8 Yr Old Reading

My daughter is 10 and in the gifted program as well and she prefers these types of books too sometimes. I was told by a counselor that this is perfectly normal and fine. They read these books because they are comforting and familiar and to focus on her just reading...reading anything.

I'm of the opinion that all reading is good reading. Just because I read well doesn't mean I need to read War & Peace-type books all the time. Sometimes a sensless magazine is just the ticket. One of the best teachers any of my kids had said for every on-level book they finish let them pick 2 that they want. Even bright kids like comic books sometimes.

In the summer I ask my kids to read whatever they want. I don't care the level they read, they just need to keep reading - it can be a cereal box. They will usually read trivia books, Guinness Book of World Records or non-fiction books.

Hi B.,

I think it is great that you want to encourage your daughter to read books that are closer to her reading level. That will help improve her reading comprehension and vocabulary. Too often, counselors and other well-meaning individuals say that it's okay for gifted kids to not be challenged because when compared with their same age peers they are doing well. But gifted children (like all kids) need to be challenged to improve themselves.

My oldest is almost 9 and gifted also. He loves the short easy books and often grows impatient with longer books that take some time to get into. What I do with my son is let him read the books he wants to for fun. Then we go together with him to pick out something that is more at his level. We read it together at bedtime, trading off pages or chapters depending on how the book is set up. After a few nights, he's into the story and generally finishes it on his own (then I need to read it on my own to see what I missed!). I think this has helped him to develop a bit more patience and has led to him reading more challenging books without any help from me.....he's read the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, and even the first two books of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (he's also discovered that he loves fantasy books)!

I think the key is to find ways to encourage and challenge your child without ever making her feel pressured. Good luck!!

It's similar to you or I choosing to read a magazine or a romance novel instead of War and Peace. Sure we could read a classic novel but sometimes you're just not in the mood and would rather relax with an easy, quick read.

Ask her what she like about the books. If she likes the mystery aspect of the A to Z mysteries try to find a higher level mystery writer for her to try.

Good luck,
K.

I love to read too, and sometimes I like to read books that I have read in the past just becasue I enjoy them so much- maybe she just likes the stories. Though she can read books for older children; she still enjoys the stories that other 8 year olds would enjoy which would be the wimpy kids and A-Z mysteries.
I am sure you have, but you can take her to the library and talk to the librarian. Your daughter could tell her the types of books she likes and the librarian can recommend some books for her reading level.
You are so lucky to have a child that loves to read....my son can read well- but hates it!

It's fine for her to read those; she won't stick with them forever. It took years for my 9 year old to finally read good chapter books at his own level (he learned to read at 4, but for a long time avoided chapter books altogether). He read comic books for ages and ages and I just kept supplying them, and didn't comment.

He started reading chapter books when I found funny ones, because that was really important to him. Humor was his hook. Then my husband started reading harder books to him, and that got him launched.

I'd give her time. Try reading harder books to her at bedtime, and make sure she has plenty of good reading material around (I go to the library weekly to stock up).

As someone who grew-up in the gifted programs from the age of 8 on, I'd personally say ANY kind of reading is good. If she only focuses on a certain length of book or genre, it may get old and undesirable. But, if she mixes it up with her old books, she may be revisiting fond memories, reading from a different point of view, or using more of her imagination in going through the stories again.

My husband is much more an avid reader than I am (I am slow and conversational in my reading), and he just wants the kids to develop the love of it.

I'd offer her as many options as possible to continue to foster and encourage her love of reading. If you force her in one direction, she may begin to resent it and move away from it all together.

I have certain genres I prefer (more science based), my husband has others. We have an eclectic mix that we'll encourage our kids to explore as they get older.

Don't forget to let her be an age-appropriate kid, too. I feel like my parents made me miss a lot of my childhood by trying to get me toys/gifts that were more conducive to my intellect than letting me just be a kid sometimes. If she's truly gifted, she'll have the curiousity and drive to continue to push herself on her own.

Good luck and congratulations on having an exceptional child.

My daughter is in second grade. At her school they have reading specialists work with all the children on their specific reading level. When I had some similar concerns as you do the reading specialist told me that it is good for me to allow my daughter to spend plenty of time reading books that are easy for her. This helps to encourage their enjoyment of reading and builds their confidence and fluency. It also helps build their reading comprehension as they don't have to work so hard to actually read the words so they can focus more on the story. The reading specialist recommended that my daughter read easier books that she enjoys every day independently and read at or a little above her reading level with me for a little while every day. It works for my daughter as she is continuing to improve on all areas of her reading skills.

I would not take those books away, but rather make other books available as well. Maybe if you pick a book and read it to her at night (or whenever) to spark her interest in something more challenging. Also, you could start a reward program (or whatever you want to call it) for reading.
Maybe a simple book is one sticker, a more difficult one 2 stickers, and one at her level is 3 stickers. Once she has received a set # of stickers she will receive a reward as determined by you and her.

My fear would be that if you take away her 'comfortable' books, you might turn her off of reading altogether. Right now she still reads for enjoyment, and you do not want to jeopordize that!

Perhaps you could also talk to her teacher? Maybe her teacher could recommend something to her. Sometimes these kiddos take suggestions from someone other than parents a little better. My kids do. Good luck.

