At seven, most children are reading-fiends, devouring books with a thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Their imaginations are firing like crazy and they are looking for as much food to feed into that as possible. Their reading skills will begin to be tested at school and they will likely bring a wide variety of books home to help with this.
This is the stage where their developmental reading skills take a step up - and it goes without saying that this is a key skill that will put them in a good place for the rest of their life. It’s very important to aid them in this development.
Reading can be a hard skill to learn - so at this stage it’s important to assess your child’s level and provide appropriate books. As they start becoming more independent, their choices over books will begin to vary - and they may even start venturing into non-fiction territory.
By this stage, schools will be hoping for an increased compherension and ability for children to apply what they're read to their own life. Their spelling will be improving and they'll be able to 'self-reflect' and re-read a sentence that hasn't made sense on the first go. By the end of KS1 (in the UK) and 1st Grade (Elementary school in the US), they will be expected to read most two-syllable words, words that end in common suffixes and read most words in 'age appropriate' books - such as the ones below.
What to consider when buying books for 7 year olds
By seven, your child should be reading pretty much non-stop - they’ll be nearing (or at) the stage where they’re able to think in a nuanced manner - and able to read at last basic children’s books for and by themselves.
They will developing reading comprehension, which means they’ll be able to summarise stories and understand viewpoints. You should encourage this development further by providing entertaining and slightly challenging books.
If your child is not showing an aptitude or passion for reading, you’ll want to consider more graphic-novels to enable reading confidence and enjoyment.The Best Books for 7 Year Olds
Editors Review
“It’s Dinosaurs in Space! An enjoyable series of books to help independent reading."
Welcome to the Jurassic Quadrant - where Captain Teggs Stegosaur and his crew undertake fun adventures. The set is currently 22 books so plenty of reading and and good opportunity to invest in a reading habit if the first one goes down well. |
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Editors Review
"Come and visit every child’s dream house! Visually engaging and wildly creative."
Dazzingly designed and full of fun ideas (marsh-marllow machine gun anyone?) - this will entertain both you and your child. A wonderful story about... writing a story. An excellent example of conveying wild-imaginations.
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Editors Review
"Yes, he’s half-man half-dog. Charming but not shy about poo references."
From the creator of Captain Underpants, comes a hilarious new character. Possibly a bit too toilet-humery but it will prove very popular with your child. Maybe not great before bedtime...!
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Editors Review
"Everyone should read this while growing up."
Enid Blyton’s magical classic about children who meet Moonface, Saucepan Man and the others in the woods. This book has been read by generations of children, and yours should be no different.
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Editors Review
"Another classic, about the mystical Moomins and the frozen world."
Tove Jansson created some wonderful characters who have endured over the decades. Spend some time in Moomin Valley and make some new friends with delightful ease.
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6. Jumanji
Editors Review
"An absolute treat to turn the pages of. Great to read aloud and keeps the children in suspense."
The book that has spawned two film-versions. Wonderfully created and richly illustrated, it is another fantastic example of transposing an imagination run willd into print.
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7. The BFG
Editors Review
"You could pick any number of Roald Dahl books but we’ve gone with this one."
The book needs no introduction. Join Sophie as she is whisked away to the Land of the Giants by The BFG. Roald Dahl's vivid creations have been entertaining and encouraging reading since they were first released, and the BFG is a firm favourite. Whizzpop!
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Editors Review
"Kids love animals and farts and this book has them both in abundance - it’s a sort of ‘Junior Animal Farm."
Pig is living the dream, eating, sleeping and enjoying life… until Duck tells him the truth… Quite a fun way of introducing children to the reality of food. Poor Pig has quite a rude awakening. Another book heavy on the flatulence.
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Editors Review
"Much like the Worst Children, Teachers and Pets - Walliams showcases some truly awful pets in entertaining style."
So many pets! Walliams has fun with all manner of critter, transforming them into a varied cast including supervillain pets, monstrous goldfish, and a super-fast tortoise. Bound to bring joy and hilarity.
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Editors Review
"Some of the the best children’s books are simple ideas with effective messaging - and this is one of the top ones. The dark is not that scary!"
Poor old Plop. Adventurous Owl that he is - he is scared of the dark! He soon learns it’s all ok. A slightly younger edge of 7, but one with a pertinent message about something that can be an issue. The dark is ok!
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11. The Worst Witch
Editors Review
"It’s spawned a tv and a stage show but Mildred’s origin story is a delight."
Another classic that stands the test of time - Mildred Hubble is a witch who can’t do anything right. Can she make it all work? A great series of books showing that its ok to make mistakes, you will learn from them!
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Editors Review
"A beautiful Atlas and outline of Africa via animals, landmarks and language."
Introducing children to a different culture, or their own heritage is so valuable. This book does a fantastic job of acquanting children with the vastness and richness of Africa and her countries.
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Editors Review
"The Greek myths enrapture every child and this is an excellent introduction to a couple of them."
The Minotaur is one of the most well known Greek myths, and Arachne and Athene serves as a useful lesson in humility. There's a reason the Greek myths have endured for so many centuries and this is an excellent starting point.
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14. Mr Majeika
Editors Review
"Every child (and adult!) dreams of the amazing happening during the mundane. Mr Majekia flies into Class 3’s world and makes magic for them."
Every chapter brings a new adventures - magic chips, flying headteachers and amusing characters. An enchanting collection of tales, conjured up by Humphrey Carpenter. Magic isn't always the answer, but when it is, Mr Majekia uses it for great educational effect.
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Editors Review
"He has had many adventures since the films, but the original is where it’s at."
Before the films there were the beloved books. A must-read, whether you like marmalade or not. Paddington arrives in London from deepest darkest Peru and proceeds to learn about life, whilst the long-suffering Browns find themselves with a new lodger.
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FAQs
Their reading skills are growing and growing, and while their vocabulary is blossoming you can help them with pronunciation. They may also struggle with bigger words, so you can help by breaking them down into their phonetic components.
It’s also worth encouraging them to either make up a story, or explain more about their understanding of a character (why do you think The BFG said that? Is he talking about an event in the past?)
All your support now needs to be geared towards improving their comprehension, understanding and improving their swiftly burgeoning literacy skills.
Without a doubt. By now they should be just starting to read independently, and boosting their skills through one of the most important developmental stages for their reading. If they’re struggling, either because they find it hard, or they don’t enjoy it - speak to your child’s school and ask for assistance.
As much as they want! They will be hopefully finding the joy in reading, using their imagination and discovering everything that the big wide world has to offer. Every word they digest will help with their understanding of how words are put together and their burgeoning empathy with characters and tales.
By reading as much as possible. Don’t stop reading to them. Even if they’re reading by themselves, you can help by continuing to read them bedtime stories - indeed, you could ask them to read to you! This will allow you to spot any inconsistencies with their pronunciation of word and helping with compound words. Ask the school for the reading list and try and find associated books.
