At What Age Does DC Recognize Letters?

[Anonymous]

I'm not asking to be competitive! My DH has Dyslexia, and I wonder what the average age range is for kids to learn their letters. DS is 25 months, and can sing and say the alphabet, but only recognizes a handful of letters (like A, B, maybe O or S) even though we have been practicing since he learned the alphabet. I'll talk to my pediatrician when we have our next visit, but would like to have a sense as to whether I should be concerned at this point.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I think your DS sounds within the normal range. My 3 & 1/2 year old doesn't recognize all letters and I think she's average in her class. My 20 month old knows a few which was a surprise as I don't push it.

[Anonymous]

My son is almost 3 1/2 and he just started recognizing letters and numbers a few months ago. He has known how to say the alphabet for a long time and can count up to 12. But just recently he has been able to recognize the letters in his name as well as some other letters (not all) and at this point he knows all numbers up to 10 and a few higher ones. He knew colors and shapes much earlier. I don't know where he falls on the "smartness" spectrum, but he is very verbal and curious.

[Anonymous]

There's a range. Usually by age 3 most children can identify at least some letter names out of context (i.e. you show them a G and they say "That's a gee". By age 5, if they have been taught, I'd expect most children to be able to name all upper and lower case letters. Most kindergartens, in fact, nowadays REQUIRE that children know all their letter names (and maybe even sounds) before entry, but this didn't used to be the case, and some children still don't. When I was in kindergarten, we learned letter names. Now, if you don't know letter names in kindergarten, you are often identified as at-risk.

Oh -- in my experience most boys learn letter names a little later than girls do.

Certainly, there a plenty of chidren who are able to name letters earlier than age 3 though, (and I'm sure you will hear from their moms and dads on this thread!). If they can, esp. by a18 months or so, it is often one sign of possible "giftedness" -- although some gifted children do not learn to read (or identify letters) early.

As you brought up a concern about dyslexia, I hope you don't mind me sharing this: IMO the most important thing for kids to actually learn about the alphabet isn't so much the letter name as it is the sound that is shown by the letter. Children as young as 3 and 4 (on average) can begin to learn a basic sound for each letter and to sound out 3 phoneme words, like "CAT" and "JUG".

There's a really great book I recommend that explains and IMO demystifies reading instruction for parents:

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Reflex-Foolproof-Phono-Graphix-Teaching/dp/0684853671

website here:

http://www.readamerica.net/page9alink.asp

[Anonymous]

My 3 yo started taking a phonics course for one hour a week for 3 months and she knows the full alphabet very well now. The course with the teacher is 20 minutes, 3 times per week and only has about 3 students so I think she learned faster bc of the smaller ratio of students to teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As you brought up a concern about dyslexia, I hope you don't mind me sharing this: IMO the most important thing for kids to actually learn about the alphabet isn't so much the letter name as it is the sound that is shown by the letter. Children as young as 3 and 4 (on average) can begin to learn a basic sound for each letter and to sound out 3 phoneme words, like "CAT" and "JUG".

We met someone who was living overseas, and there they taught the kids to recite the alphabet as sounds, not using letter names. It seemed a little odd at first, but now I can definitely understand why they do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Most kindergartens, in fact, nowadays REQUIRE that children know all their letter names (and maybe even sounds) before entry, but this didn't used to be the case, and some children still don't. When I was in kindergarten, we learned letter names. Now, if you don't know letter names in kindergarten, you are often identified as at-risk.

That's just not true. We live in Arlington and there is zero expectation that kids will know their letters, even if many or most of them do, going into kindergarten. Our DS went into kindergarten knowing maybe half his upper case letters. He's learned an incredible amount in a very short time but had no interest in letters, apart from those in his name, until this year. On the literacy diagnostic they give the kids, he was right at the level that Arlington expects for kids. There's differentiated learning in the classroom so kids who are reading get time to do that, while kids who are learning letters (and there are a number of them) work on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As you brought up a concern about dyslexia, I hope you don't mind me sharing this: IMO the most important thing for kids to actually learn about the alphabet isn't so much the letter name as it is the sound that is shown by the letter. Children as young as 3 and 4 (on average) can begin to learn a basic sound for each letter and to sound out 3 phoneme words, like "CAT" and "JUG".

We met someone who was living overseas, and there they taught the kids to recite the alphabet as sounds, not using letter names. It seemed a little odd at first, but now I can definitely understand why they do it.

Yes. Learning the names of letters first, and then having to learn a basic sound for each one (and of course in English there is usually more than just one sound per letter) isn't too tricky for most kids, but some kids have a needlessly hard time with it.

I taught elementary educatino for 9 years, and saw the weirdest spellings at times, that made perfect sense if you thought about the name of the letter.

Here are just two:

WH for "day". (hint -- take the first sound in "double you" and the first sound in "aitch".

YFT for "when" (hint -- take the first sound in "why", "ef", and "tee".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not asking to be competitive! My DH has Dyslexia, and I wonder what the average age range is for kids to learn their letters. DS is 25 months, and can sing and say the alphabet, but only recognizes a handful of letters (like A, B, maybe O or S) even though we have been practicing since he learned the alphabet. I'll talk to my pediatrician when we have our next visit, but would like to have a sense as to whether I should be concerned at this point.

Thanks!

Mine new uppercase around 18 months, lower case later... maybe around 2? I can't recall.

[Anonymous]

mine knew upper case letters at a little over a year -- lower case not until much later

[Anonymous]

My 2 1/2yo can recognize words.

She started recognizing the letters when she was 26mo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Most kindergartens, in fact, nowadays REQUIRE that children know all their letter names (and maybe even sounds) before entry, but this didn't used to be the case, and some children still don't. When I was in kindergarten, we learned letter names. Now, if you don't know letter names in kindergarten, you are often identified as at-risk.

That's just not true. We live in Arlington and there is zero expectation that kids will know their letters, even if many or most of them do, going into kindergarten. Our DS went into kindergarten knowing maybe half his upper case letters. He's learned an incredible amount in a very short time but had no interest in letters, apart from those in his name, until this year. On the literacy diagnostic they give the kids, he was right at the level that Arlington expects for kids. There's differentiated learning in the classroom so kids who are reading get time to do that, while kids who are learning letters (and there are a number of them) work on that.

I'm so sorry, I meant kindergartens that have admission requirements!

Good for Arlington Schools for not expecting incoming kinders to know all their letters!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think your DS sounds within the normal range. My 3 & 1/2 year old doesn't recognize all letters and I think she's average in her class. My 20 month old knows a few which was a surprise as I don't push it.

My children are very similar to yours! I guess the younger one learns from the older one...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not asking to be competitive! My DH has Dyslexia, and I wonder what the average age range is for kids to learn their letters. DS is 25 months, and can sing and say the alphabet, but only recognizes a handful of letters (like A, B, maybe O or S) even though we have been practicing since he learned the alphabet. I'll talk to my pediatrician when we have our next visit, but would like to have a sense as to whether I should be concerned at this point.

Thanks!

Mine new uppercase around 18 months, lower case later... maybe around 2? I can't recall.

This sounds a bit shady.

[Anonymous]

DD is at a daycare center where they have a little "preschool" curriculum. I am not sure how much they are emphasizing letters, but she is 26 mo and can recognize the first letter of her name and a couple others sometimes. I don't think you have any need to worry...