**When did you child know all his/her letters?**

[llori7]

Please help me....When did you child know all of his/her letters? What are some creative ways you used to teach him/her?

Thanks for all your suggestions!!!

 

[princessmom29]

She knew them as in singing the song by about 2, and by sight right as she turned 3. I did mostly beginnig letter to teach her, as that is what her teachers at school were doing. We would see a car is a book and the name written underneath, and I would say something along the lines of "look there is a car. It stars with C. See the letter C?" She was getting letter recognition at school too, so that helped. Brightly colored flash cards always seemed to be ahit at school, although I never got any for home. Mostly just reading to her a lot made a difference I think. Connecting the fact that those squiggles on the page mean something and can tell a story made her interested in learning.

 

[J'aime Paris]

DD knew most of her letters by 3.

I bought bathtub crayons. She loved writing the letter that started a word. We'd go through members of our family, her toys, etc.

Make it fun! That's the best advice I can give.

 

[Perditamarie]

We loved the Leapfrog Letter Factory....a cute video with a very catchy song and some fridge alpha magnets that also played the song. It was also a fun Leapster game.

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd13 and ds6 could identify all upper and lower case letters before they were 2, and the others before 3. Want to know the secret? Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD! Give it 3 days! I remember when I realized ds knew them - he had no language at 18 months, started ST at 20 months, and at 22 months, just for fun, I pointed out all of the upper and lower case letters on the fridge (again, leapfrog). He knew them all! Of course, then I started freaking out thinking he was autistic. Turns out he just loved the DVD!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My son knew them all by about the 6th week of Kindergarten, so about 5 1/2. He's now 10 and doing great in school. I'm an Early Childhood Curriculum specialist, I coach teachers and write curriculum, and I feel that this is a skill that's way overrated, and pushed way too hard early on.

I agree that the Leapfrog videos, or for a 4 or 5 year old, the Leapster games are a great way to teach this. I also really like Starfall.

 

[Heidijs]

DD4 could sing the ABC song when she was 2. She knew them by sight before she entered preschool when she was 3 and turned 4 shortly after.

 

[AmyBWV99]

DS #1 by 18 months could recognize all upper and lower but not say them clearly until about 2.

DS #2 knew all upper and lower before he was 2 and has been saying them at the same time.

We got them the magnet letters in upper and lower and Melissa & Doug make a great set of wooden ones with both sets in in one box. I've seen it all over but last time in Borders, I think it runs about $10. We just talked about them as they played with them that was it. Then as they knew them we would bust out the Magnadoodle and it became a game we randomly write a letter in either upper or lower case and then they'd say it. They loved not knowing what you were going to write and it was a great quiet activity for when we were waiting for something, appts, etc, or in church. We have both the big and travel sized Magnadoodles.

 

[Dee77]

What a great thread! I love the advice about the Leapfrog DVD and actually just ordered it. My DD (3) loves singing her ABC's but several letters are missing consistently so I hope the DVD helps. Thanks!

 

[4forMe]

Three of my kids knew all their letters by the age of 3.

One of my sons is more of a "hands on" learner. We had to get him a puzzle that has the letters you pull out and put back in the puzzle. We got him separate puzzles for lower case and upper case letters. He knew them by age 5 using the puzzles.

The leap frog system is great as well. We first used it with my youngest child.

 

[twinmom319]

Developmentally, it's normal for kids to not yet recognize their letters until 4 and some kids don't recognize their letters until 5. My philosophy is to expose the kids to all kinds of things and follow their interest. Starfall is great. I think the best thing to do by far is sit and read with them - if they cultivate a true love of reading, then it will all fall into place!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Oh dear! This is the DIS. Everyone's kids were born knowing not only their letters but multiple languages.

I would say that about 3 most kids can point out most if not all of the letters. Some kids do take longer though but I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

My DS could identify the letters and sounds by 3. He was in full day daycare and they woked on it daily.

My DD is 3 and she knows some letters and sounds, but for sure a lot less then her brother did. He LOVED the Leapfrog DVDs and she is neutral on them. They did help her but my son could watch that DVD for hours at a time! LOL

 

[tzolkin]

Despite the experiences of the previous posters, I don't believe "well before age 3" is the norm.

My middle daughter did not have all her lowercase letters down perfectly until several weeks into this school year (she is 5). Her teacher claims she is well on track and is a very bright and enthusiastic learner. I don't think she didn't know them all before school because I'm a bad parent. I am a SAHM and worked/played letter games with her daily, it just did not click for her easily. Some days she would know all the letters and play a game perfectly. Other days she would get frustrated and just start guessing random letters. I did not want to push her and make her hate learning before she even started school. Her teacher assures me that she knew more than many of the kids who attended pre-K.

My older daughter knew her letters before she was 2, but she also was reading the Harry Potter series in kindergarten and has been moved ahead in school.

My youngest is 3 and does not know his letters. We are still working on his speech.

 

[stacy6552]

My older son knew them going into preschool, thanks to Sesame Street...But then they changed the show's format and my younger one didn't learn them from Big Bird, but in preschool.

 

[jodifla]

3 is early, I think. In his Jr. K class, my son was the only one who could knew all his upper and lowercase letters at the end of the year. He was 5, everyone else in the class was 4 or 5.

He loved the Letter Factory, and that definitely gave him a lot of exposure to the letters.

 

[mjkacmom]

Despite the experiences of the previous posters, I don't believe "well before age 3" is the norm.
.

While I don't think the ability to recognize letters indicates greater intelligence, according to our schools, my children were expected to enter kindergarten knowing and writing their letters, numbers 1 - 10, writing their first name with the first letter capitalized, and knowing their address and phone number. I also think different milestones click earlier for some kids, and that third/fourth grade are the great equalizers.

I think a lot of preschoolers know their letters, but for some, it just hasn't clicked. Dd8 was reading chapter books in kindergarten, but my twins are really just getting the reading down now in first grade (where I don't have to give them every third word). It's finally clicking for them! My oldest not only read early, but was writing incredible stories in first grade. Now that she's in eight grade, I have to admit, she doesn't write well AT ALL, and I am allowing her not to take honors English next year. Oh well.

 

[abcboys]

I can't remember on my oldest. He has always struggled in school.

My middle knew *most* of his letters going into kindergarten at 5 but didn't know all of them and didn't know any sounds and he left kindergarten reading at a 2nd grade level and is now 7 and reads at 5th grade....so even though he didn't know his letters *early* he is doing just fine now.

My youngest is 4 1/2 and only knows maybe a couple of letters.

 

[deerhart]

oldest had all letters and numbers up to 20 down by 17 months (he taught himself to read by age 2 *sigh* he's extremely visual). We used giant foam letters/numbers that he had and also leapfrog phonics writing desk (writes and spells 3 letter words), actually we didn't use them, he played with them constantly. Also whenever we were out he was AlWAYS asking us what the letters and words were on signs. He also got a kasey the kinderbot for christmas in 2002 (he would have been 2.5)

Youngest had letters down around age 3, but refused to show people the skill, had numbers down by 2.5. Didn't really start reading a lot of words until Kindy

 

[miadeebee]

DD knew her alphabets as well as their sounds right around 3-1/2...thanks to Leapfrog's Letter Factory as well as reading to her most of the time (gotta include that so I don't feel guilty, LOL)I am not big on electronics and videos but that one DVD sure got me thinking twice about electronically aided learning program.