Letter and Number Recognition - Need What Works Best

[Anonymous]

OP, don't worry. My son could not identify all the letters at 3 or maybe even 4 but now at age almost 6 is reading second grade books. For some kids they just aren't ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy. So developmentally inappropriate for 3yos.

Can someone explain how learning letters is so crazy and developmentally inappropriate? My 20-month-old has been, of her own motivation, asking me what the names of each letter on her letter puzzle are for weeks. She certainly knows all the letters, and she's no special snowflake genius (plenty of our toddler friends are doing the same). Therefore, I don't see it odd that a preschool or daycare would teach children this, and think they should learn it, by the end of age 3? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

I think there is nothing wrong with expose the child to letters and numbers. The age inappropriateness happens when the teachers think all 3 year olds should be able to do it. And if any child is not doing it, then she is behind and needs to catch up.

Frankly I am not sure that is the case here. OP seems to be feeling pressures from the teachers that it is the goal for the 3 year olds. From my experience with preschools, they do evaluate the kids on things like this along a million others things such as whether the kids sit in circles, walk backwards, what have you. Only a very rare child will be advanced in all areas. And they always have to find a few things that the child needs improving on. I wonder whether the OP is overreacting a bit to the teacher's conference with them.

BTW, if the school really think all 3 year olds need to know this to graduate to the 4's room, then that is beyond ridiculous.

Having said all that, I love the preschool prep videos. My son watched some of them when he was 3, and he really got the phonics done with a few times watching the videos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy. So developmentally inappropriate for 3yos.

Can someone explain how learning letters is so crazy and developmentally inappropriate? My 20-month-old has been, of her own motivation, asking me what the names of each letter on her letter puzzle are for weeks. She certainly knows all the letters, and she's no special snowflake genius (plenty of our toddler friends are doing the same). Therefore, I don't see it odd that a preschool or daycare would teach children this, and think they should learn it, by the end of age 3? What am I missing?

It's not that learning letters is developmentally inappropriate for some kids -- it's that some other kids just aren't ready, and expecting all kids to know the letters (and, as often happens, implementing repetitive and boring instruction around letter recognition) by age 4 is not appropriate. Kids develop at different paces, and they develop unevenly. My own kid did know all the letters when he entered preK, but OTOH, there were many other skills that the other kids had mastered that he couldn't do. Couldn't draw anything. Couldn't write his name until closer to 5, not great at some of the self-care things that came more easily to his peers.

So if your kid is interested in letters and asking about them, and if it's kid-directed rather than a parent pushing this stuff (and getting frustrated if the kid doesn't get it!), then it's fine, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Leap Frog Letter Factory. Best DVD I ever bought the kids.

[Anonymous]

This is developmental inappropriate. It's one thing to encourage it, but it's quite another to "require" it. Technically, some kids are still learning letters in kindergarten. FWIW, my kids learned letters and their sounds fairly easily with the help of "The Letter Factory" dvds. Books like Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom and alphabet puzzles are also good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is developmental inappropriate. It's one thing to encourage it, but it's quite another to "require" it. Technically, some kids are still learning letters in kindergarten. FWIW, my kids learned letters and their sounds fairly easily with the help of "The Letter Factory" dvds. Books like Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom and alphabet puzzles are also good.

As I stated above in a follow-up post, it is more of an expectation or goal than requirement. My child won't be 'held back' or not allowed to move on to K4 if she has not mastered recognizing all the letters and numbers. Still, I do feel pressure to try to help my child master this material because it is an expectation. FWIW, I have an older school who was in a daycare setting; it was much more laid back and he was reading before Kindergarten although the pressure to move from one milestone to another was not present. I do think exposing children to material and allowing them to develop naturally is best; however, my older child has a different temperament than my younger child so we chose a more structured learning environment for her. There are some positive things about the school too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is developmental inappropriate. It's one thing to encourage it, but it's quite another to "require" it. Technically, some kids are still learning letters in kindergarten. FWIW, my kids learned letters and their sounds fairly easily with the help of "The Letter Factory" dvds. Books like Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom and alphabet puzzles are also good.

As I stated above in a follow-up post, it is more of an expectation or goal than requirement. My child won't be 'held back' or not allowed to move on to K4 if she has not mastered recognizing all the letters and numbers. Still, I do feel pressure to try to help my child master this material because it is an expectation. FWIW, I have an older school who was in a daycare setting; it was much more laid back and he was reading before Kindergarten although the pressure to move from one milestone to another was not present. I do think exposing children to material and allowing them to develop naturally is best; however, my older child has a different temperament than my younger child so we chose a more structured learning environment for her. There are some positive things about the school too.

Oh, and this is OP responding...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is developmental inappropriate. It's one thing to encourage it, but it's quite another to "require" it. Technically, some kids are still learning letters in kindergarten. FWIW, my kids learned letters and their sounds fairly easily with the help of "The Letter Factory" dvds. Books like Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom and alphabet puzzles are also good.

As I stated above in a follow-up post, it is more of an expectation or goal than requirement. My child won't be 'held back' or not allowed to move on to K4 if she has not mastered recognizing all the letters and numbers. Still, I do feel pressure to try to help my child master this material because it is an expectation. FWIW, I have an older school who was in a daycare setting; it was much more laid back and he was reading before Kindergarten although the pressure to move from one milestone to another was not present. I do think exposing children to material and allowing them to develop naturally is best; however, my older child has a different temperament than my younger child so we chose a more structured learning environment for her. There are some positive things about the school too.

Oh, and this is OP responding...

OMG, the coffee is NOT working today!!! I have an older CHILD, not an older school...lol