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Original poster

My just turned 3 year old can read and write

272 replies

Rockean · 06/10/2021 22:20

This isn’t a brag post, although. I’m pretty sure it’s going to come across like one.

My son just turned 3 and he can write his name, write basic/familiar words that he can sound out (the letters are recognisable) and he can sound out words when we look at books together. He loves playing with his magnetic letters and puts them together to create words, he can tell me what they say too.

He’s taught himself this through watching Alphablocks and reading books with us since he was tiny, particularly a phonics book that had all the sounds and alphabet written out with pictures of each letter of the alphabet next to them,

I’m just wondering if this is unusual?

He also doesn’t really play with toys, even though he has plenty of them, he'd much rather look at books and line up his alphabet letters or make words out of them. He’ll also sit with his magma doodle or white board and pen and just write things out. He’s done it at soft play when other kids are playing and I’ve bought his magma doodle.
I want him to play with toys too and I try to encourage him, but obviously I don’t want to discourage him from the books/letters and phonic sounds , but equally he’s going to know much more than most of his peers when he starts school, so I’m worried it’ll be boring for him.

OP posts:
SunshineCake1 · 07/10/2021 07:27

In an A level at 15.

Plantpot75 · 07/10/2021 07:27

To all the PP trying to knock the OP by saying ‘it’s pretty standard isn’t it’ and variations of that accompanied by the annoying emoji people use - you must know it isn’t really otherwise why would they have to teach writing and reading to at least 85% of children when they start school?

SunshineCake1 · 07/10/2021 07:26

My dd could read at two and we suspect she is on the spectrum. She is exceptionally bright. An A at 15 in a year ina brand new subject. Then all 9's and GCSEs and two A and an A at A level.

Tbh I'd rather she had had slightly less good results and less emotional issues.

Though telling the nursery staff that the moon was a crescent moon was a bit of a moment.

KittenKong · 07/10/2021 07:26

I started school when I was 3 and could read (feb baby in Scotland) my favourite book was Winnie the Pooh (I still remember it was a lovely red covered hardback).

From a family of bookworms. Didn’t so me any... good!Grin

Gardenlass · 07/10/2021 07:19

@Happymum12345

He sounds like a very bright little boy. I don’t know many 3 year olds that can read and write very well. They tend to all catch up with each other in the end though.
I agree that he sounds a very bright little boy, but the fact is, they don't all catch up in the end. Many children leave school with only basic reading skills. Generally because of ability or uninterested parents. We are not all born with equal capacity.
Dontforgetyourbrolly · 07/10/2021 07:18

I could read and write at 3 and the nursery started me on the school reading programme before I was in reception ( Billy blue hat - I'm ancient)
Sadly I did not grow into a genius doctor or physicist, I'm an out of work travel agent lol
I still read about a book a week though

User5827372728 · 07/10/2021 07:17

He sounds fabulous. My 5 Year old can’t spell any words or read. He can write his name with encouragement. My youngest is almost 3 and can’t do any of thing things your son can!

I might start getting them to watch alphablocks

Peanutsandchilli · 07/10/2021 07:16

My daughter could read and write before she left nursery. She was way ahead of her peers and they had to get books from year 2 for her. She's now 17, has stopped talking pretty much completely, and has been diagnosed with autism.

My 4 year old is only just beginning to write her name and recognise letters, and to be honest, I'm bloody grateful.

NerrSnerr · 07/10/2021 07:12

I don't think these skills are usual for a just turned 3 but in the range of normal. As PP have said, he could be bright, he could be peaking early or he could have something else going on.

I have a 4.5 year old who has just started reception. We celebrated that he was able to sound out and blend the word 'zip' yesterday and he is nowhere near being able to write his name. His only party trick is knowing the 10 times table but I suspect he has memorised that from watching Numberblocks.

He's going to be Sonic the Hedgehog when he grows up anyway so it's all good 😊

Andrea87 · 07/10/2021 07:09

@JulesRimetStillGleaming

Why do you want him to do things that he doesn't appear to enjoy and discourage him from things he does enjoy? That's a genuine question.

I'm autistic. He might be. He might not be. But if he's happy playing in his own way, I don't see why you would want to change him?

It is good to practise different types of play to give a wide knowledge and skills basis. If for example someone doesn’t like using scissors it is important to incorporate some fine motor activities to promote those movements to be able to use scissors later on. We wouldn’t say when children are older that if they don’t like maths they don’t have to do it. Children should have access to a broad curriculum from early on and even in early years they will be encouraged to undertake creative, scientific, mathematical, literacy , social etc tasks to develop those skills . Looking at the way he plays and translating that to other curriculum area through something Ike Schemas can be a way to develop these skills in a fun way and it can be fairly easy to do.
Happymum12345 · 07/10/2021 07:08

He sounds like a very bright little boy. I don’t know many 3 year olds that can read and write very well. They tend to all catch up with each other in the end though.

