Should a 6 year old

[Harleyisme]

Know the full alphabet?
I do wonder if the alphabet isn't so looked at now with phonics but should they know it?

We laughed in our house when DS2, 4 was able to recite the alphabet but DS1, 16 couldn't!! I don't even know how that happens. DS2 listens to a lot of songs and I think he's learnt it from there. DS1 was very much taught letter sounds rather than names so maybe that's why?

I would say yes. When learning to read they need to learn all letters as well as sounds. They cant blend to make sounds if they dont know the letters. My 4yo (in reception) knows the full alphabet, not bragging just offering comparison

By 6 most definitely.

I wouldn't stress about it. Just sing it everyday as a song

My 6 year old does

Yes they should

Hes not good with phonics. He has autism and we have had a fight on support as even though he has a medcial diagnosis of autism the school said he has no needs at all. We had a private educational physiology assessment last week and he was asked to say the alphabet and he tried to sing the abc song but couldn't and it kept bothering me if he should know it by now.

Yes.

I’m a 28 year old PhD holding dyslexic and I still really struggle with the alphabet. If looking something up in a dictionary I’ve got to say the whole thing out loud. A bit of an annoyance as I’m a French teacher !

My dd2 is diagnosed ASC and is 6 in a few months. She does not know the alphabet and has no interest in it at all. Mentally she is a few years behind. She is soooo loving though albeit on her terms😊

Knowing the alphabetic letters and reciting the alphabet are two different things. The 'alphabet' as most people know it us essentially a song.

If phonics is taught properly kids will be taught the letter name and sound.

They tend to learn the alphabet song in nursery and then when they start mainstream and begin a phonics scheme the alphabet goes out the window. As a dyslexia specialist teacher, good spelling ultimately means knowing your alphabet as well as the letter sound. At DC's school they do Read Write Inc where letter 'names' are always referred to as letter 'sounds'. It drives me bonkers, but perhaps for young children that makes sense. Unfortunately lots of kids never re-learn their alphabet and that can cause problems with complex spellings later on.

just asked my six year old and he's got an idea of them but there all sort of jumbled, like when you sing a song but don't know the exact words. he is dyslexic though and struggles massively.

Of course not. It’s a memorization feat. Some people are better than others at memorizing.

A lot of children forget it but in year 2 we teach the children how to use a dictionary so knowing alphabetical order is so important. We use word books when they are writing which we write words in they want but the book is alphabetical. This has helped them learn it as they have to have the right page for their word.

Thank you everyone i will work on this with him

We play the dictionary game where we choose a word for them to find. E.g apple what does it start with, where is that in the alphabet, so it will be at the front of the dictionary, choose quite obvious ones for the middle to start with beginning with m and n. Some children's dictionaries have the alphabet down the side of each page with the letter you are on highlighted which also helps.