OT: struggling in kindergarten

[Reagan&Co.]

DS started kindergarten in August and the teacher says he is having trouble. They are learning one letter and sound per week and he is expected to know which letter makes which sound. He is NOT getting this. I had done some of those pre-K workbooks over the summer with him, and knew he wasn't "getting it". So....is this common with kids? Indicative of an auditory processing problem or learning disability? The teacher and I have only passed notes back and forth, so I don't know how prevalent this might be. I do know that they are doing assessments this week, so it probably reflects better on her if the kids are all doing well.
I asked her for some suggestions on what else to try, because what we have tried so far is not working. Her answer was to make a game out of the sounds. Tried that! Doesn't help! Maybe I am not breaking it down simply enough...do you just drill them over and over until they memorize a sound and the letter it matches with?
Any help and/or insight would be great! Thanks!

 

[eduk8r26]

Most kindergartens are so fast-paced today. There is so much they are supposed to know. My feeling would be if he has a late birthday, such as after August, you might consider just pulling him out and putting him in/back in pre-school. If he's really struggling, maybe just starting a year later might help and you could work with him at home. There's lots of good software to help with sounds and alphabet recognition and they make it fun. Starfall.com is a good website to teach sounds and letters, too.

 

[Hayloburger]

Have you tried the dvd "Letter Factory" from leapfrog? Every parent around here highly recommends it. My daughter will begin Kindergarten next year and we are watching it now. The first time she wasn't interested, but now she loves it and i hear her singing the songs about letters/sounds while she is playing. It's very catchy..and my 2nd grader even likes to watch it. Also, this dvd has peaked her interest in writing and spotting letters on signs while we are driving. I'm amazed at the change in her in just one week.

Up until last week she had NO interest in letters or writing, but this dvd has really done the trick. She is 4 1/2 years old (born april 2004). My older daughter was the opposite...she was very interesed in letters and sounds early on and she caught on much faster....I didn't have to buy catchy dvd's or colorful books for her!!

They all learn at their own speed...I'm sure your teacher will have some good creative ideas! Good Luck.....

 

[MomofM&M]

I totally second the Leapfrog videos. My eldest learned all her letters and sounds by watching it. Granted, that was the only video she ever got to see while riding around in the car but she still loves the video and she's in first grade now. My husband studied child development and he said the Leapfrog toys/videos are highly recommended due to the multi-sensory approach. I would recommend getting it and no matter how much you get sick of the songs, keep it running in the background so your child can hear it lots. I think sometimes for kids the light bulb just turns on and they get it. I was worried about my eldest in kindergarten too since all the other kids in her group were reading well and she ended up be moved down to another group. She knew all her letters and sounds since she was 3 from those videos but she just couldn't understand the process of putting everything together. I talked to mom's of older kids and found that as long as you keep trying with your child, a lot of times it will come with time and the switch will turn on. Just be encouraging and don't despair. My daughter caught up and was fine by the end of the school year. Just keep working with him and your son will be fine.

 

[jamesmommy]

Just wanted to second the Letter Factory DVD suggestion. My son learned all his letters and sounds from it (L was the only one I remember having trouble with on the video).

I believe Starfall, Time4Learning, and Headsprout all have phonics based activities on them.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

I also agree with the suggestion of the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD - that really helped both my dd and my ds with their letters and sounds.

 

[minnie2]

The letter factory videos are grreat! You might aslo want to look into Hooked on phonics. We did both for my so and he is now in 1st grade the youngest in his class ad doing great!

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

Have you tried the dvd "Letter Factory" from leapfrog?
....

This DVD is wonderful!!! My daughter wasn't getting it either, in fact at age 4 she still wasn't recognizing some letters. We did flash cards, books, letter magnets.... My friend recommended this video and within a week my daughter new all her letters and was remembering (for the most part) the sounds they make. I was amazed and thrilled!

 

[nessz79]

I ditto the suggestions of pairing Letter Factory with Hooked on Phonics. I haven't personally tried Hooked on Phonics, but I know Letter Factory is lots of fun. Not sure if it would be enough to make him "get it", but you never know.

What helped my son a lot was going to a Pre-K as a 4 year old. He went into K already knowing his letters and their basic sounds. He went into Pre-K barely knowing anything.

You might consider the option of pulling him out and putting him in a Pre-K. I know I wouldn't want to go that path for reasons such as $, but it might be the best thing for him academically.

You could also talk to her about having guidance come and observe him, or whoever makes determination of possible disabilities.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I absolutely agree to get the Letter Factory DVD. My ds7 learned all of his letters and sounds in the course of one weekend when he was 2.5. Now dd4 isn't interesting in watching the DVD and she only knows about 1/3 of her letters and sounds - hopefully she will have them all before the end of preschool (they said she would anyway).

 

[MSSANDRA]

My first thought was if he has a late b-day to pull him and give him that extra year to grow. However looking at your signature he seems to be already 6 so I would not suggest that.
I would first set up a face to face meeting with the teacher. Talk frankly and ask good questions. It is hard not to get defensive when it comes to our children but try to be open to everything she is saying. Ask about his math skills, following directions, social skills.
While as a parents you absolutly need to be helping at home, if he truly has a learning disability, the school needs to identify it and set up the resources to compensate for it. Insist that this be done. Testing is the first step.

