How often and for how long do you read to your kids? - Page 2

[colsxjack]

Our DD is 3 yrs old.

We read numerous books to her daily. We have done this since she was about 6 or 7 months old. She has always LOVED being read to. We got her her first library card for her 10month "birthday" and she has been an avid user of the library since.

She is taken once a week. She spends about an hour looking at and reading books there. Then we help her choose 10 books to bring home. We then read those books over and over again throughout the week. Plus others that she owns.

She is now in full time daycare. So we do not read as much per day anymore. Although she reads books at daycare.

She gets about 10-20 min in the morning...depending on how getting ready is going. About 10-20 minutes in the evening while dinner is cooking. And about 10 minutes at bedtime.

On the weekend, she will get about 1-2 hours a day reading in.

She LOVES books. She has been into short story books for the past year or year and a half. Still pre-schooler or Kindergarten age.

We haven't tried longer chapter books with her yet. But she may be ready. She is really into the story and also really into book marks and stopping books at points to take it up where she left off earlier.

[mkksmom]

We read to our younger dd at bedtime and as requested throughout the day. My older dd doesn't like to be read to, and requested that we stop reading bedtime stories shortly after she learned to read. I do talk her into it occasionally, but not often. She does love when I come to school and read aloud to her class. It surprises me because she loves reading so much, but hey, we have other things we enjoy together. I will sometimes read the same books she's read and talk with her about it.

I'm a first grade teacher, and teaching reading and writing is what I am most drawn to as a teacher. I don't think that the it's the amount of time per day that you spend reading so much as the quality that makes the difference. Even just 5-10 minutes per day makes a huge difference if it's enjoyable. Having your child on your lap or snuggled in is very important, making the time something to look forward to, talking about the books, things like pointing to the words as you read them from time to time- teaches them that the words on the page supply the meaning. It is also important that they see you enjoying reading your own books. They also say a literature rich environment helps, so basically, books that are easily accessible. We have books in each girls room, books in the play room, family room and living room. My oldest is crazy about reading and almost spends too much time reading sometimes. We have rules for when she is not allowed to read... in parking lots, while walking down the stairs, during family dinners, etc. LOL! I never expected my little one to be so crazy about books too, but she definitely requests to be read to a lot.

I was thinking that the librarian is only seeing the people who actually go to the library. All but one of my Mommy friends read to their kids (most are teachers, so that affects things), but I don't know of any of them who go to the library frequently. Maybe because many of them are teachers-- we tend to have a lot of books at home. I make it to the library 3 or 4 times per year. When I do go to the library, I rarely go to the desk because I typically look up books online before buying/borrowing them, and I do that at home. I like to read the reviews first so I am prepared for the content. Plus, I know a lot of the kids are getting kindles and ereaders and borrowing books that way. I wonder if it's not so much that how much people are reading to their kids is changing as it's how much they need the library that's changing.

[4evermom]

I read 30-60 minutes every night to my 11 yo... However, I have never asked a librarian for book suggestions for him. And when he was young, I preferred picking out books for him from the thrift store to using the library. I could redonate them if we didn't want to keep them and I didn't have to worry about keeping track of them or late fees. He also likes owning nice clean copies that aren't dogeared of his favorite books so I might buy some books when finances aren't too tight.

[zebra15]

My kiddo is 11 and while I don't necessarily read to him anymore, he reads for hours a day.  Our library has 'family' story time on Saturdays for kids who are school age but all story hours are open to any age range.  They also have a reading program where kids can read to a therapy dog. And another program where kids in grades 1-4 can read with a teen volunteer.

The second library system has a Saturday program where kids in grades 1-3 can get tested for reading levels.

When my kiddo was younger we would spend hours reading - yes hours.  He started reading on his own between ages 3-4.  By age 5 he was well into reading chapter books on his own.

I agree that lower income areas need more access to materials and the wealthier areas have the best libraries.  I make a point to go out of my way to visit a library in the 'higher income'section of town.

The children's librarian at this particular library has been great over the years.  My kiddo loves her and she can always give great recommendations for him - from any section of the building!

[skreader]

When we travel on long trips (train, or in airports waiting to change flights) I still sometimes read aloud to both (14 & 16). If my voice gets tired, they take a turn as well. The 14 year-old still enjoys it on a more regular basis, so I read aloud for about 30 minutes almost every evening. We've done a fair amount of Terry Pratchett and now I'm reading some Neal Stephenson to him. He can read fine by himself, it's just something that we enjoy together.

I started reading to my kids when they were babies.

[chaimom]

Perhaps the reason fewer parents are using the library, especially in such an affluent area, is because there are other ways of accessing books nowdays.  All three of my kids have their own Kindles and read on their Kindles.  My dd is only 6 and prefers reading from the Kindle or ipad because she can enlarge the type.  She's a very advanced reader and the large type makes it  easier on her.  Also, we have our own library of hundreds of childrens' books (none with licensed characters!)  I still read to my 10 year old 3 times a week, and I read to my dd every night-- a chapter or two from whichever book we're reading at the time. 

