Reading:one at a time or not?!

[Sally Day]

My 5yo is reading voraciously which is fine but I'm not sure about the manner of his reading. If reads 2 or 3 Enid Blytons at the same time, dipping in and out of each. He has been known to be listening to an audio book while simultaneously reading a different book too! Has anyone else experienced this and if so, should I tie him down to one at a time or leave him to it?!

[mumto2]

I would not worry as long as his comprehension is good. The main thing with a young reader who is capable of much harder books is providing a bit of a mix level wise. A mix is better. Imo. Also I did not want them to miss the stories a five yr old normally reads(or has read to them) and finds funny. Plus it slowed them down a bit even if it meant frequent library trips. The biggest problem for me was finding appropriate books.

[DoppeltGemoppelt]

I am experiencing the same thing with my twin boys (6). I don't find reading two books should be a reason for concern, but I just can't wrap my head around being able to listen to an audiobook and read a different book at the same time?! I asked my kiddos what each book is about, and they do seem to comprehend both. I would just leave your son to read whichever way he likes, as long as he also comprehends it.

[ebunny]

My DD, now 8, has always had 2-3 books that she reads concurrently and manages to retain information from all the books just fine. I would not worry.

 

 

[lizbusby]

I am experiencing the same thing with my twin boys (6). I don't find reading two books should be a reason for concern, but I just can't wrap my head around being able to listen to an audiobook and read a different book at the same time?! I asked my kiddos what each book is about, and they do seem to comprehend both. I would just leave your son to read whichever way he likes, as long as he also comprehends it.

 

 

Ha, I still do this. :) And I am usually in the middle of at least 2-3 books if not more. It certainly provides interesting synergy--there are some books I've read that are inextricably colored by something unrelated I was reading at the time. I figure, if adults read this way, kids can do it too.

[craftyerin]

I am always in the middle of multiple books, although usually only one that's fiction. I can have many non-fiction books on different topics going at once! As long as he's enjoying it and seems to be comprehending, I see no reason to stop him!

[TracyP]

I, and my kids, also have several books going at a time. I wouldn't worry about it, but I do have to wonder if he is "getting" the books. I don't know how it would be possible to listen to an audiobook and read a book at the same time. I would think that he is not getting much out of one of them. And if he is skipping around so much in the EB books, I wonder if he is not really into any of them. Like I said, I wouldn't worry. One of my kids went through a stage of reading several hundred page books in just a couple hours - he could actually tell me the high points, but I knew he wasn't getting all he could be out of them. I let it go, and he grew out of it.

[clemota]

Same here! Both my girls and I can have several books going at once, although I cannot be listening to one story while reading another. However, my two girls CAN. The eldest is an auditory learner - we have soooooooo many books on CD we have to rotate them through on the iPod. It is rare to enter their room and NOT hear something playing. I think my younger is more of a kinesthetic learner (can't read without moving) but she grew up with big sis' listening habits, so she doesn't seem to have any issue with it.

 

Comprehension, for both, is far above grade level and not an issue. I think it's simply the way they are wired.

 

So I'd say, no, at 5 years, it's not an issue. Let him enjoy what he is doing. You want to encourage that lifelong love of books, not discourage it.

[mathnerd]

My son can read one book by holding it in one hand, fiddle with his legos with another hand while listening to another audiobook. He seems to understand all that he is doing, so I don't interfere! I say, let it go, if you think his comprehension is good.

[shawthorne44]

I started reading multiple books as a kid when i realized it was easier than lugging the books around. Particularly since I read fast, I'd always need a back-up book anyway. Even today. I have my bedtime book, my lunch book, my car audio book, my mp3 player audio book. I've been known to listen to the TV while reading a book. But, I couldn't do an audio book

[bakpak]

I ALWAYS have many books going at once (usually one fiction, multi non-fiction), and we do this with our daughter as well. Frequently there are 2-3 read-alouds ready to have the next chapter read. All depends on everyone's mood and who's doing the reading. My DD also listens to audiobooks while 'reading' other books. How much is she really reading? I honestly don't know. Probably depends on the book. She's probably just flipping through a Magic Tree House book while she's listening to another MTH story, but she's probably reading One Fish Two Fish. I think it's like having a TV on in the background, particularly when she's already heard the audiobook before. Maybe she tunes in at the good part.

