Advanced reader early, now stalled?

[minipie]

Hello

Just wondering if anyone else has had this with an early/advanced reader?

DD is 8, nearly 9. She learned to read very quickly in Reception and had a reading age of 10 at about age 7. Loved to read anything and everything.

However in the past year she has not really wanted to move on - she is re reading Daisy books/Treehouse series and others that sort of level which she first read ages ago. Comfort reading basically. We get more challenging books from the library (mix of her choices and my choices) but they get ignored in favour of re-reading.

She says she doesn’t like the smaller text of the more advanced books. She wears glasses for short sight already so it’s not an undiagnosed sight issue, I think? She also says she gets put off by not knowing all the words - but her vocabulary is excellent and I’m sure she could work out or skip the few words she doesn’t know. Obviously she can ask us too.

It’s not the end of the world of course and at least she is reading ... Just wondering if there might be something going on that I’m missing.

So as not to drip feed, she does have very mild cerebral palsy and I am also wondering about adhd - in case either might be relevant.

Thanks

DD is similar, she has just turned 7 and I would guess her reading age to be 10/11. She tends to read in bed before she goes to sleep, so I'm happy to let her re-read Daisy/Treehouse/Beast Quest etc because she finds them more relaxing I think. If she reads during the day or for school, she seems to choose older/harder books but she doesn't want to challenge herself in the evening, which I think is pretty understandable.

Leave her. Let her comfort read, as long as she’s reading and still loves books it doesn’t matter. She will seek out more complex difficult texts when she’s ready. It’s a marathon not a sprint. For context I have 3 young adult DC all very academic and precocious readers, all went through stages at some point of rereading or reverting to comfort books at some stage

I was an “advanced” reader, apparently I just picked it up so fast in reception that the teachers assumed I knew how to read going in.

I was reading proper chapter books in year 1/2 and enjoying them. The difficulty of the books I enjoyed reading didn’t increase again and I would still prefer to read a children’s book (Maze Runner etc) over anything aimed at adults. I know my comprehension would be good enough to understand a “difficult” book, but I just enjoy the easy readers more. I was still progressing through years of reading similar books at school, my reading speed increased and my vocabulary and spelling would have improved.

I’d say don’t force the issue, if she’s still reading for enjoyment.

Have you tried
David walliams
Or
A series of unfortunate events?

My dc is very similar (down to the short sighted) now 9yo and last yr - y4 was mainly those books.
She has previously refused Narnia/wizards of once/enid blyton/how to train your dragon.
Did read Charmed life (crestomanci) but isnt enjoying another of those. Did read
order of the phoenix but not further.
Ickabog

Horrible histories
Mine is enjoying Science and nature magazine.

We do use kindle and several of the y5 and 6 recommended reads are on the library app (depends on your library though).
Also read the illustrated harry potters instead.

It's really common, and nothing to worry about, as long as she is reading.
She will move on when she's ready. Often my children started new books or series through seeing someone at school reading it, or the teacher reading an extract from a book.
My now 12 year old was assessed as having a reading age of 16y 3m when he was eleven.
He rereads more than he reads new, and more importantly enjoys reading.

HSHorror they sound identical

DD is enjoying Walliams. I will try Series of Unfortunate events

Yup Chrestomanci she liked a couple but then not others in the series. Harry Potter she stalled after Order of the Phoenix. Wizards of Once was rejected. Narnia good as audiobook but not on paper. How to Train Your Dragon series - well I think she read that a year or two ago but now wondering how much she actually read.

Loves Horrible Histories and her Nat Geo Kids magazine. I’ve ordered The Week Junior as I think she might like it.

I have noticed that if I get books for her younger sister, she will snaffle them and read them. Reverse psychology

I am going to chill out about it all based on this thread.

Thank you all

I am pleased someone mentioned reading non fiction books. I think it is easy to forget the wealth of non fiction books ( science, nature, how to, sport) are around with challenging and interesting vocabulary, sometimes you need to encourage a wider range of material, poetry, traditional stories, play scripts, magazines.

My dd is the same, we're rereading magic far away tree. It's not necessarily a good thing to be an early reader- everyone catches up eventually and they're use to putting the work in to do it whereas if it cones naturally to a point they feel reading shouldn't be hard work so doing want to push themselves and stop. I'm a teacher, I'm letting my dd reread what she likes shes just 8 and I feel its age appropriate learning.

Reading for pleasure is a fantastic thing and I would be really careful not to get in the way of it. One of mine loved rereading books and always read at a level 'below' his ability when he chose his home reading books. He is a fantastically fluent reader as a young adult with a daunting library of philosophical and political tomes.
I would let your DD have complete autonomy over what she reads in bed at night or for pleasure in general. My only tips would be for her to see you reading for pleasure, perhaps with a pile of books by the bed as well and for you to read nightly to her when you could possibly have some input into choice. For her age group Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ballet Shoes, Mary Poppins , Swallows and Amazons etc are appropriate but stretching language wise and aren't scary.

She's 8. No matter how competent a reader she is or how good her vocabulary she will absorb the content as an 8 year old.

The Harry Potter films past no 4 at certificated 12, because the subject matter is pretty bleak. But so often I see small children reading them because they can.

Novels of Disney films (the Rescuers, for example) will be quite exciting enough for her. Try Enid Blyton, Disney, fairy stories where good triumphs in the end etc. Also if she has a hobby perhaps non-fiction related to that?

After the past year or so I have found myself reaching for comfort things. Things that are familiar. She could be feeling the same.