We go to a fabulous childrens' bookstore when we want to bring actual books home.  There's one great library within 20 minutes, but it's out of the way.  The closer library has really cranky staff.  So...   I think it's possible a lot more parents are reading than the librarians know about. 

[limabean]

We read to our kids (ages 4 and 7) daily. DS7 is a very good reader and can easily read all his favorite chapter books on his own, but he still likes being read to, and DH and I enjoy reading to him. We read him a chapter or two of whatever book he's reading every night at bedtime -- maybe half an hour or so. With DD4, she picks out one or two picture books before bedtime. 

We also read here and there throughout the day if they ask, or sometimes DS will read to DD. 

I think it's important to still read to older kids -- I have such fond memories of my parents reading to me even when I was perfectly capable of reading by myself. 

[phathui5]

We read to the kids nightly before bed for 10-20 minutes. There is often a read-aloud time during the day as part of our homeschooling (10-15 min); I'd say about 3-4 days a week. Also, our older, literate children spend anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours a day reading to themselves.

[OkiMom]

I have 3 children, 5, 3, and 1, we also home school so it probably makes a difference

I read 2-3 chapters during "school" time each day. We read as many picture books as the children want (usually between 10-20 a day if not more). Bedtime I read another 1-2 chapters from a chapter book. We do scripture time as a family each morning and afternoon. Then we do school work.. So, A TON. My children love me reading to them and I love to read to them.

ETA: my children aren't required to sit still for me to read to them. They are usually playing while I read although I do require them to be in the same room At first I thought "this is useless why am I doing it" but they actually retain the story BETTER when they are physically active while I read.. After one particularly hard day when they didn't want to sit still I put the book down and my oldest got upset since she wanted to know what happened to the little girl when she got to the garden. I didn't think she was listening at all but she was. Also, part of the reason I read to them is so that they hear the language/sentence structure to help their speech. I can see a huge difference with my younger two that Ive read to a LOT compared to my oldest at their age. I'm pretty sure a good part of it is they hear language all the time since I read to them so much.

[NYCVeg]

Originally Posted by JudiAU 

My kids are 3 and 5.

I usually go to a particularly good library near work for an adjacent city to where live. Their collection is superior and their staff is really really good. It seems to be the rare library these days that actual staffs the desk with the good children's librarians rather than librarians hiding in the back with useless aids at the front. (Full disclosure: I am a librarian in a specialized field totally unrelated to children's literature.)

So I was asking for various recommendations on a couple of specific topics for my 5 year old. I wanted some interesting uses of numbers or math or money, not for teaching a specific concept necessarily just to enjoy them and I excluded the three we had; I wanted a couple of "adventure stories" broadly defined and mentioned two that he really likes which are sophisticated and require discussion but are excellent; and I wanted some sort of book featuring handiwork or community-value sharing.

At the end of the discussion she blurted out that she was baffled by my requests because she and some of the librarians had come to the conclusion the other day that people simply weren't reading books to their kids anymore. Most of the material getting checked out from their seriously awesome collection was junk or media; people complained about the lack of licensed material daily; they rarely got involved parents asking for anything of merit that wasn't directly related to school work; and once kids could read for themselves at any level parents just... dropped...out. I get that she was venting a bit and actually apologized a few minutes later but it really gave me pause. If this is the best local collection with the best local staff what are the crummy libraries experiencing?

We go to our local library at least once a week. They actually don't even have a children's librarian on the weekend any more (although they do during the week). The collection definitely gets good use, though. There are always kids there reading on their own or with their parents, and I frequently see the circulation folks downstairs processing big stacks of children's books. We usually have 10-20 books checked out at a time and one gets recalled once a week or so, so people are clearly interested in specific books. Because we live in a big city, there are other branch libraries nearby and we go to others--the story hours are always hopping and I always see parents and kids reading and checking out books.

We lived for two years in the suburbs in another state and the library there was gorgeous and ALWAYS super busy. Parents would bring canvas bags and check out 15 or 20 books at a time. And this was in an affluent area where people could certainly afford to buy books. The library we used to frequent in another large city was also always busy. I saw/see people checking out DVDs in all of these locations, but the books are definitely the main draw. 

In any case, to answer your question: we read aloud to dd (6) daily. The amount of time varies considerably, depending on what else we're doing that day--could be 15 minutes, could be an hour. She also reads aloud to us pretty much every day. 

[thatgirliknew]

I have a six year old and a three year old. The six year old son is with me half-time and in a public school. My three year daughter old is with me all the time and not in school.

Me and my daughter read probably an hour a day when I am not in school (Friday - Sunday). I just sit down by the bookshelf reading my own book and she will wander over and pick up book after book from the bookshelf for me to read. I don't really set the time, but it usually ends up being about an hour. When I am in school, we end up with about a half hour a day just because we have less time (she's at a sitter's for about six hours).

