4 y.o. daughter doesn't want to be read to

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she'll flip through a book and ask, "what's Fancy Nancy saying here?" while pointing to a page. I'll offer to read the whole book to her but she protests. She'd rather ask about specific passages.

Any idea of how to get her to like to be read to? I'm kind of thinking that what she's doing might lead to her wanting to be read to.

Show her how to read the words for herself. Obviously she's interested in books and their content, she's just not ready to focus on listening to a monologue.

When she asks what a character is saying, point to the letters and words and say "Here's how you can tell what they're saying" and sound it out. Toys with big alphabetic buttons that make the appropriate sound or associate a word with each letter as the buttons are pushed are great for building a foundation in phonetics.

oh, obviously. How could I have been so blind?

[quote="Avengilante"] Obviously she's interested in books and their content, she's just not ready to focus on listening to a monologue[quote]
I hate listening to a speech or sermon... and I never did like being read to. I can't concentrate!

I didn't like being read to until I could read along. I can't really understand what people are saying to me most of the time. It's like I loose chunks of or entire words and word sounds. Learning to read really helped me understand what was being said since the words were right there. In Kindergarten, my teacher actually got an extra book when she was doing story time so that my friend, who was also reading, and I could read along. She didn't have a problem with just listening, though. She just liked to do what I was doing.

Its probably better to read then be read to.

As best as I can remember that far back, I always wanted to read myself and not be read to. My mother helped me to learn to read long before I ever went to school. I have tried a few audio books as an adult, but I don't care for them much even now. I'd much rather read for myself.

I miss the old Leap Frog Learning System - the one you place the book in and kids can drag the pen over the text and it reads out loud to them. There are newer systems - a pen device and such - but that old system worked wonders with my daughter. She didn't want to sit for a whole story until she was nearly 6. She used that Leap Frog system daily from the time she was three until she entered kindergarten. She did lots and lots of repetition - her favorite scenes over and over - but it worked. She basically taught herself the reading basics- not for lack of us trying to help her. It also helped her master holding a pen - she still doesn't have the stamina to hold a pen to write but the mechanics of actually holding and manipulating a pen were made much easier by her constant practice on her own.

We kept trying to read to her anyway as well. Dr Seuss was always a hit - anything with tongue twisters that makes you screw up. Mom and Dad struggling with the words is a good lesson for many reasons. We always targeted books to her interests to hold her attention longer. Funny voices and exaggerated storytelling worked well and got her engaged to the point where - at 6 and 7 she would read one part and we would read the other, taking turns. (also helped with emotional scripting too ) Reading was always part of the nighttime routine - no sense in trying to interest her midday unless she came to use with it. Which, she occassionally did. We took the stress out of it - yes it was important but it was never 'do or die'. No pleading or cajoling. Just fun.