My almost 4 year old knows his times tables

[Whitedots]

Okay, this sounds like I’m making it up, but my DS who is 4 next month, knows his times tables from memory.
We haven’t taught him, he watches number-blocks and loves it.
He seems to have memorised it, he was playing a game on his tablet and it was asking 8x4 , 11x2 etc and he was getting it right every time.
I was completely blown away.
He loves numbers and has been fascinated by them since he was tiny. He sees patterns in everything.

He’s also taught himself to read and can read a story book meant for an older child pretty accurately without much help at all (he watched Alphablocks regularly during lockdown too).

He doesn’t start school properly until next September, but he is starting in nursery class attached to the school this month. I’m wondering if I should mention this to his teacher?

He finds things like riding a bike/scooter or swimming difficult and isn’t particularly interested in those things either, he loves walking though and has a lot of stamina for walking miles at a time. He’s never been one for playing with cars or figures, although he likes his brio train track.

My eldest son was the same, the school nursery will pick up on it very quickly, they started him on the reading scheme meant for reception and really encouraged him. Also a huge Numberblocks fan, I love that programme 🙂 He was much slower with his social skills and not madly in to joining in with others at first but this came on hugely in Yr 1 and now yr4 he has a lovely group of friends. No ASD although I did wonder because of the memorising. He memorised all the names of the countries from our big world map on the wall at 3. Turns out he's just a maths and geography buff and probably always will be!

I'm so surprised at people saying don't mention it to the nursery?
Surely that wastes everyone's time?
Of course mention it and they can concentrate on what he can't do!
And bring him on and stimulate him

Hi, similar situation here,we did tell them about his abilities and they were grateful,they were able to ensure that reading material that wasn't age appropriate etc wasn't in reach or eye level.
Information can help them to help your child.

I taught myself to read by 4. I remember learning times tables at infant school so didn't know those.

I'm not massively clever but pretty switched on. I am like your son, very interested in stuff and tend to immerse myself in things, especially challenges. I recall spending every spare minute of summer holidays, when not doing my summer job, with my rubik cube, until I fully mastered it.

I think I'm on some sort of spectrum. Would be curious to know but I think the behaviour has been a help not a hindrance.

Well done your son!

Oh, and before I went to school I wrote backwards! Like a mirror.

Another funny story.

At infants (in the 70s) we were taught times tables by rote. Teacher would shout one and point at a child requiring an answer.

I knew them all by the time I went to junior school.

I remember a lesson in junior school where maths teacher asked how many eggs would fit in a egg box which she held, open, in her hand. I said six and she asked how I knew. Clever me said...1,2,3,4,5...6

Then she said...if I used the times tables...

3 x 2 or 2 x 3....it was the same, but quicker!

Like magic the penny dropped!

So there is a leap from knowledge to understanding but you can illustrate it in every day things.

How funny reading this, he sounds just like my son was at 4. I knew he had great facility with numbers and patterns because everything was turned into something mathematical. I remember one of his friends asking him what his favourite colour was and him responding '4'.
I didn't need to tell nursery or Reception, it was pretty obvious, in fact nursery were the ones that told me he could read fluently.

Lost the rest of my post !
I was going to say he sounds v bright and he may continue to be Mathematical or nay become interested in something else.
My don did have some challenges in his school career because of his ability but FWIW ended up at Oxford studying.....Maths!

Mine (4 next week) is almost exactly the same, although has little interest in reading. He can do all times tables from 1-12 (works them out if needed rather than just parroting IYSWIM). He has a few ‘special interests’ which he is deeply knowledgable about. He’s physically behind (only recently learned to do a two footed jump for example) and really struggles socially. I strongly suspect ASD. Nursery know he’s very bright and that he has difficulties in other areas without me pointing it out tbf.

Being bright doesn't mean he's autistic though

On mumsnet it invariably does.

Of course you mention it to the nursery! They need to know him to give him the best learning experience! If they know his strengths they'll be able to provide support with his weaknesses whilst encouraging him with his maths abilities. You could have the next Stephen Hawking on your hands or he could have an ability now that evens out as he grows up and he turns out perfectly average at maths but either way it's frankly bizarre to just not mention it to his school setting
I will add, if you have any niggles or suspect there may be ANY autistic traits with your ds you tell the nursery, as soon as he starts and even before if possible. With HFA early intervention makes SUCH a difference.

My DS was the same OP. Taught himself a lot via alphablocks and numberjacks.

He just got on with it and it suited his way of learning by just getting on with it and learning at his own pace.

I was the same - reading well before I started school and very switched on with things like numbers and spelling.

Like a few others on here, I was also diagnosed with Aspergers, though not until my in my twenties. My dad also has an Aspergers diagnosis and he was the same growing up.

We both struggle socially and have sensory issues. We also both have obsessions that we'll talk/read about for hours at the exclusion of everything else.

Saying all that, I hugely struggled with sixth form and university and have also struggled with every employed job I've ever had. I now work for myself (with animals) and have finally found my happy place

Being bright, isn’t, no. ‘He sees patterns in everything’ might be. His mother suspecting that he has autistic traits is a lot more significant than anything any of us might contribute.

So Lovely to read. My 3 1/2 year old also watches Numberblocks and Alphablocks and we are heaving a very similar experience. He knows many of the times tables, adding, subtracting, knowing how many numbers make squares or rectangles. These BBC Numberblock Magazines are quite difficult to get hold of and I’m always hunting for them. His spelling and reading skills are very good for his age and he understands rudimentary German, as I try to speak only in German to him. At this age they are like a sponge aren’t they! Like your child, my grandchild is also not the sporty type but does like going swimming and he loves running. His Nursery call him Sheldon. I would not call him exceptionally gifted, he just has a very healthy curiosity and quite a long attention span. Long may it last.

My DS read at 3, initially small words but at 4 could read everything including newspaper headlines. I used to curse waiting rooms with the sky news moving text thing as he loved it and would read aloud, always inappropriate and beyond his understanding. My other DS was like that with maths, doing sums in his head and at 3 could remember everyone's car registration and recite entire Peppa pig episodes from memory. Both had other issues and areas where they were way behind. It was hard as friends kids always seemed to be at a different stage. I still really enjoyed that age though especially when they wowed people with their abilities!

Parents and teachers should be sharing information all the time to benefit the child. I think you definitely need to talk to them, about his strengths and areas of concern. I work in this area now and would 100% want to know. My job is to support each child, that means knowing as much as possible about that child.

I know this thread is from a few years ago, but found it this morning while looking up good presents for my three year old nephew. He's been very enthusiastic about numbers and letters since two, and now knows all his times tables and can read simple things. He loves firing maths questions at us (and manages to perform better than some of the adults!). He gets deeply focussed on whatever activity he's doing, and is uninterruptible! He'll take apart things to see how they work. He's also very physically agile, balanced, and energetic like a tightly coiled spring. He loves to laugh and tell his three year old style jokes (very much with his peer group here lol)

Maths and letters stuff aside, I'd like to get him a present that helps him develop his problem solving/abstract thinking/reasoning. He will often point to the sky (it's Scotland) and say, wind, sun, rain! There's going to be a rainbow! And if I see one later that day I'll report back to his delight. Anyone know of a gift/toy/game that helps develop that kind of thinking?

Autism doesn’t mean a higher IQ everyone ! Actually it’s quite rare for autistic children to be gifted.

some snotty replies here clearly jealous ! Original poster that sounds great, you have a very bright little boy, number blocks is great as it also teaches children the meaning of numbers, patterns etc … not just memorising it!