Teaching Abc's and 123'S ??

Try music or Cd's. My son is just 23 months and can count 1-10 and says the entire alphabet...He learns best with music so we play lots of it. He can repeat songs and learns so much faster through ryhthym and music.

K.-

Don't know if I have anything helpful for you, as you are an accomplished mom of 3, I only have one! :-) Probably your best bet is to talk to the learning specialists at your school after the screening.

Anyway, with my 2 1/2 year old daughter, I can't say we've EVER "taught" her a thing. She can count to 30 simply because she likes numbers, and in particular because I always count out loud to 30 when I'm holding pressure to put her temporary tattoos on. She finds that facinating, so has always counted along with me. She also has those foam numbers for use in the bathtub, so we have talked about numbers then, and of course she has multiple books about numbers. And she's always been crazy about books.

In terms of letter recognition, I think it's been a combination of her love of Super Why (TV show), loving books, and us talking to her about letters and words. And in terms of saying the alphabet song, both Fridge Phonics and Super Why have been great incentives for her to practice the song (she loves to sing).

Some homeschoolers and others will tell you that kids shouldn't be forced to learn before their time, that some kids, especially boys, will learn to read/write later, even as late as 7 years old. I don't know if your son has something else going on or not. The biggest thing, I believe, is to make it fun and not a "learning" experience. A friend's boy didn't read/write until about 7 years old, and then he learned in a month because there was a class he wanted to take that required it. (He was homeschooled.) Incentive :-)

Good luck!
T.

Wow! I am still amazed that your 2.5 year old could read! As hard as it may be, try not to compare them. Every child is different and has different strengths. No need for worry that he doesn't know the alphabet and numbers yet - he will! I teach kindergarten and with a 3 year old, I wouldn't push alphabet recitation and counting - try to keep it fun. Memorizing is one thing, understanding the concept is another. You don't want him to resist learning it when he is ready. I think it is best for kids to learn about letters and sounds while you are reading together or in other 'real life' situations - it is much more meaningful. The same for numbers...counting items as you clean up, or at snack time, etc. We wrote little notes together and put them on the fridge like "We need more yogurt." or "Caitlyn gets to call grandma after dinner." Good luck and don't worry!!

We found that my son responded well to the Fridge Phonics system. It was self-driven, interactive, and the tunes are memorable. He would play with it while I was in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, so I could help him out if he got stuck, or further the "lesson" by adding words for each letter, etc. They also have numbers.

Also, for what it's worth, I remember a Kindergarten teacher telling a friend that kids, even if they don't know their abc/123's, will learn them in preschool or kindergarten. What teachers really want kids to know BEFORE they get to kindergarten, is the social stuff--how to wipe themselves, ask for help, selve themselves at snack time, sharing, etc. I guess those skills are harder to teach as the kids get older, while they would be covering the "academic" stuff anyway. I'm not saying you shouldn't be working on the abcs/123s now, but rather, if your child doesn't get into them as easily as others, not to sweat it. Your screening will also help put things into perspective.

We love the Leap Frog movies! They are entertaining, so my son enjoys them, and they teach everything so well I don't feel guilty letting him watch TV.
They have four different reading ones for the various levels of reading, starting with the ABC's and the sounds each letter makes (The Letter Factory), all the way to recognizing entire words (The Storybook Factory), and everything in between (The Talking Word Factory 1 and 2:Code Word Caper). Then there's is Math Circus for numbers and simple math.
I'm a huge fan of most Leap Frog products but of them these have been the best investment.
We've lent these DVDs out to friends who have then gone out to buy them. One friend, who's son had previously really struggled with the alphabet, took the Letter Factory to his Kindergarten teacher who then showed it to her class with great success.
Our family also loves music, so my son has quite the collection of CDs. Children learn better through music, so I recommend getting a couple CDs that teach the basics you are trying to teach him.
Brite Music has a set called Sing, Read, & Write geared for preschool-Kindergarten age children. Feel free to contact me if you'd like more information on that.
Last, there are games you can play with him while you are getting other things done. I've heard of people taping letters and numbers to the wall or floor and sending their child on a hunt for the right one while they cook dinner, feed the baby, fold laundry, etc. If he's supposed to find a letter he's not familiar with, you can describe what it looks like. You can also use refrigerator magnets to play the game, if you don't want stuff taped all over your house. That reminds me, Leap Frog's Fridge Phonics is also a great tool! Surprise, surprise. =)

Good luck! This is can be a really fun time!

