Shouldn't an almost 5 year old know what a goat/parrot/etc look like?

[Anonymous]

My DD will be 5 in Sept, appears to be intelligent both subjectively (great conceptual grasp of math facts and excellent language skills) and objectively (as measured by her 99.8 percentile FSIQ on the WPPSI). So why on earth can she not identify a goat in a simple baby board book that I was reading to her little sister? Or a colorful parrot? I am stressed out. Goats have been a problem for a long time. She was also hesitating on what sound a rooster makes (she eventually said it but it wasn't at the tip of her tongue) and what sound a lion cub makes.. she seems flummoxed about growling and roaring. Please please write and let me know if there is any chance this can be normal for a super smart, almost-5 year old.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure it is normal....but...maybe for a kid who has NOT been exposed to goats and parrots. I think my son "got it" after he saw the real animal. Are you close to the Reston Zoo? They have both. Maybe see the real thing will help. Or the National Zoo?

[Anonymous]

Just out of curiousity - what type of childcare did you have for her ages 2-4?

I ask as this is the age when normally a care giver will be playful and do animal sounds.

[Anonymous]

I was staying at home between 2-4 and still am. She has seen animals often at the National Zoo. Perhaps I didn't "maa" at her often enough. But seriously, I've noticed the goat issue for a while and we have gone over it ad nauseum. So you all think there is a problem?

[Anonymous]

I don't have much helpful advice, as my DC is much younger and I haven't had to confront this yet. But I was just thinking about this issue the other day when I was singing Old MacDonald to her and screwing up the sounds myself. The whole animal thing is such a throwback to a different time, when most people lived on or near farms and therefore saw these animals on a daily basis. It made sense that a kid could and should know what a goat, cow, horse, etc. looked and sounded like. It would also make sense, though, that these concepts would seem kind of arbitrary to a kid raised in an urban area these days.

[Anonymous]

Kids learn and remember things that grasp their attention. For some reason goats and parrots do not seem to interest her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was staying at home between 2-4 and still am. She has seen animals often at the National Zoo. Perhaps I didn't "maa" at her often enough. But seriously, I've noticed the goat issue for a while and we have gone over it ad nauseum. So you all think there is a problem?

I don't know...but animals and sounds they make were one of the very first concepts he grasped and verbilized. I do not think there is more you could have done. We did not even go to the zoo, just read a lot of books. Kids seem to kind of learn this sort of thing by osmosis. It does seem odd, but if she gets everything else and has no other known learning issues, maybe this is just her right now and there is nothing to worry about.

[Anonymous]

Having two kids is a lot harder than having one. I don't do all the baaa stuff anymore for my toddler the way I did for DC1. I just realized I had to start teaching him 'nose' 'eye' 'ear' etc. instead of just getting through each day like a whirlwind. Maybe your older child missed out a bit once her younger sister was born. (I hope that's not a big deal since it's happening in our household too.)

[Anonymous]

I live in the city - and my 3 YO knows animal noises. We were also having fun recently in the car and I asked him - if he was part dog and part horse what noises would he make - and he got it (woof woof neigh). Now - I did not ask him if he was part goat / part parrot.

But seriously - there will be some things that your child picks up quicker than others. And we all see things through our own lenses - I see a dog, my niece who is a big animal lover sees a part beagle / part lab.

[Anonymous]

I have a funny story for you: my son was almost three when he first saw a cat up close an personal at a friend's house and completely freaked out
He had seen plenty of cats in books and he could meoww with the best of them and I am sure he had seen cats in the street, but he had never had one come purr by him and he was flabbergasted!!! It was hysterical. He talked about it for weeks and he has been a cat person ever since.
So who knows what goes on on their little minds or how they visualize or imagine certain things we believe the "know" or "get".
OP don't sweat it

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth, my son didn't know what a sailboat was - I was mortified when he couldn't identify the picture during an eye test.

[Anonymous]

At first, I thought your post was a joke. Is this what you really worry about? Obviously your child is intelligent or wouldn't have gotten such a high score on the test. Who cares about animal noises anyway? That is something 1-3 yr olds care about (sometimes) since they show up in board books a lot. I am sure there are a great many things my 4 yr old doesn't know that I think would be obvious for his age. My friend's neighbor's daughter is my son's age and was recently diagnosed w/ cancer. Time to get some prospective.

[Anonymous]

"My friend's neighbor's daughter is my son's age and was recently diagnosed w/ cancer. Time to get some prospective. "

I love how whenever someone posts on here about a concern or worry they have for their child that another poster thinks is silly, it automatically goes to "Imagine if your child had cancer." Like a parent is not allowed to worry/be concerned about their child unless they are experiencing a life-threatening illness. Of course having a child with cancer is gut-wrenching and a terrible, terrible thing to go through. But just because the OP's child is dealing with a far-less serious issue (probably not even an issue at all, FWIW...I'm sure the kid will pick up the goat thing soon) doesn't mean that the mother cannot think about/try to solve it. Hopefully this gives the OP some "prospective."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD will be 5 in Sept, appears to be intelligent both subjectively (great conceptual grasp of math facts and excellent language skills) and objectively (as measured by her 99.8 percentile FSIQ on the WPPSI). So why on earth can she not identify a goat in a simple baby board book that I was reading to her little sister? Or a colorful parrot? I am stressed out. Goats have been a problem for a long time. She was also hesitating on what sound a rooster makes (she eventually said it but it wasn't at the tip of her tongue) and what sound a lion cub makes.. she seems flummoxed about growling and roaring. Please please write and let me know if there is any chance this can be normal for a super smart, almost-5 year old.

If it makes you feel better, I really didn't understand part of your post. The highlighted part. I know nothing of these tests and abreviations, and I am 33 with a 5 year old.

Really, don't stress over it, but discuss it with your pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

Wow. The OP must have a bit too much time on her hands to be thinking about this. Feel free to come over and help me out w/ real issues. I've got a few (and none of them involve animals).