When did you stop read alouds?

[Cottonwood]

My kids are 11 and 13 and just really dislike being read to.  Both are veracious readers and read many books per week outside of schoolwork.  But we stopped reading to them about 4 years ago after failed attempts to keep their minds from wandering through FOUR books.  They've even always chose the books to read but it finally fizzled out.  We finally just ended it.  They both claim their minds work way too fast to stay interested.  I know there's probably a really good reason to keep it up but I was secretly glad.  I am so 'talked out' by the end of every school day as it is.  lol  But anyway, I see many are still reading to theirs at this age.

 

How do you keep their interest and if you have stopped, when? 

[Dagne]

I greatly dislike listening to someone read aloud and haven't pushed it with my kids as they've gotten older. My oldest (13) still asks Dh to read to him most nights, but our other boys stopped listening when they were about 7. We do read aloud here and there during the school day (plays, poems, excerpts, etc.), which they don't seem to mind. 

[LindaOz]

Well, I don't know. Reading aloud is part of our family culture. My 19yo still likes it. :-)

[mom2att]

I still read to my boys because they are not strong readers, but I dislike reading aloud.  I stopped reading to my daughter when she was, I don't know, six?  She was and is a voracious reader, and neither she nor I enjoy being read to.  We'd rather just read.  So don't feel guilty about giving it up--not every likes listening to someone else read.

 

 

[trudence1]

It matters how much they like it. My 13 year old still asks us to read to him. My mom read to us through high school. I wouldn't force my kids past 12 if they hated it

[horsellian]

I don't intend to ever give it up - but then my DH and I have read aloud to each other (alternating chapters) since before we were married!

[Mommyfaithe]

I read to them until they move out 😬. However, they are not forced to be part of read aloud after they are around 10 or 11. So far, only one of my kids opts out... And he is totlybtight about it. He can not stay focused and learns way more reading himself. When we are done with a book, he can have it!

[regentrude]

When my kids told me they preferred to read by themselves. Probably some time in elementary, although I read longer in our family language, because the kids don't like to read that by themselves.

We still listened to audiobooks together in the car, hours and hours of it.

[Luckymama]

We stopped readalouds in third grade (ish). My kids and I are all very quick readers and prefer to read at our own pace.

 

Audiobooks are popular at bedtime and on long car trips :)

[Rebel Yell]

:leaving:

 

I almost never did read alouds. I despise them, and my kids & DH hate them as well.

 

Worked OK enough for us- we have kids who read and are doing well in school & life.

[Cottonwood]

Thanks for the input.  I don't feel so bad now.  :laugh: 

 

Regarding audio books.. same thing!  We went on a 9 hr trip recently and everybody agreed to go pick out audio books.  We went to the library and everybody got to choose something.  They were super excited about them.  Somewhere in the trip we popped in one of them, I'm in the front seat loving the story.  About an hour in, I look in the back seat and BOTH kids have their noses in the real books they brought and DD has her headphones in to block out the sound of the audio book while she reads.  :lol:  yeah, I guess it's not their thing. 

[FloridaLisa]

Only when they graduate. :)  

 

Actually, though, it's gotten harder and harder for my junior/seniors in high school to join in our read alouds because they are usually have several evenings out or homework of their own to do.  But we still listen to books on tape in the car and especially on trips.  We all love that.  

 

But, generally, we read aloud all the way up.  When I'm tired, I just opt for a book on tape. 

 

Lisa

[OneStepAtATime]

If they are reading a ton on their own and have zero interest in read-alouds I don't see any benefit to forcing them to listen to a read-aloud, unless that is the only way to get them exposure to reading material of any quality at all.  Then, you might try a read aloud selection once a month or so while they are occupied doing physical things of interest to them (construction, painting, etc.)

 

As to your original question, "when do you stop read-alouds?", that depends entirely on the individuals and the family.  My 10 and 14 year old still love read-alouds but I didn't at 14.  I read many, many books on my own and had no patience for someone reading aloud to me unless it was some short story that they found really interesting and were reading it me while I was busy doing something else, like drawing or building something.  My SIL and her kids still like read-alouds and they are in their 20's.

 

If you are seeking family time where you are all sharing something that has some depth, perhaps you could listen to a radio play together?

[HS Mom in NC]

When they started college.

 

If their minds are working so fast I suspect the content isn't challenging enough. Try some Richard Feynman or Tolkien's Beowulf or Anathem by Stephenson or Ender's Game by Card.

 

They're always allowed to do something while we read aloud-arts and crafts, construction kits, gymnastics on the mat, etc.

Maybe you should pick something different.  Sometimes kids pick their pet topics and are so familiar with them they tune out.

 

 

[LivingHope]

If you're interested in reading about reading aloud, I recommend Alice Ozma's The Reading Promise. The author tells how her father read aloud to her every night from fourth grade until college because they made a promise to read at least ten minutes aloud every day sometime before midnight. I am still in the middle of the book, but it reminds me that you can read aloud to all ages. Sarah from Amongst Lovely Things interviewed Alice Ozma and has the podcast available here: http://amongstlovelythings.com/12/