A great FREE website to try out: www.starfall.com

It's interactive, fun, educational and it's FREE!

Sounds like he's just in it for the attention. :)

I would make some special time for the two of you, get some fun wooden puzzles with letters and numbers, and make it fun for him. Help him hold a pencil, write his name and have him copy it.

My oldest could copy/write his name at 2 1/2, my youngest likes to scribble (he's 2 1/2). My oldest had zero interest in sitting to read a book, my youngest could sit for hours just listening to us read. My oldest could read at 4 on his own, but to this day isn't very interested in sitting and listening to a book being read TO him.

All kidsl earn differently. We tried to teach our oldest the value of coins, we tried for over a month before he started Kindergarten last September. A week into school he came home singing this little ditty about 'a penny is one, a nickle is five, a dime is ten adn a quarter is twenty-five' and he held up the fingers for each one.

If he's set to start preschool in the Fall, that will be great for him. He'll be picking up stuff left and right, not only from the other kids, but from the teacher who KNOWS how to teach the children. He'll be in a gruop setting which is kind of like peer pressure...' well Jimmy can write his name, I HAVE to write mine' KWIM?

But again all kids are different. My oldest is a very fast learner, he only needs to be told or shown one time and he has it down. My youngest has to be shown over and over nad told time and time again before he really gets it.

But wooden puzzles work great, they are a fun game. Also the game CHutes and Ladders is awesome, its simple counting, you spin the wheel and move your game piece that many times, if youland on a ladder you go up, if you land on a slide you go down. My boys could play this game for hours.

There's a great store called ABC Zone, I'm sure there's a few locations, I know of the one in Oakdale where Kmart and Rainbow Foods are located. It's a store that teachers get their supplies for their classrooms. I have a daycare where I have bought Very Large size posters, with ABC, Numbers, shapes, etc. They have all kinds of stuff, CD's/DVD's....books, flashcards..etc.

Check it out, maybe there's something you can find there, bring him with see if he's interested in anything.

My daughter was the same way and I associated it with maturity. She just didn't care it wasn't important to her. But... she could do other cool things other kids couldn't..Like ride a bike without training wheels at age3.

My daughter finally came along and decided she wanted to learn her numbers/letters and everything worked out fine.

I know the more you push the more they refuse.

It is good he'll be going to kindergarten at 6 give him some time to mature and be ready because he sounds like my daughter who wasn't really ready.

I'm going through something similar in first grade with my daughter now she was such a horrible reader at the beginnig of the year she almost qualified for special help or title one but now she is the "advanced reading group" and school has only been in session for like 5months. And honestly I haven't helped her that much she's done it all on her own. My daughter's teacher calls her a spring bloomer which means she struggles in the fall and almost appears behind or struggling but by spring she not only catches up but passes everyone as well. My daughter is also the youngest in her class birthday 8/29 so that's where I feel I almost should have waited til she was 6 to send her to kindergarten she might not be a spring bloomer than and would just be good at everything from the get go.

My daughter was a fast learner also. The way we taught her the ABC's was in the bath. We bought the foam letters and made it into a game. I also bought big foam letters at Menards that link together and we would make different designs on the floor with them. I found an activity that started with the letter and then would tell her to do it like; "Jump on the letter J".
I also bought dry erase boards so she can write the letter or I can write the letter and she can erase. I really tried many different ways to teach them and bring them into daily activities such as going to the grocery. Hope this helps a little.

Your son sounds a bit like my little guy who is 4 and a half. He's only just now taking an interest in the stuff he'll need for kindergarten this fall.

One thing that I did was just to little things all the time. Count the forks on the table. Point out the letters on a STOP sign and the sounds they make. Sometimes boys like competition. Point to a letter or number on something around the house and ask him if he can tell you what it is. Give him a high five and a cheer when he gets it right.

We read a lot of ABC books with action and with things he loves like cars, trucks and firetrucks.

Ask him if he can make letter shapes or number shapes with his body (some are easier than others, of course).

We also would play games that involved numbers like Crazy 8's and Hi-Ho Cherry-O.

When we have "movie time" we like to watch "Word World" and "Super Why" on PBS. Those are great for letters and letter sounds.

Most of all make sure you reward him with your attention somehow when he takes an interest. Post his letters on the fridge, high fives, praise, whatever works for your family.