At what age do you stop reading to them at night?

[rainbowinthesky]

We stopped reading to ds around 7 as dd was born. DD is now 6 1/2 and we used to read loads to her before bed but recently I'll read one chapter of what ever she is reading at the time. THis last week or so I've stopped reading to her altogether although she enjoys it still.

Frankly after 13 1/2 years of reading childrens books at nights I no longer want to read another child's book ever.

My friend has a ds who is nearly 8 and still reads to him each night and thinks I'm a bit mean.

Just wondering what age people generally stop?

My ds1 is 11 and I still read to him! We both enjoy it and have no plans to stop.

My children are 6 and 4 and I envisage reading to them for a while yet but as they are closer together I will have fewer years of it. I have cut back on how much I was reading as it was going on for ages and I was getting fed up.

I think my mum read to me until I was about 10 or so but can't really remember.

My DS is 11 and my DD is 8. I still read to them on school nights as it's part of the bedtime routine that's been going on since they were babies.

I'm sure that at some point one or other of them will say "Actually, dad, I'd rather just go to bed" which will be fine but a bit for me as I look forward to it.

I have an advanced (relatively) 7 year old who can read but likes me to read to her at night, and a delayed four year old. They need a totally different story due to the age/ability gap. so every night, i am dashing from room to room reading to both of them.

I read somewhere that you shouldn't punish your child for being able to read by not reading to them, but i hear you. my evenings get shorter and shorter .... i am thinking of introducing a 'i'll read to you three nights a week' system...

DS is 10 and DS2 is 7 and DH & I still read to both of them. IN the case of DS1 we tend to read together and have a bit of a chat about the book/ story/issues etc.

if you don't want to read at night, then maybe you could try sitting around for half an hour in the evening on the settee, just reading together.
if you pick something appropriate to your dd's reading age, then she could read some and you read some, take it in turns.
maybe she could do the voices and you do the narration.

dd1 is 9 and I have just started treading to her again after stopping, not be design just sort of happened, at about 5

she kept asking and I kept saying no
casue I just wasn't doing anything....

but now I have kicked myself and I read a story to the little two together(they share a room)

and then read about a chapter of a long book for dd

we are on Pippi Longstocking at the mo

she has always been a very good reader
reads tons and tons so I guess that could be why I stopped reading to her

like fulltimechoredodger said

I shouldn't punish her for being really good at reading

having someon read to youo is totally different and its time she gets to be with me one to one

I listen to her read for a little bit and then she carries on reading to herself.

I still read to dd who is 8 but some nights she reads on her own.

I wish I'd never asked now! I thought you were all goign to say you'd stopped years ago!!

I read rather irregularly but that has less to do with age and more to do with the fact that they are all sooo late to bed these days (mind you that is to do with age - ie late activities, Cubs, karate etc).

But if we are here I read, regardless. It might be The Hobbit or it might be Where oh Where is Kipper's Bear. DC are 10, 8, 6 btw.

I love reading to them tho. I reckon if you (or they) are no longer enjoying it then it's time to stop.

Around 7-8 I think. We stopped when the kids told us they'd prefer to read on their own .

7 to 8 here as well. As soon as they would get stuck into a book on their own.
It was a relief after years and years of the bedtime story routine.
I look back at it nostalgically now though.

Mine are nearly 8, 4 and almost 2. The youngest doesn't sit still long enough so doesn't get a look in but the other 2 are always read to. I've no intention of stopping anytime soon - I'd really miss it.

There are some great children's books out there esp now dd is reading chapter books. We've moved on from Clarice Bean (brilliant!) to Jacqueline Wilson and classics I never read as a child like The Secret Garden. Currently reading Bombs over Aunt Dainty (sequel to When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit). Wish I'd scanned that one a bit first actually as I had to whizz through a brief reference to making love last night - don't think dd noticed!

Having said that, I love reading ds's picture books too. I'm so pleased there are people out there reading to 11 year olds - it looks like I may have a few years left yet!

