How many times should a child re-read a book

[confusedinlondon]

Is there an ideal number of times that a child should re-read a book to fully understand it?

My DS's school required him to read a book twice before they would give him another book to read. During the lockdown I became slightly anxious and purchased as many books as i could from on amazon / ebay. He was at orange level but during June I moved him onto the next level - turquoise. I have about 22 turquoise level books.
I am making him read each book twice, he will read a new book and the next day he will reread it and then we will move onto another book. I ask him questions to ensure he understands what is happeneing etc. Once he has read all of the books at turquoise level I will ask him to re-read some for a third time.

Is this the right approach? He is slightly disinterested in reading and i need to ask him to read. I wanted him to read a wide range of books because I thought it would help develop him reading skills and would stop him from getting bored. However, some websites suggest that he would be better off re-reading the same books again and again to develop his fluency and understanding.

Should I be asking him to read some 'normal' story books i.e normal story books rather than the banded ones from school? Would this help his vocabulary?

I don't want him to feel like reading is a burden, i really want him to enjoy it and get some satisfaction.

Should have added - son is 6 years old. In Year 1. Before the lockdown he was on orange level around Feb / March time. He needs to told / asked to read. He hasn't developed a love of reading like some of the posters' children on here.

At home I wouldn't do anything so regimented, just ask him to choose any book and read alternate pages or something. Then you choose a book.

If he chooses the same one lots of times that is fine and normal.

When it is your turn to choose the book, you can choose new ones if he always chooses the same, or repeats if he always chooses new ones?

If you're reading with him, you're doing what needs to be done.

School reading books can be really dull! Are they fiction or non-fiction? My son’s preferred the non- fiction.
For encouraging a love of reading I would suggest ‘proper’ story books. Maybe a chapter book, where your child reads the first page then you finish the chapter at bedtime.
It’s good that you’re thinking about this - reading is the single biggest factor that affects exam success.

Just try to sound excited about the books and what you're going to choose even though lots of kids books are as boring as shit

I used to read a lot of rhyo g books to mine, somehow the rhyimg cheered me up. Plus poems like Michael Rosen. They were fun.

Yes to chapter books. Age six is PERFECT for Paddington or Pooh.

Paddington is the best and you can eat marmalade sandwiches while reading them.

So my oldest is slightly younger (Nearly 6) so maybe I don’t understand how fast they change but that sounds really regimented. How much reading does he want to do? Surely that should be the driver here?

Honestly, if he is already disinterested in reading it will only get worse if he has to reread the same books. Expose him to a range of suitable literature and see what he engages with.

And yes, definitely read beyond the school range. Probably very dull books.

I'd work on developing his love of reading at home and leave the reading schemes to school. Six is a perfect age to start enjoying some of the Roald Dahls like fantastic Mr fox and George's marvellous medicine. If he's not mad about sitting down with a fiction book, you could look at non-fiction stuff, fact books, joke books, top trumps cards, football magazines, etc

Poor sod. Your best bet is helping him develop a love of reading. So ask him to choose books (what ever he wants) and ensure reading is fun activity. Reading once or twice should be up to him. Buy him beano comics as an inroad if necessary. If reading isn’t a chore, he will embrace it fully

Any suggestions as to chapter books we can read together?

I have downloaded a list of suitable story books that he can read for himself from his school's website which I will get for him.

We spend about 10 mins a day reading and discussing (me asking questions about) the book. Nothing more than that and if he is in a real mood then I won't force him to read. We have gone 2 - 3 days without reading during the summer its not that enforced. I just don't want him to forget.

A school text book is read until a child can explain what certain parts mean, describe scenes and characters, etc. It's basic English comprehension. It is a bit of a drag if it's a book he or she finds boring. In that case, I'd read it with him in sections, ask questions and encourage him to learn salient points.

It helps if you can get a video of a book, children will often find that more entertaining and remember it better.

When a child finds a book they like they will read it at least a couple of times. Unfortunately not all books capture every child's imagination.

