My almost 5 yr old thinks the alphabet is a big joke

[BWVDenise]

He doesn't even seem to be trying to remember what the letters look like. I have the magnet board with the wooden letters and I'm trying to get him to identify them but he just keeps laughing and guessing at them. I know they are at least up to the letter K at preschool but it doesn't seem to be sinking in for him. Any suggestions?

 

[Pam]

I wouldn't force it - sounds as though he's not ready to learn it just yet. I'm sure in the next couple of months it will "click" and he'll be spouting the alphabet off like a pro.

Are you planning on sending him to kindergarten at age 5 or are you going to wait an extra year?

 

[KimR]

I had the same problem with my DD. Once she realized I was trying to 'teach' her something, she was totally turned off. Well, since she loves to play games, I made a game out it. I cut up some cardboard squares and wrote each letter of the alphabet on 2 separate squares. Mixed them up, put them face down and played the 'matching' game...see who can find the most pairs of matching letters. As we'd turn each card over, we'd say the letter....not to 'learn' anything, mind you, just as a normal part of the game. She learned all of her letters within a few days!

Kim

 

[debster812]

I have a 5YO DS (will be 6 in June)who is not a 'risk taker'. Translation, he will not even ATTEMPT anything until he is positive he can do it. He has just now in the past month or so really started to shine in his letters and numbers. Give it time, don't force it, it will all come together. I agree that it will all of a sudden just 'click'

 

[primax]

This is one of the first task a child learns in their life which appears boring and difficult to the child (you will probably find that home addresses and telephone numbers are also difficult - I believe most children are required to learn this in grade K). My DD was doing the same thing so I basically bribed her as encouragement to earn a reward. This work very well. She loves her Build A Bear's so I offered to take her to buy accessories if she could learn the her alphabet in 7 days. - By day 7 she was prepared to collect and she worked very hard with her mother to learn while I was working. For the address and tele # I did the same thing over a 12 day period and she was prepared again.

Since these two rewards, I have not had to encourage her to learn. She just does it now, and has not asked or looked for a reward. Its almost like I triggered a thinking pattern in her brain that learns by second nature now.

Just last week she ran around the house saying "To Be or Not To Be, that is the question". I asked where she learned that and she said from "William Shakespeare". I still have no idea what she is talking about or where she really learned the phrase but I was surprised.

 

[disykat]

Relax - it sounds like he's not ready. I know it can be frustrating -I'm a teacher and feel strongly about not pushing young children but was still frustrated with my own boys when they couldn't have cared less. Concentrate on reading aloud to him, occasionally point out letters (like "look at that big P in the Pizza Hut sign!"), but other than that try to stick to his interests.

Research has shown learning your alphabet early has nothing to do with intelligence or school success.

 

[BWVDenise]

I really needed to hear that.

 

[peg2001]

Originally posted by debster812
I have a 5YO DS (will be 6 in June)who is not a 'risk taker'. Translation, he will not even ATTEMPT anything until he is positive he can do it. He has just now in the past month or so really started to shine in his letters and numbers. Give it time, don't force it, it will all come together. I agree that it will all of a sudden just 'click'

Your DS sounds just like my DD! She wouldn't even talk until she was 3 and then it was full sentences. Before that, she used her own invented sign language.

Peggy

 

[Wishing on a star]

Okay, I have to really jump in here and agree with the lack of motivation and/or readiness! Remember, this lack of motivation and feeling like (hey this is too hard, I can't learn this, etc...) You know, the 'turn-off' factor. Well, these things do not, in any way, mean that your kid is not 'smart' or is not 'ready'!!!!

With DS (just turned 5) He also is very UNmotivated when it comes to the alphabet, etc... He is all boy, wants be active and interested in trucks, tractors etc... Well... We did overcome this - (He is experienceing the same block now with numbers though....) Here is how it worked for us.

I did have to make it a game. I had to focus on just a couple of letters that I KNEW that DS could easily indentify, without it being 'hard' or 'learning'.

The letter S is easily recognizable. One of the letters that is simple curves, easily recognizable and not easily confused with any other letters at all, and also, looks the exact same in upper and lower case. The letter S could also be easily be assocated with the shape of a Snake. Like with a little cute snake head on the top end.... So, we had fun making up little cute toddler stories like: The slithery snake sat in his seat and sipped his soda thru a silly straw.... That was the breakthrough!!!!! There were also stories like: The Big Brown Bear Baked some Bread and ate it with Butter.... Fun, cute, and it worked!

Then, once it all clicked with DS that yes, he did know letters, and could learn them... We make up a game. Using index cards and envelopes, I make the envelope to be the mail-box, like with a big 'S' depicted as a snake, and then matching cards, which are, happy coincidence, the 'letters' that go in the mail boxes.... He LOVED delivering all the Letters to the right characters.... ( Snake, Bear, etc.....) Bing Bang Boom, DS was learning the Alphabet!!!!

Hope this helps, and Good luck!!!

 

[crisi]

My son is similar.

He is beginning to get them. Here are some things that help him.

Flashcards - with m&m's as a reward if he gets the letter right on the first guess. Start with four or five letters, when he gets them consistantly - add some letters. I usually take about 20 m&m's - the game is done when he gets all the m&m's - or after 5 or 10 minutes. When I play with two kids - its competative (but I let whoever hasn't gotten an m&m guess first).

Letter books. My daughter (who has loved letters since she could talk), likes Dr. Suess's ABCs. My son has responded well to the Monster's Inc book "M is for Monster."

In addition to S being Snake - my son loves the letter X - because pirates use it to mark their treasure "X Marks The Spot!"

 

[elgerber]

Neither of my kids wanted anything to do with the alphabet in pre-school. I thought they'd never learn. I just left it up to the school to teach them, because they did not want to learn anything from me. Well by 1st grade my ds was reading well above his grade, and by 3rd grade was diagnosed as gifted. My dd, while not gifted, is also reading wayyyyyyyyy over her level in 1st grade as well, so I wouldn't worry too much about it!

Erika

 

[Wishing on a star]

Another thought here... in DS preschool, I feel like they are indeed trying to work at a level that is way ahead of DS, and some other kids, abilities.... They supposedly have learned the whole Alphabet - upper and lower case. How to write them (not just tracing either....) match them, etc... Plus numbers, not just counting and identifying the digits from 0 - 9 but all numbers up to 20. And this has been for 4 year olds who are a year away from Kindergarden. DS is one smart boy in many ways... But I feel that this is indeed pushing a little!