DD is 12 soon and dh reads to her every night. Half the time he gets her to read to him - whichever it is they talk about the story, they put on the voices.

We already don't mention it to her friends so I'm guessing in the next year or so it will stop.

Because dh gets home from work quite late the 20 minutes or so he spends doing it is his connection to her for the day.

As for reading different books to different children, the way I do it is that I read for 20min or so to DD with her choice of book first. During that time DS is having a shower and getting ready for bed. Then I tuck DD into bed and read to DS for the same amount of time.

All reading is done in my bedroom - they snuggle under the duvet and I can stretch out on top in comfort DD has separate books for when she's reading by herself and the ones that I read to her. It's her choice - currently she's reading Clarice Bean by herself but getting me to read Journey to the River Sea to her. DS will just get me to read him a chapter of whatever he's reading at the time (Terry Pratchett at the mo). He says he likes the different voices I do.

We tend to stop when they are about ten and getting ready for secondary school tbh.Our youngest dd is 7 and it feels like something I am really going to miss when it comes to an end so may well read to her for even longer

I do not think there is an age when you have to stop, as long as all parties are enjoying it.

We do not do it every evening anymore but enjoy doing it. Lately I got back some boks from my childhood (in french) the Dcs understand french but appart from dd1 (11yo) cannot really read it so it is nice to read it for them.

or to them rather.

Well, I am currently reading Lord of the Rings to my nearly 10yo and the 13yo listens in too. But then I enjoy reading aloud, so it's hardly something I do because I have to. My dad still reads aloud to the extended family at Christmas.

Another one who still reads to the dc at night. They are nearly 8, nearly 6 and just 3.

I was read to until I was 12 or 13, because my mum and I really enjoyed it. We both have really fond memories of dying to be able to get up to bed so we could find out what happened in the Narnia stories.

Sometimes I feel too tired to read or it's getting too late, but I find the dc always settle better if they've had a quick story before bed.

Sometimes I read a different story (or chapter) to each child then the others can choose either to listen to it, or wait until its their turn. Or, particularly if we're pushed for time, they have to decide between them what they want. Often then it's Babar or a Hans Christian Anderson story, or a Greek myth or something.

They read to me too - sometimes we take it chapter about or read like a play so one reads the dialogue for one character and one reads another, and I'm the narrator. Obviously the 3 year old can't read yet, but she gets to join in as well!

Always meant to read to them but was generally too tired after working all day.

DH was similarly shattered if he was around (he is often working abroad).

I think we both found it rather boring TBH and hence it wasn't a priority.

Children are both high flying academically now so it didn't do them too much harm.

Of course they may need years in therapy who knows.

I know what you mean about getting bored, OP. I have been bored rigid by reading Thomas the Tank, Angelina Bloody Ballerina, and Disney princess annuals.

But now dd is nearing 7, I am looking forward to reading to her because I want to read -

1. books I remember reading myself such as Charloote's Web, The Secret Garden, Pippi Longstocking etc
2. books I never read as a child but wish I had, such as Alice in Wonderland, Narnia books, more recent Roald Dahl that hadn't been writen when I was a child, etc

Occasionally I feel upstaged (not difficult!) by Stephen Fry as my dc listen to the Harry Potter cd/ tapes from the library. And we all listen to the Roald DAhl collection in teh car.

But last night I read ds's (7) World Book day to him and found it really hard - anyone else get the Samuri one?!

well, I'll read to them as long as they want me to, I suppose. dd1 was scared for me to find out she could read, in case I would stop reading to her! Even though she can read, I think she likes to have me read to her too. It also means she can check on the meaning of words she wasn't sure about when she read it, and gives her someone to talk to about what's happening in her book! She is 6, but I can't see her wanting to stop any time soon. Our youngest 2 also love being read to. It's a big part of the routine in this family- my dad, my DH and I are on a reading rota!