Should my 2 year old be able to recognize letters at this point? Like we show him 3 flashcards and ask for A...should he be able to pick out A? Sometimes it seems the rest of his preschool class is more advanced than him and I'm starting to worry...thanks!
UPDATE: he just turned two in june...
Thanks everyone. I'm not a drilling type of parent at all which is why I'm worried. Lol. I wonder if perhaps I'm TOO lax when it comes to the academic development part. It's so hard to not compare your child to others although I really try hard not to. Thanks everyone!
no most 2 yr olds do not recognize letters. 2 yr old should be playing not looking at flash cards.
Pushing them too hard will back fire. I've never under stood parents that think their kids MUST know everything by the time they are in kindergarten. 2 yr olds should be working on motor skills and imagination not letters and numbers.
2 yr olds do not need academic development
I don't really see the wisdom in pushing kids to academic achievement in toddlerhood. My daughter is in preschool and they do letter recognition starting at age 3. She is moving up to pre-K this fall and can now recognize all upper-case and most lowercase letters at almost 4.
There is nothing wrong with playing letter and number games with your child, mine always enjoyed playing flash cards, but please don't push too hard for it.
My favorite example is that in Finland kids don't enter school (or formally learn reading) until age 7 and that country ranks up there in the top 3 in international comparison for middle school and high school achievement. Learning is not a race to the finish line, it's an ongoing lifelong process and it should be fun.
Good luck.
My daughter will be 3 on the 26th of this month and the only letter she can recognize is the first letter of her name. She can recognize her name if we write it but thats about the extent of it. Can he say his ABCs? I really wouldn't worry about it.
Just read your update and with him just turning 2 in June, I really wouldn't worry about it.
It's so hard not to compare your child to others! Some children are able to do it earlier than others, but don't stress about it. That's why kids are expected by the end of kindergarten to know all upper and lowercase letters. Just keep exposing him in different ways. In our house we use books, foam letters for the tub, fridge phonics (leap frog), a letter puzzle, and TV (Sesame Street and Between the Lions on PBS are great). Also, there is a great DVD called The Letter Factory. I haven't seen it, but I hear it's phenomenal.
He should be able to... Unless he just turned 2, then I wouldn't worry. Also he's discovering his independence and may be choosing not to give the right answer. He probably knows a lot more than he wants you to think.
Has his preschool teachers said anything that makes it seem he's way behind?
Where in the 2 age range is he? If he just turned 2, then no I wouldn't worry about it. If he's closer to three then, yeah, I'd work a little harder on letter recognition, but even then, I wouldn't "worry". Does he know the first letter of his name? I started there. There are tons of games and puzzles, even place mats with letters and pictures on them. I'd go that route. We have a foam puzzle my daughter loved! And, I hate to say it...but here it is...I do honestly think that boys (yes a stereotype, and this does not apply to all boys, but a lot) are interested in and catch on later to this stuff. My son is almost 2 and he's not at all at the same place with that kind of stuff as my daughter was at his age.
No at 2 years old they do not care about letters or numbers. It is just not what a toddler's brain is ready to learn. There is way too much physical development going on and social learning that is more important than letters. Please put the flashcards down, stop to worry , he is not behind in or on any level. Enjoy your child...time flies....
Mine knew her letters at some point when she was two. I don't remember if she was 2+ or just two. I recommend the leap frog refrigerator magnet that says the letter and its sound. My daughter played with it for hours and hours over the course of a few months while I worked in the kitchen. If you are spending time on alphebet, he should be catching on in the upcoming months. (on the same note, we moved to a house with a stainless steal ref., we didn't use the mangets, I had a new baby and we didn't do alphebet for a long time, she promptly forgot every last letter. She is now 3.5 and we had to start from the begining a few months ago. So don't stress. If he doesn't lean them at two, he'll learn them at three)
There is a big range of when kids know this. I know kids who know all their letters right around their 2nd birthdays, and I know kids going into kindergarten who don't. It depends on a lot of factors. I would not expect a boy who is 2 and 2 months to know all of his letters.
Also, flashcards is really not the best way to teach him. At this age, you need to make it fun, and you need to do something where he is more involved. Get the leapfrog refrigerator magnets so he can play: http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Fridge-Phonics-Magnetic-Al...
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I think most don't. It occurs somewhere between 2 and 4 usually, and usually not more than a few letters at a time to start. That doesn't mean there isn't value in the activitiey of showing letters and helping him make the connections, but I wouldn't expect too much. My older daughter could recognize a few letters at 18 months. My younger daughter is 3.5 and has no interest at all in even trying.
Well Im not sure what the 'norm' is but my daughter is going to be 20 months at the end of this month and she can say her ABC's and count to 10. She also recognizes the numbers and letters as they are and not just in sequence because she has memorized them. But that being said, I am a stay at home Mom and I am lucky enough to have all day with her to work with her. I also am very lucky to say that ever since she was old enough to get her own toys she has been in love with books. She has 2 shelves that are just packed with books and she loves to learn. Every child is different. Personally I wouldnt think that there isnt anything wrong with your son but if you are concerned just bring it up to your doctor who can assure you that everything is fine or will help you to get your son on track if need be but he sounds just fine to me
I would think the average age would be around 2 1/2 to start recognizing letters. Of course, each child is different and learns at his own pace. I had one daughter who could read at age 4, and the other didn't read until age 6.
I don't think flashcards are a good idea at this age. However, I do think you should start introducing him to letters through play and everyday life. Use refrigerator magnets, or alphabet puzzle, maybe a computer game, and educational tv show.
Don't go in order. You may want to start with the letters in his name. If his name is Jim, and you put jelly on your sandwich, you can make a reference that the both start with the letter J. Make up a game by looking for other things that start with J or finding the letter when you read a book together.
My oldest is 3.5 yrs old and just recently started to sing the abc's without error. However, he has been able to recognize all the letters (non sequentially) since about 2.5 yrs old.
On the other hand my 23 month old son is 'trying' really hard to sing the ABCs with his bro (not quite there yet tho') and he can identify about 1/2 of the alphabet (if you point to the letter and ask him what it is!)
Compared to all my other friends kids mine were/are behind, but I'm not worried since they're having fun and asking me at their own pace! I've never pressured my kids or have drilled them about anything. My oldest randomly counted to 15 the other day, I have know idea where he got it from, except just the everyday things we do!
I wouldn't worry about it, at 2 I still think its young to press schooling type of things! They learn so much through playing and reading....each child is different, and I have yet to see any concrete evidence that shows a child knowing these type of things are at an advantage over those who learn it later on!
GL
Our 20mo can identify most of the letters, but in and out of order.
I've been working really hard with him on the alphabet - he doesn't know it's work, though.
Some tools we have used:
Lots of reading and pointing out the letters.
Singing the ABCs multiple times a day in many different ways, like a game
Fridge Phonics (by LeapFrog)
Alphaberry (by B)
We don't miss an opportunity to point out letters and reinforce what they are. Always have him echo you - it is very reinforcing, more so than just telling him what it is.
ETA: Perhaps I should clarify...
I'm not the learning police, nor do I push my son in any way. There is nothing wrong with exposure and immersion in our language at a time when toddlers are naturally making connections. I don't sit and drill him with flashcards, for heaven's sake. He's naturally curious and I take the opportunities as they naturally present themselves so it's very organic, not forced.