Now..chances are that he is a perfectly normal little boy who simple does not fit into the "mold" of a kindergarten student. Chances are with time he will be just fine. But if there is a problem you need to know now.

As far as working at home, I would ask the teacher for ideas. You want to keep things as consistant as possible.

Oh, be sure to not let your child feel any less valued because of this. Praise the areas he is great in and encourage in the reading departmemt .

 

[mjkacmom]

Another fan of Letter Factory - my kids knew their letters/sounds by 3, ONLY because they watched this over and over. We also had the Fridge Phonics. At 2, one of my twins knew all of his letters, his twins sister knew none. Fast forward to the Letter Factory - she knew them all within a few days!

 

[karliebug]

I am a first grade teacher and have also taught kindergarten. I have over 25 years experience. If your child is already 6 and is not "getting" letter and sound recoginition there is a strong possibility he has some type of learning disability. Did he go to preschool or is this the first time he has been exposed to letters/sounds? If he has had preschool experience, I would really be concerned. If this is his first exposure to letters/sounds etc. then it might just be that he needs multiple repititions before he "gets it". I would schedule a conference with the teacher. If he is really having that much trouble, I would request an evaluation. Please remember that you, the teacher, and the school are all on the same team. You all want your child to be successful in school. Listen to their advice, but I would pursue and evaluation if things don't improve.

 

[bookwormde]

Letter/word/et al factory are great, one thing to remember is that if it works much better then the standard school curriculum you may have a visual learner on your hands so their “style” of learning may be helpful throughout your child’s school career.

bookwormde

 

[Reagan&Co.]

Wow! Thank you for the great responses!!
I did not know Leapfrog made DVD's....it sounds wonderful. I am on my way to WalMart right now!!! Plus, we just last week got a car with a DVD player. I haven't been thinking about all the driving time we could put to use LEARNING!!! Thanks to the dismom with that idea! It sounds perfect!!

He just turned six, having missed last years' cutoff by one week. He has even had four years of preschool! So, holding him back is not an option. I will get to meet with his teacher early next week. He is so unhappy going to school, and if he needs more help, I just want him to be able to have it, you know???

 

[ajh88]

First - .
I do think the LeapFrog suggestion is a good one - we also have the Letter Factory board game and the refrigerator magnet game - the "every letter makes a sound, ____ says _____".

I would also set up a face to face meeting with his teacher - maybe she can explain specifics more in depth and answer your questions. At DD's school, they have reading intervention teachers - DD worked with them (30 dedicated minutes per day) in K & 1st, and she's now she's reading above grade level (in 2nd grade). She was VERY far behind in kindergarten, but caught up with a lot of hard work over a couple of years. Perhaps there is a similar program at your DS's school?

 

[JFrey4240]

Hi. Sorry to hear your son is having difficulty in Kindergarten. I agree with karliebug. If your son is having trouble associating letters and sounds with four years of preschool experience and being age six, you need to meet with his teacher and make a plan on what to do next. I'm a speech/language pathologist (SLP) in an elem. school and what your are posting is a concern. You may want to discuss with your teacher about getting consultations from the districts SLP about your son's phonological awareness and possibly from the school psychologist to determine if there is a learning issue. Gathering as much information as you can will be helpful in figuring out what to do next. The Leapfrog DVD is a good start as well as reading daily with him.

 

[EthansMom]

I agree also with the recommendation to buy "Letter Factory" by Leapfrog. I'll go one step further and recommend buying the Leapster and the "Letter Factory" that plays on the Leapster. The Leapster has really helped both of my kids get a head start on their letters and numbers.

 

[MJAJmom]

We love the LeapFrog DVDs. We have Letter Factory, Word Factory and Learning to Read. I would buy all 3. We also have a Rock-N-Learn DVD called Alphabet Circus that they like (but leapfrog is better). I would also buy some foam letters for playing in the bathtub, they can stick to the walls when wet. One good suggestion for our K teacher was to alllow them to write really big letters - use sidewalk chalk on street or chalkboard, get big paper to paint on. Just talking about letters and sounds in a casual way when playing/cooking/walking to make it fun, not a forced chore.

 

[nessz79]

Wow! Thank you for the great responses!!
I did not know Leapfrog made DVD's....it sounds wonderful. I am on my way to WalMart right now!!! Plus, we just last week got a car with a DVD player. I haven't been thinking about all the driving time we could put to use LEARNING!!! Thanks to the dismom with that idea! It sounds perfect!!

He just turned six, having missed last years' cutoff by one week. He has even had four years of preschool! So, holding him back is not an option. I will get to meet with his teacher early next week. He is so unhappy going to school, and if he needs more help, I just want him to be able to have it, you know???

Poor little guy- he should be loving school! Definitely talk to his teacher and if she doesn't get more involved with other school personnel (again, possibility of learning disability), then take it upon yourself.