Can an 8 year old read "too much"?

[LindaR]

I used to get in trouble for "reading so much" when I was growing up. My mom yelled at me all the time! Funny thing......I would be sitting on the sofa and right next to me in "his" chair would be my daddy.........reading!

I read to my baby (in my tummy) all through my pregnancy, read to her daily from the moment she came home from the hospital, read to her each night before bed and when she was 4 and learned to read.....she read to ME each night before bed and she has loved reading all her life! She is a junior in college now and really has no problem questioning anything or anyone because she has the knowledge to 'back up" her arguments with facts.

I work FOR a very sucessful author.....so obviously "all that reading" has done me a bit of good!!!

Are you a bit afraid your daughter will be "smarter" than you? Gosh, isn't that what we, as parents, HOPE for? Smarter, happier, more sucessful?

Look around for small bookshops......the kind where they have used books. That was a savior for me! I could trade all my books for store credit and the books I bought cost a tenth of buying them new!

 

[Papa Deuce]

I used to get in trouble for "reading so much" when I was growing up. My mom yelled at me all the time! Funny thing......I would be sitting on the sofa and right next to me in "his" chair would be my daddy.........reading!

I read to my baby (in my tummy) all through my pregnancy, read to her daily from the moment she came home from the hospital, read to her each night before bed and when she was 4 and learned to read.....she read to ME each night before bed and she has loved reading all her life! She is a junior in college now and really has no problem questioning anything or anyone because she has the knowledge to 'back up" her arguments with facts.

I work FOR a very sucessful author.....so obviously "all that reading" has done me a bit of good!!!

Are you a bit afraid your daughter will be "smarter" than you? Gosh, isn't that what we, as parents, HOPE for? Smarter, happier, more sucessful?

Look around for small bookshops......the kind where they have used books. That was a savior for me! I could trade all my books for store credit and the books I bought cost a tenth of buying them new!

Heck no!!! As I have stated here, my only concern is that she seems to be wanting to read more, and play / exercise less as time goes on.....

 

[Crystal0608]

My dd (9) reads between 80-300 pages per school night. She's in 4th grade and has been reading like this since 2nd. In 2nd they have AR tests and she started reading one book per night and checking out books with higher points because she is very competitive in academics by her choice. She had the highest points in her grade, because if someone got close to her points, she had her nose in a book even more. She slacked off a bit in 3rd since they press the EOG tests and only read a couple books a week. Now, this year she frequently brings home 300 page books and finishes them in one night even it's past her bedtime and she is only required to read 20 minutes a night for homework. She just got into AIG this year and tested as reading on a 6-7th grade level on some point scale in 3rd, so I think for my dd letting her read as much as she wants is a good thing.

 

[FergieTCat]

I was a voracious reader as a kid and now I'm one as an adult. As far as I can tell, no harm done.

My mother is/was a "reader" as well.

My one daughter is a voracious reader at 8 years old. Beside reading what she needs to for school, I would estimate that she reads an additional 600 - 1000 pages of books a week. Mostly this is Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew type stuff, but she also reads Narnia and a few other similar style books.

She does do things away from reading... she takes tennis lessons and has play dates... She also goes to the playground to play with kids... I take her swimming at the Y once or twice a week.

My only concern, really, is that as she gets older she reads even more every week it seems. BTW, it is not uncommon for her to head to her bedroom at 7PM and read until 9:30.... her bedtime.

Think that is too much reading for an 8 year old?

 

[taylor3297]

As long as her reading isn't interfering with her other things. I used to teach middle school math and each year there was always one or two students who would hide their books in their lap while I was teaching. I would have to take their books from them until the end of class. If a child could read during class and still ace a test, then I would compact and/or differentiate that childs lesson because they needed to be challenged more.

 

[Papa Deuce]

As long as her reading isn't interfering with her other things. I used to teach middle school math and each year there was always one or two students who would hide their books in their lap while I was teaching. I would have to take their books from them until the end of class. If a child could read during class and still ace a test, then I would compact and/or differentiate that childs lesson because they needed to be challenged more.

Well, I have no idea whether she could do that, but I know she wouldn't even try. She is the type that will 100% follow what the teacher tells her to do to the best of her ability.

I do know that so far this year, her lowest grade in anything was a 92%....

Her twin sister gets the same grades but is more well rounded.... she wants to do sports and cheerleading.

 

[mjkacmom]

I used to read like that - still do! My mom would come into my room every hour and tell me to go to bed, but sometimes she let me miss school, because I didn't sleep at all (Stephen King was my favorite in 6th grade). I ran into my 6th grade reading teacher over the summer (I'm 42), and she said "I hope you're still reading!" Unfortunately, my kids aren't big readers. I don't think liking to read makes you a genius, however - my older kids IQ is in the gifted range (according to the results the GT teacher gave me), and higher than mine. However, reading WILL make you a better writer.

 

[Deb in IA]

Gaston: [flicking through the pages of Belle's book] How can you read this? There's no pictures!

Belle: [laughs] Well, some people use their imagination.

Gaston: [tossing the book aside] Belle, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things. Like me. The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts gettings ideas, and thinking...

Belle: Gaston, you are positively primeval.

Gaston: Why, thank you, Belle!

 

[disneychrista]

My 16yo reads a lot too. She takes a book with her everywhere.

As long as she is active and doing other activities, don't worry about it. Most kids her age are probably watching TV during the evening hours she is reading.

 

[Arielle22]

My 16 yr old dd is the same way. She loved Harry Potter so much we bought her a HP Ipod (had a design on the back) and the audio books on it. She would listen to one book while reading another HP book.

She took a HP book with her when we went camping. The book got wet and the binding came apart. My brother gave her another copy for her birthday and she told him "I don't deserve this book after what I did".

She completes her schoolwork and chores then reads. I figure it is much better than the social networking sites burning up her time.

I am also a reader. I read 1 book every 2 days on my commute. I have been dropping hints to DH that I would like a Kindle for Christmas! That is my idea of heaven.

 

[padams]

reading ruins your eyes. almost everyone who likes to read wears glasses.

Mikeeee

:

I was a voracious reader as a child. By the end of high school, I was near sighted and had to wear glasses to see movies, drive, etc. Now as an adult, I have a vision focal point of 18 inches, the distance one holds a book to read. Anything beyond 18 inches is a blur. My opthamologist says that readers like me are his retirement annuity.