Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

Preschool education

What's the usual age that kids learn these things please?

21 replies

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:02

Since DD is my first and likely to be only child and haven't had much to do with children prior to having her, I'm pretty clueless about milestones and the average ages they tend to reach them.
I was wondering roughly what age is usual for being able to recite the alphabet, have grasped phonics and tell you numerous words beginning with those letters and count to 20, recognize individual numbers, letters, etc. I know it's an odd question!

OP posts:

Report

zzzzz · 03/10/2015 00:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Racundra · 03/10/2015 00:14

Do you still have your 0-5 book from the HVs? It's probably in there.

I don't think lots of random MNers telling you about their children that are obviously child genii or have additional needs will help you form a solid basis on which to judge the correct age to do those things.

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:14

Thank you. Mine has just turned two but didn't really want to say in first post in case I'm being all 'Braggy pants' or overly worried mum. I just don't know whether she's ahead, behind or right where she should be.

OP posts:

Racundra · 03/10/2015 00:15

What is it that worries you?

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:16

I never got given a 0-5 book

OP posts:

BackforGood · 03/10/2015 00:17

Outside of the rather skewed view of the world that is MN, most children begin to learn those skills once they have started Reception, the September after they turn 4.

Racundra · 03/10/2015 00:19

Um, ok (maybe they don't do them any more! My children are older ) maybe look up there and look at the guidance of what the milestones are for her age? Or look on Dr Sears site, that has them, or probably some sort of nhs website.

Racundra · 03/10/2015 00:21

But as this is Mumsnet... I could read properly at 2.5 (we didn't have phonics, it was look and say then).

I'm not exactly a Nobel laureate or queen of the world now...

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:23

Thank you, BackForGood.
I'm not really worried as such Racundra, I just have no benchmarks to go by and most stuff online is quite vague. What does worry me though is that if they start learning these things in reception and they've already been au fait with it for the last 2-3 years, am I doing her a disservice by encouraging?

OP posts:

FeelsLikeHome123 · 03/10/2015 00:26

Google 'NHS HV Developmental Milestones'
All the information is listed

Racundra · 03/10/2015 00:27

There will be so many other things to learn, that she'll do those instead. Will she not go to nursery first, though?
I was put straight into the year above, but they don't generally do that nowadays.

catkind · 03/10/2015 00:35

Here's what you want:
www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2012/03/Development-Matters-FINAL-PRINT-AMENDED.pdf

It's also good for activities/games they might like and might support them at different stages.

I think the only one you won't find mention of is reciting the alphabet - many toddlers do because parents teach them an alphabet song, but think it's not really encouraged because of using letter names rather than sounds.

Do you have a bright bean on your hands? Cos certainly none of those are things to worry about them not doing.

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:38

Thanks FeelsLikeHome! I'll google it now. Yes, she will go to nursery in the next few months, when I feel she's ready. I'm easing her back into tots groups at the mo (we haven't been for the last 10 months due to me breaking my foot quite badly and having nobody nearby to step in and help) so when she's at the point of being fine with playing without worrying where I am, I'll think about introducing it.

OP posts:

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:40

Thank you catkind! Yes, she is quite a bright little bean. But I'm sure most parents think that ;) I'm just a worrier who wants to do my best.

OP posts:

catkind · 03/10/2015 00:44

x-post, what a lot of night owls! You do have a bright bean then.

catkind · 03/10/2015 00:50

My DD is similar I think, though she has the excuse of an older brother to copy. She's enjoying preschool at the moment. We do have some concerns about how school will work for her next year. I wouldn't have her be without her reading though, she gets so much pleasure from it. For a child who loves books, being able to read is like having a super-power.

lenibose · 03/10/2015 00:51

Mine could count and was very fluent with his numbers at 2. At 3.5 he is still number/maths obsessed. He can add and subtract two digit numbers, understands place value, and do word problems meant usually for 6 year olds. He learned to read at 3 as well. I am aware he is ahead of his peers. So I have tried to work on things that don't come easily to him- chatting with kids his age, making friends, physical stuff like climbing. Along side that I have tried to foster any interest he may have- so we had a space phase and now we are in a volcanoes one. My logic is that since he is ahead (and your DD does sound she is), then that means instead of worrying about his academic progress we can do other stuff. My personal belief is that I don't want to teach him that reading/numeracy etc is 'work' and learning to swim/ride a bike is 'fun'. Both groups of things involve learning and both should be seen as fun. If your daughter learned to swim at 2, you wouldn't stop taking her to the pool in case she swam better, would you? As long as she enjoys something go ahead and do it. The other thing to try and develop is their critical thinking so we now stop stories and ask him to guess what might happen, why does he think that? We do a lot of 'can you imagine what would happen if...?' The other thing my school teacher mum has drilled into my head is that he must understand what he is doing. So it's okay to count but knowing your numbers is less useful than understanding quantities. Learning to read is exciting but so should playing with words etc.

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:55

For instance, she has a book that some relly or another gave her that's basically a pre-school dictionary. It has the letters by page with various pictures. She'll pick a page and say 'e...e, e, elephant, b..b,b, ball, balloons, etc. A is now asteroid instead of Apple, thanks to the Clangers, lol! I daren't even ask my FB friends etc in case they think I'm being some pushy mum or bragging.

OP posts:

FartemisOwl · 03/10/2015 00:58

Wow, thank you Lenibose, that's excellent advice :)

OP posts:

zzzzz · 03/10/2015 07:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Racundra · 03/10/2015 08:26

I hope your health issue is much better now. I would echo what others have said- don't worry about her being ahead, there's lots of other things for her to learn.
With my first, who was very ahead in terms of reading/writing we found that her physical development was very far behind that of her peers- she really only caught up around 8 or so. We hadn't intentionally gone down that route, she was just doing things she enjoyed, I didn't teach her to read, she did it herself.
However, it made us more aware with the second one, and whilst he read early, we ensured his physical development kept pace with age-related milestones too. I think this has been good for him in many ways (and he's still the best reader in his year by far according to his teacher).

Flip

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.