[kuggle]

Just wondering how best to encourage DD. She loves letters and numbers.

She can say/sing the alphabet up to s and then stops . She counts intermittently but actually counts objects up to 4 (not pretending she is a genius, others i know recite up to 20 at this age)

Most interesting is her love of letters. She loves doing alphabet puzzles and seems to recognise familiar letters and words (I don't kid myself she is reading , just recognising). Words like Mummy, Daddy and Phoebe are big favourites and have been since she was 18 mo. She picks out letters in other words that have any of the constituent letters of familiar words.

What are others this age up to?

How do you encourage liking letters and numbers without pushing? She has the rest of her life to learn to read so I'm not after a super-literate toddler but I'd like to encourage her if she enjoys it.


Edited because I can't type this morning

This post has been edited by kuggle: 08/03/2011, 07:47 AM

[~~turtle~~]

Your DD sounds like our DD who was reading, counting and writing at an early age. Now at the age of 4, she has an accessed reading level of an 8 year old (or grade 3), can do the 2nd grade spelling list and can do simple maths. And she doesn't start school till next year!

We haven't pushed our DD but it is hard not to simulate and encourage them when they are soooo interested in reading and writing etc. You can't not extend them for the fear of pushing them. Also, don't think that she isn't reading - she could well be reading and understanding the words. DD was reading (unseen) Spot books by the age of 2.5 so it is possible to be reading at that age.

I would just keep exposing her to books. Read to her as much as possible and make library visits once a week the norm. Just keep talking and reading to her. My DD loves the Letterland learning series and it is excellent program for introducing them to phonics. We have stayed away from computer programs etc. (except for printing out colouring/exercise sheets) as I feel it is more important that she develop reading and writing skills away from the computer at this age.

Do you go to any music classes? (such as mainly music etc) My DD has loved the stimulation from the weekly music groups and it gives another area to 'develop' if you are worried about focusing too much on reading etc.

To compare how different kids are though, our DS (currently 28 months), is not even close to being at the level my DD was at or even doing what your DD currently is. We have given him the same exposure to books and reading that we gave his sister (and will continue to) though but he will be lucky if he is reading by the time he goes to school (which doesn't bother me if he isn't - it is just interesting comparing them!).

Sorry if this reply is a bit rambled! haven't had enough coffee yet!

[lozoodle]

Not real good with letters at this stage, but can count to ten on occasion.

Really good with colours and can point out and say yellow, orange, blue, green (but gets blue and green mixed up sometimes), red, pink, black, white and purple. Probably so good with colours as when I go on walks I make a game of it and point to passing cars and quiz her on what colour they are.

This post has been edited by lozoodle: 08/03/2011, 10:58 AM

[baddmammajamma]

Kuggle:

I did have a 2 year old who was a self taught reader (the little kid in my signature), but I also didn't want that interest to override everything else in life -- she tended to fixate mostly on letter and numbers at that age, and like you, I didn't want to push her or limit her exposure to one set of activities.

A few things that she loved at that age:

Check out http://www.starfall.com/. It is a free, educational web site from the U.S. that promotes the literacy in kids of all ages. It is wonderful both both readers and early letter awareness.

At that age, my daughter used to love cutting up old magazines, looking for words that began with a certain letter. Or you could go on an "A" treasure hunt and try to find 1-2-3-4-5 things that start with the letter A. It's a good, fun way to combine letter recognition with counting.

In a similar vein, we played a lot of "I Spy." ("I spy something starting with M!")

Regular trips to the library and letting her choose her own books was, and still is, a huge treat!

Because I didn't want her to fixate solely on letters and numbers, I always tried to encourage activities that placed those letters and numbers in a broader context. So rather than doing anything remotely related to flashcards/encouraging rote memorization, I've always tried to emphasize how letters and numbers work in the real world.

Have fun encouraging your daughter's love of learning!

[~~turtle~~]

Because I didn't want her to fixate solely on letters and numbers, I always tried to encourage activities that placed those letters and numbers in a broader context. So rather than doing anything remotely related to flashcards/encouraging rote memorization, I've always tried to emphasize how letters and numbers work in the real world.

Great advice here baddmammajamma.

We too play lots of I Spy. We began with 'something starting with the letter M' to 'something starting with the sound MMMMM' to what we are doing now 'something that ends with the letter M'.

Just spending time time with your DD will help her. Talk to her lots, point out and ask her about the things around you as you go for walks, are in the car, at the shops. Everything can be turned into a 'learning' experience.

[Nut]

DS is 3 and very literacy and numerically inclined.

By two I could write down any letter at random (upper and lower case but better with upper) and numbers up to 10 and he would tell me what they were.

I did not do much. I saw he was interested so I sat down writing letters and numbers and telling him what they were. I started a few months before when he seemed keen. He also watched (and still does watch) specific episodes of Blues Clues which focus on numbers, letters, colours and shapes.

He knows phonics. Knows the sound made by each letter and at 3 can now spell up to 50 or 60 words, write and read each one and sits here trying to work out how to read words he does not know by spelling them out phonetically. It progressed on it's own without my going out of my way. I think if you just make it fun and make sure they are still always enjoying it you can work with it.

[themelster]

Ok, I've obviously got a slow learner here! LOL. DS is almost 29 months. He can count to ten (well, he misses 10 and uses 12 instead!) and can sing the alphabet song confusing a few in the middle.

He's rubbish with colours!

[kuggle]

Turtle and baddmammajamma - thanks for the suggestions. I never thought of 'I spy". DD has dozens and dozens of books at home ( over 100 at last count - gotta love library clearance sales) and while some of them are too old for her she likes ones with lots of words so she can 'do reading' and also 'read' to her toys or have them do the reading. She chooses her books each night and the order they are read in and woe betide anyone who tries to ignore her requests.

The library visits are probably a good way to introduce her to libraries as places to go and learn and see new books too.


She does not do regular music focused lessons but DP plays the piano each night while I prepare dinner and she loves that.


Nut - I've done the writing letters and numbers thing with DD and she can pick them (not perfectly but until she gets distracted/bored). Doing that makes me feel like a hothousing mum though

themelster - I have a friends whose 2yo is bright as a button and can count to 20 easily but for her every colour is pink. It's the only one she knows.
Lazoodle - see my DD is not so great with colours. She's never know purple for example. Funny how they are all different.

[Stained]

DS is great with colours and rubbish at letter and numbers (I dont mean that in a bad way, just to emphasise how little an idea he has about them )
He cant count to 10 and he doesnt recognise any letters or words...

[-river-]

My DS1 is 2 1/2 and he sings the alphabet and counts to 12, he can count to 30 but gets the numbers mixed up. He knows a lot of colours and is starting to learn shapes.

He is a very smart little boy and it has a lot to do with his big sister! She is a little mummy and teaches him heaps.