nothing seems to appeal. Half of it may be a show of independence....

My daughter said exactly the same at that age. However she turned 9 two weeks ago and has become a completed bookworm since easter - what was responsible? Harry Potter. All 7 books devoured in less than 6 weeks and now she goes to the local library and takes 6-8 books a fortnight...and reads them all. She has enjoyed all the David Walliams books and the Barry Loser series.

the Harry Potter books were a turning point for DD1 too. I started reading them to her age 7 - she though the print was too small and the first book was too adult for her. I read the first 3 books with her picking up the odd chapter here and there, reading more and more aloud to be herself as we progressed. By the time we were halfway through the 4th, DD1 just took it over completely and then read the rest of them relentlessly.

The Ottoline books (3 in the series) which are beautifully illustrated.

^^ adore these books they got my dd reading in the first place.

If she can read, if she loved it once let her be!!!

I cant bear the ways schools sometimes push reading. I am an avid reader now and was as a child however there were phases when I was discovering lots of knew and exciting things and yes I stopped reading occasionally!!

Luckily I never had school or parents pushing me to read otherwise I would have maybe be turned off it for a long time.

My dd is avid reader, and after racing through How to Train your Dragon books, once in a week about 4 books!! She has come to a halt in book 9, half way through.

I never mentioned a thing to her....This was back in mid august. She has not picked it up again (yet), but has come across a good horrible histories book and is reading that now...and I read to her at night sometimes. And she listens to wonderful stories on her cd player.

anyway long and rambling but she can do it - leave her be....BTW mine adored Ottoline...good hook to try and get her back in, ( at her own time and pace), also lemony snickett series of u events ( read whole series twice) and how to train dragon.

My ds(8) is a good reader, and can read pretty much anything, but he prefers lighthearted books like wimpy kid/Dahl or non fiction books.
He reads books of his choice for homework reading(once he chosen to read computer programming book out loud to me! ), but we work on comprehension side completely separately using this site.

www.readtheory.org/

I've been mulling over some of these comments as a teacher and as someone who loves books myself. As a teacher I do encourage children to read all the time and I question them if I don't think there reading a book as quickly as they should be.

As a reader myself, I haven't ALWAYS got a book on the go - like previous posters have said, other things take over, I spend evenings colouring or doing puzzles (I know, I live a cutting edge life.) Also, like the OP's daughter, there are times when I just can't find a book that I fancy at that time. Sometimes I don't want something too in depth for example.

Maybe I'll have a bit more tolerance with my class......and maybe OP's daughter just needs a bit of time to find the book that will capture her imagination.

Mr Gum books are excellent too op, very light hearted - sometimes hysterically funny, short chapters and the words on the page are typed in different sizes etc.....so some pages only a few.
basted exactly, I just cannot force myself to read something I don't fancy...why are dc any different.

Thanks basted I have been reading a David Walliams with her over the last few nights. I'm reading most of it but as long as she's doing some I don't mind. And the six year old has taken it off to bed now - not sure how far he'll get though! I think my frustration has been that no matter what we've tried for the last six months or so she's said she doesn't like it, and listening to her reading she isn't quite as good as I thought she was so that may be why. So just need to take a step back I think and make it fun again. Reading DW is a good place to start. I am completely with you on the not wanting to read myself sometimes btw! Thanks again everyone. x