 

If the reading is for a specific class assignment, I would make sure your child is focusing on one at a time. If it's during leisure time, let him figure out what works best for him.

 

I think it's good to be aware of what's appropriate reading given your mood. In my opinion, it's better to have multiple reading options and pick up a different book when you need to refresh, than to just put down the book and go complain about being bored. :)

[nov05mama]

My DD, now 8, has always had 2-3 books that she reads concurrently and manages to retain information from all the books just fine. I would not worry.

This. My 7.5 year old always has 2-3 books going at once. He's never had an issue retaining information and manages to keep the books separate somehow.

[Sally Day]

 

 

If the reading is for a specific class assignment, I would make sure your child is focusing on one at a time. If it's during leisure time, let him figure out what works best for him.

 

 

This is what I was thinking of doing. He does seem to have good comprehension and I love that he enjoys wallowing in words but instinct is telling me that reading at least something in a more concentrated way is called for. Maybe I'll pick something a bit easier than his usual choices and assign a time for him to sit and do some official assigned reading. Thanks. Good to know he's not alone! x

[UrbanSue]

I always have several books going at once though my mother did her best to drill it out of me as a kid.

 

My 8yo reads constantly--sometimes several hours a day. He generally has several books going at once and he reads them out of order! Like, just picks up a current favorite, flips open to a random page and starts reading! I totally get if it's a book he is re-reading (and right now, thank goodness, he is a big re-reader or we'd have run out of books long ago) but he'll do it with a mystery he's never read! It makes me crazy to look at him. But I'm the type who always reads the introduction and can't even read a magazine out of order. And ds can always relate the story, in detail and in order so I let it go.

 

That's interesting that some of you say your kids can do an audiobook and read something else at the same time. I always do a read aloud during lunch and by the time I get to the table, ds usually has something else he is reading. I always make him put it away but maybe I'll just see what happens next time. I'm curious.

[bakpak]

An aside:

 

One bonus of home schooling is that you can immediately test your child's comprehension of the story, instead of waiting 3 months when the whole class is finished. I remember doing poorly on quizzes because I would have read the book the first day compared to getting tested months later and hundreds of OTHER books later. I was annoyed that I was expected to remember what color someone's jacket was in a middle chapter of a book I'd read ages ago. Lesson learned was to reread the correct chapters before the quizzes (even then, I missed more than questions than expected). Anyway, I think a lot of comprehension comes down to what type of reader you have and whether they're good at remembering details long afterwards. I'm a big-picture person & a voracious reader, and in all seriousness, a lot of those little details just aren't that important to me, unless they're pivotal points in the story, or I'm having to comb through the text to write a critique.

[Tanikit]

I'd leave him to it - children that age will seldom if ever read a book independently that they are not comprehending because what would the point be - they would not enjoy it and they would stop. So if he's reading multiple books simultaneously then he is definitely getting something from each especially if he actually finishes all of them.

 

My DD has always been reading at least one book while I am reading her two or three others, and if she can manage that then it should be pretty easy for her to manage to read more than one book herself. Usually she has a book that she is reading to me at an instructional level, a book she reads to her sister that is very easy for her (when she chooses to do this) and a book she may read to herself when she chooses. She is not independently reading chapter books yet though - she still wants me there when she reads them so I am not sure what she will choose when she moves to independent chapter book reading.

[shawthorne44]

An aside:

 

One bonus of home schooling is that you can immediately test your child's comprehension of the story, instead of waiting 3 months when the whole class is finished. I remember doing poorly on quizzes because I would have read the book the first day compared to getting tested months later and hundreds of OTHER books later. I was annoyed that I was expected to remember what color someone's jacket was in a middle chapter of a book I'd read ages ago. Lesson learned was to reread the correct chapters before the quizzes (even then, I missed more than questions than expected). Anyway, I think a lot of comprehension comes down to what type of reader you have and whether they're good at remembering details long afterwards. I'm a big-picture person & a voracious reader, and in all seriousness, a lot of those little details just aren't that important to me, unless they're pivotal points in the story, or I'm having to comb through the text to write a critique.

 

 

I always thought those questions weren't really comprehension questions. They were, "Did you really really read the book?"