When my son is here, it's the same way as when it's just me and my daughter, PLUS he usually has a short book for homework and then a book from the library that he reads to us, and then on the weekends, he reads a couple of our books to us. So on those days, probably an hour to an hour and half.

We go to the library about once a week when I'm in school, and almost daily when I'm not in school.

[contactmaya]

every night for about 30mins

[contactmaya]

ps. since ds1, who is 7, was able to read, he does some of the reading at night. He often reads to his brother of his own accord.

[Storm Bride]

With ds1, we didn't read out loud to him all that often. Life was crazy and stupid, and I don't do bedtime books (I sing at bedtime...always have). When dh and I got together, we read to ds1 for a while. I remember we did The Hobbit, about a chapter per night, but I can't remember what else. Shortly after I got pregnant with dd1, we moved and fell out of the habit.
 

I used to read to dd1 (9) for about an hour, three times per week, plus a little bit here and there. We don't read that much, anymore, but I still try to read to her a few times a week.

When ds2 is willing to put up with me reading to him, I read him a chapter or so of a book. This doesn't happen very often.

I read to dd2 on a sporadic basis. Basically, whenever she brings me a pile of board books, I read them all, two or three or four times. That can be once a week, or three times a day.

DH also reads to the kids at bedtime (before I go say goodnight) most nights.

We'd probably read more, but ds2 objects pretty strongly most of the time, and I don't want reading to be a fight. It's honestly never been my biggest priority, though. I never really liked having people read to me, and I don't really like reading out loud. I'll do it, but it's not on my list of favourite things to do.

[tropicana]

DD is 6 and a reader; DS is 3 and interested. 

i have DD read 5-6 books to me every night before bed. it's a ritual. i push her to read books that are a little challenging, and help her with the harder words. usually 1-2 she doesn't get on each page; it's good for kids learning to read to encounter new words and need help with them. she totally trusts me, and is learning to read very well with a strong vocabulary. her brother likes to listen and point to the pictures. sometimes he asks her to read to him.

after DD finishes her reading, she (and her brother) get to pick a book or two that i will read to them. this is her "relaxation" time. she doesn't have to do the work and can just sit back and look at the pictures, follow along, ask questions, etc. this is my opportunity to show enthusiasm for reading, demonstrate how to read with inflection and keep it interesting. if we have time, they keep bringing me more books. if it's not a school night, we might do a full hour or more of reading. sometimes though we are pressed because i like to have them in bed by 9 on school nights or the next morning is very difficult.

i don't see this arrangement ending any time soon. i suppose there will come a time that she doesn't want me to read to her? but no time soon. that's good! i enjoy it.

ps: we have an awesome library. a poor mostly minority suburb.

pss: i am studying education and have read that being read to is socioeconomic -- those from higher levels may experience being read to like 25,000 hours before going to school starts. while those who are poor may have only 100 hours of being read to.

just another of the many disparities that divide students who are ready to learn from those who need remediation from the beginning...

[Vermillion]

With my 10 month old- Every day. As often and for as long as he stays interested. He'll bring me books now when he wants to read, so that's nice. But the attention span is short lately... and he often just wants to snatch the book away and look by himself. But it's all good. All book time is time well spend

My 10 year old- Rarely, these days He likes to read on his own. I miss reading with him!!

[contactmaya]

My 9mth old usually just wants to chew and pull and salivate all over her books. But thats ok because shes getting the benefit of my reading to her 4yo and 7yo, they also like to read to her. 4yo pretends to read to her. We all lie in a heap while i nurse her and read to them.

I guess the reading to kids routine must change as  they get older. My 7yo loves to read, but he also loves being read to. Im not sure how this will evolve as he gets older. I like our  nightly routine of reading. 

[gonyere]

I (or DH) read to the boys every night before bed with rare exceptions (ie when they fell asleep downstairs or in the car or were up late finishing a movie or something), I usually read till DS1 falls asleep, and then a couple more books to DS2 (who almost never falls asleep while I'm reading...), so anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more, entirely dependent on how late it is and how tired they/we are :)

I also read throughout the day to them whenever they ask, and would like to get in the habit of reading more during the day, maybe when DS1 gets home from school for example. :shrug: (mornings are usually *WAY* too rushed...)

[Wolfcat]

I take away books as punishment cuz it's so effective. I had to limit bedtime books to two per day. It went up to 10 per night at one time. Currently I don't usually read too much of the Kira's books. My ds does the reading and I help out with big words. Then I get to read my stuff...

[MrsGregory]

I leave a selection of books out for her so she can ask me to read one any time she wants.  This results in me reading the same book 17 times in a row, though, so I'm really re-thinking my method.

Also, she HATES the Nutbrown Hare books.  Mama is sad.