B., My 1st grade, gifted child was reading all picture books that were at his 5th grade lexile rating. I volunteer at school with his teacher once a week. So last week, after the kids went to their art class, the teacher and I looked up age-appropriate books that are his lexile. Not finding any in the scholastic computer program in her room, we went to the library together to find 2 books that are age appropriate, a little lower in lexile level, and still advanced in grade level rating. Confusing? Go in and talk to you child's teacher about your concerns and they are happy to work with you. We found a great book about Gorfman T. Frog that my child absolutely loved...and would never have picked due to the lower lexile level.

Good luck!!

Just because she can read at a higher level does not mean that her interest has caught up with that level! There are different kinds of reading... she is reading books of her choice for pleasure just as we as adults make our own choices of books to read for pleasure. We want our children to always have that desire to read. Reading those books is not going to harm her. She is probably reading higher level books at school. However, she would probably benefit from some higher level reading at home too. I would suggest reading a higher level reading book with her out loud. You could read a page to her and then she could read a page to you. That way you can help her with the more challenging words and more challenging subject matter! This may spur her to choose more challenging books in the future.

I don't think you should ever make the books unavailable to her. It sounds like she loves to read and you really don't want to do anything to ruin that. I'd have her read 20 mins 4 times a week a book you feel is at the right level, but other than that, let her read what she wants. Remember even though she may be gifted she is still only 8!

My daughter was the same way earlier this school year. It was a faze due to her rebelling against an authority figure. In other words she was looking at one of the lower books and the librarian walked by and fussed at her. Being the tough littleb girl I know she is. She checked that book out anyway and made apoint of checking out one at that level every few days. Eventually the librarian left her alone and she went back to reading books above her level. Your daughter may be going thru something similar. Maybe if you don't make a big issue of her choices right now she will go back to her level on her own. Its worth a try

Our daughter was a very good reader. In the first grade, she was on a sixth grade reading level. The program that they used at school did not alllow her to read on any level, only the level that she was on. She had no interest in many chapter books or books on a sixth grade level and many of them talked about boy friends and things she (and I) was not ready for her to learn. She was interested in age appropriate books and even books with pictures. She began to hate reading, because it was no longer enjoyable to her. It became something she had to do. I talked to her teacher and even had to go to the principal to get them to allow her to read on different levels. But, the damage was already done and she no longer loved reading the way that she had. So, from experience, I would let her read what she enjoys so that she may grow up to enjoy reading. It's a wonderful gift and shouldn't be a chore. Best wishes!

HI B.,

I agree that sometimes things that are more grade appropriate are not necessarily age appropriate. You may want to go to the Christian book store and let her look through things like novel series. The Janet Oke series is perfectly acceptable to all ages and I even know men in their 20s that like it....There are novels on space, cowboys, mysteries, etc and she is bound to find something there and if she likes one she has a whole series to go through. I wouldn't take away her "comfort" reading. I'd just give her an additional outlet.

Just a thought!

M.

Whether she's highly skilled at reading or struggling, reading MUST be fun or she won't do it, so I wouldn't stress too much about it. Let her read what she wants for fun.

Do they have an Accelerated Reading Program at her school? With AR, students' reading levels are tested and they are assigned a certain range of books based on that level. That will keep her in the correct range for her reading level.

My sister, who lives in Finland, raised her kids to be bilingual. But they lived in Finland, so Finnish was easier for the kids to read. My sister wanted to encourage her kids to read something in English, so she started reading a Harry Potter book to them. Just when it was getting exciting, she stopped and told them they had to finish it on their own. They did. The kids thought they were hot stuff because they could get and read the English versions of the Harry Potter books WAY before they became available in Finnish. All their friends were jealous because they had to wait months for the translation.

Just because she CAN read certain books doesn't mean she SHOULD. She is still only 8 and probably doesn't enjoy or relate to the content in books at a 5th grade level. Check out your local library-I know our library has a series of books specific to older/struggling readers. Maybe they have series for younger/advanced readers where the topics might be more appealing to your daughter. Good luck!

How great that your daughter is gifted and loves to read! However, I think it would be horrible to take away the books that she loves just because you think they're not at her level. Let her keep those books! What I plan to do with my daughter, when the time comes (she's only 6 now) is to introduce books I loved as a kid that I hope will fire her up too! Maybe you can read those books with her and see if they spark a fire!

At my daughter's school they have a program called "Accelerated Reader" where they test your child's reading level, then have sections of books for that reading level. I think they give incentives for reading lots of books! My daughter is in kindergarten and is reading. She's been reading for 2 years now, actually. Her teacher doesn't believe in testing kindergartners, so my daughter won't be using that program until next year. That's fine by me! I like her not to be pressured to read certain books and am glad that she can pick what she wants to read at home. She's been known to plow through chapter books in a couple of hours! I'm just not ready to move her up to more novel-like books because I don't think she has the contextual sophistication for them yet. I really don't want to have to explain the civil war (Little Women) or manifest destiny (Little House on the Prarie) just yet! LOL!

But does your school have a program like that? It might be great to get you child to expand herself a bit.

C.
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