Are any of the books fun?

Some he likes and enjoys. Alien Adventure books he loves and non fiction he also likes.
I have sort of kept following the school's model of giving him 2 -3 books to read over the course of a week.

We spend about 10 mins a day reading and discussing (me asking questions about) the book. Nothing more than that and if he is in a real mood then I won't force him to read. We have gone 2 - 3 days without reading during the summer its not that enforced. I just don't want him to forget.

I'd have spent a lot more time reading but no questions really.

I'd have just read because I wanted to read,not because they had to learn iyswim. I also didn't correct very obviously, just would say the sentence afterwards with the right pronunciation or helped a bit if they got stuck.

Chapter books my kids liked to be read and to read include:

Sophie's Tom series
Dick King Smith generally
Paddington
Winnie the Pooh
Mrs pepperpot
The wombles

Also joke books were well liked. Sadly.

The guidance from the school was to ask lots of questions during the reading to ensure they understood everything.

My son is just going into Year 3. In year 1 he loved:
13 Storey Treehouse series
Jeremy Strong books
Lego / Marvel early readers

I mean this with kindness, but your approach so far is likely to put him off reading all together.

My son is nearly 8 and is now a total bookworm. We did the bare minimum with school books but always made sure he had twenty minutes with us reading to him a book of his choice each evening and then let him carry on reading the book before going to sleep.

Now I can't keep up with his reading, he devours books. So my advice would be to let your son choose some books and read with him, rather than your somewhat military style approach.

My ds is 6 too. We haven't bought/read any school books since the start of lock down. He loves Roald Dahl (George's Marvelous Medicine, Fantastic Mr Fox, Esp Trot), Paddington, Winnie the Witch, Harry Potter, Dr Seuss, he will read a few pages/short chapter then I'll read one so we take it in turns. He also loves Us Bourne fact books and will read anything Lego related.

Three primary kids here, we have never reread a book!

@confusedinlondon

The guidance from the school was to ask lots of questions during the reading to ensure they understood everything.

I'd probably ignore that.

I might say later 'tell daddy about that funny book we read earlier' or ask him to remind me a detail but mostly I think you can tell if they get it.

I think some primary schools squeeze a little too much fun out of learning. School is for school work. Home is for normal reading imo.

Yy to treehouse series, Jeremy strong and Winnie the witch!

Come in to say ‘as any times as they like’ - it has to park interest. When mine were small we did the same story in different media - Matilda in a book, on screen and - as a treat on stage. The narrative is what brings the joy and build the reward system in the brain - that’s what your job is as a parent. Unfortunately due to COVID we’ve all had to be the teacher too, but this is the home Stretch and it’s about the joy.

I don't want him to feel like reading is a burden, i really want him to enjoy it and get some satisfaction.

If you are forcing him to re-read books and questioning him about what happens then he might start hating it!

It should be fun.
Anything he reads is good but he must enjoy it - whether it is a comic book or a world record book. You can ask questions like you are interested but don't make it like it's a chore.

The best thing I did for my DD was get her a library card which she would pick a couple out at a time. If she didn't like one she would just read the other one instead and then she found authors and genres she enjoys so she now sticks to them.

Some food for thought. Thanks to those who commented. I will make it a much more fun experience for him. Since I have purchased the books I will keep them around in case he is interested in reading them but I’ll stop the questioning and rereading. I have bid for some actual books on eBay.
Any other suggestions about story books kids his age would enjoy

Another whose first thought was 'poor sod'

Fair enough if that is your "reading comprehension lesson", during home schooling, but don't you reas for pleasure with him ?
Read stories to him ?
Share books so that he reads a page and you read a page ?
Read children's encyclopaedias?
Fun Fact books ?
Joke books?
Comics?
Magazines or comics ?
Annuals ?
Longer chapter stories tha he just listens to ?

I can't imagine it encouraging a child to want to read, or to foster a love of reading if they have to re-read a book they have just finished. Do you do that as an adult ?