Really daft question about reading

[NAB3wishesfor2008]

When I was a child all I did was read and I read very fast.

My children are year 2 and reception and both also read fast. DS is a good reader for his age and DD is exceptional so I don't think it is anything about their ability, I wonder if it is their genes.

May be to do with having a great interest in books, having books around all the time, seeing parents reading a lot, seeing books as exciting and fun, and a way to learn more and to escape to fairy tale worlds.

My DD's reading record has a note in it about she tends to rush through the book and it is written in a way that they are saying it is a bad thing. She gets the words right and understands what she is reading so I don't understand why they have to make an issue of it, especially as she is only 4.

When both my children read fast I try and say slow down but I don't want to put them off. My son will make simple mistakes when reading quickly but I do too at times. He may put an extra word in that isn't there but always seems to make sense or swap two words around but I am so pleased and proud he enjoys books I wonder if it really matters.

I do this too.

It makes a differemce with non-fiction fact stuff, I have to deliberately slow down and re-read but I usually get most of it first time anyway

I think teachers want to make sure they understand everything they read, rather than just hurrying through the words, IYKWIM. (I do it too, btw, like Slur I have to make an effort to slow down for factual stuff.)

I'm also a fast reader and often find myself reading books twice (well, it passed the time )

DD1 and DD3 are fast readers like me, DD2 is not. The difference is in HOW they process printed words I think, I don't read individual words one by one, I take in a block of four or five words at once, and I think the DDs who take after me do this too. DD2 on the other hand reads one word at a time. Which takes longer.

Effie, I do that to and DD1 really takes after me there too - she will get to the end of a book and turn back to the beginning and start again, and she reads her favourite books over and over again.

DD is definitely undesrstanding what she is reading as they make her tell them the story after she has read it.

They have already said they don't know what to do with her as she is so good at reading. her current book is pink level.

can they give her more books to read?

Just get her lots of other books to read at home . Or is she allowed to choose more books at school? I seem to remember my teachers gave up on sticking to the class books at about 7 or 8 and just pointed me to the bookshelves . 4 prob a little young though...

She is only allowed 2 books a week.

She hasn't brought home a library book for ages.

She read Monkey Puzzle to me tonight from her shelf.

When DS was in Year R 2 years ago he was allowed to change his book every day.

Can you take her to the library instead? Those books will probably be a lot more interesting anyway

I just give a wry grin when people complain about children reading too fast. DS1 reads unbelievably fast. He will read a 500-page teenage novel in 4-5 hrs: way way faster than I read. On average he reads (seriously-sized) novels every week.

But if I read one of his books (more slowly) and discuss it with him the next day he can remember masses of detail and can quote vast chunks straight from the text. I usually struggle to remember the names of the main characters and the basic elements of the plot!

Despite this we have both enjoyed reading the book.