Morph2lcfc · 07/10/2021 07:06

He sounds very like my child at that age, he ended up being diagnosed with autism at age 6 and as he’s got older the differences are more obvious. Here is my thread from the time

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gifted_and_talented/1703859-What-was-your-gifted-child-like-when-they-were-2-3-years-old

I also posted a similar thread on Sen board called what was your autistic child like at 2-3 years old.

louisacat · 07/10/2021 07:03

My ds had no interest in reading and writing and was probably the only one in his class who couldn't do any when he started reception. They does seem to be a huge variation at that age in development and ability. I'm probably biased but I actually think my ds is quite bright but he is very practical, this is just not where his interest currently lies. He's now 5 and is fine but there is still a huge variation in his class. My nephew on the other hand was honestly reading fairly complex books at 3, I couldn't actually believe it. He was sounding out the phonic sounds on car registrations when he had just turned 2. He is still bright but more in line with others his age at 6 and no special needs that we know of. I would encourage your ds if he is interested in that area but also pursue other interests. They spend so much of their school life reading and writing.

ToD101 · 07/10/2021 07:03

@Orangejuicemarathoner

Its not unusual for a child to learn, if he is exposed to it.

It is unusual for a 3 year old to be exposed to so much alphabet at this age - many parents wouldn't want that.

Just think, if he was deaf, he would be reading and communicating with sign language now; visual language isn't innately any harder than aural language, its just we don't tend to hamper 3 year olds with both

I'm curious as to what you mean about d/Deaf children being able to read by 3 years old. I'm a Teacher of the Deaf and being able to sign does not mean you're also able to read. Confused
Thatsplentyjack · 07/10/2021 07:02

No thats not usual. I look after children, I've worked in nurseries for preschoolers, that's really quite unusual and anyone saying otherwise is being disingenuous.

Thatsplentyjack · 07/10/2021 06:58

@Flufferty

It sounds pretty standard
🤣
Upsielazy · 07/10/2021 06:57

Had a reading age of 18 by the age of 9

There isn't such a thing as a reading age of 18.

Bunnycat101 · 07/10/2021 06:56

I wouldn’t worry about school being boring. Reception will be about socialisation.

There is a massive difference between a just turned 3 year old and a nearly 4 year old. Technically mine could do that at 3 as a summer born about to turn 4 and go to school but would have had no chance at 3y0 months. She exceeded all of her ELGs bar writing so reasonably bright. I was reading before starting school but that progress came as an older 3/4 year old.

It is not at all usual for a 3y0 month child to be able to do what yours is in the way he is. Many 4/5 year olds in a reception class will be on wordless books at this time of year or finding satpin books a chore. That is much more ‘usual’ than just turned 3yos teaching themselves to read.

Iggly · 07/10/2021 06:51

My dd was similar. But that has levelled off now she’s 9.

Sprostongreen21 · 07/10/2021 06:50

My parents and older sister tell me I used to read the newspaper at 3. Obviously I don’t remember. I had a reading age of 14 at 9 but only got two C grades at English GCSE. ( didn’t really put the effort in tbhBlush)

It’s great he has an interest it’s a little unusual but some children do seem to naturally grasp these things early. ( worked professionally with children all my life) But he is still young and has school ahead of him yet. Keep offering varied activities and life skills and promoting other areas of development.

HoppingPavlova · 07/10/2021 06:48

Now, on trains, I see mum with her face stuck in her phone and the kids causing chaos around her. These children are slow to learn and end end up with parents who say they must be on the autistic spectrum. They have really no idea that they are shit parents

That’s bizarre. The kids I know with ASD we’re super quick to learn and extremely academically advanced. The ones that seem slow to learn with disengaged parents, not only generally wouldn’t have autism but parents who are not even bothered with investigating it let alone claiming it.

I had one very much as OP describes and they have ASD (didn’t know it at that age though). Being academically advanced was really beneficial in a way as they essentially shut down completely for the first 3 years of school, so already being ahead and then having the ability to catch up really quickly and get ahead once they finally settled in was a godsend. Didn’t solve all the other issues or the drama when it came to non-academic activities but at least the core literacy and numeracy was under control.

Newusernamelalala · 07/10/2021 06:47

I’m surprised by the posters saying this is usual for a 3 year old. I only know of 1 just turned 3 year old who can do this, and know some very bright children. I don’t think there’s any point trying to encourage or discourage what a small child wants to engage with - they’ll be interested in what they want - but don’t take the doodle reading thing to soft play, so he has the opportunity to give something new a go. Also, some schools are better/worse about proving an environment where a bright child can flourish so I think you’re definitely right to want to keep a close eye on that

Runningforcakes · 07/10/2021 06:47

I was amazed to get a birthday card from my 3.5 year old niece that had been written independently using phase 2&3 phonics sounds that kids normally get taught in reception. Her writing could have passed for an end of reception child.
I think she’s learnt some at nursery and enjoys writing in her own time.
One of mine knew a few letters and sounds before starting school and could write her name. The other had barely put pen to paper by that point.

edgeware · 07/10/2021 06:40

I could read fully at 3, I think it was closer to 4 maybe but it was 100% before I started school. My mum taught me. My sister who was younger than me then wanted to too, so she was even younger. By the time they did reading tests on her when she went to school the teacher nearly fell over in shock. Neither of us are autistic.