To think dd should be able to count to at least 5 by now?

[Gappp]

She’s 2 and six months and can only count to three and I’ve tried so many times to get her to do more. I’ve read by school they should be able to count to ten? I can’t see this happening at this rate!

Parents have so much to contend with now. My very strong advice is to ignore Google and comparisons . Children develop at their own pace given good opportunities , there is no need to be teaching things that aren't relevant. I have seen parents 'teaching ' their children to roll over or crawl and feeling deflated if they aren't managing it .Give you baby lots of love and good food;read to them, chat and sing, spend time outside and do a bit of socialising. This will stimulate their brains. Reciting numbers won't benefit their lives in any way and they will learn at school to actually count and read if they haven't picked it up organically before they start.Think about your parents or other adults from older generations, they didn't get bogged down with this stuff and the DC still managed, as long as the opportunities were there .Worry about health and keeping a roof over your head and try to enjoy being g a parent. It goes by so quickly.

@katherineofgaunt thanks for the link to the development matters document, it's really interesting.
It does mention counting for 0-3s: "count in everyday contexts, sometimes skipping numbers - '1, 2, 3, 5'"
OP, looks like your LO is right on track.

It says online that the royal family are lizards. Leave the kid alone, ffs, she's two years old!

Good grief! What is it this weekend with posters coming on here and saying they are not happy that their child isn't doing this, and isn't doing that, at 2, 4, 5.... This is the third thread I have seen in within 36 hours. She is a TODDLER @Gappp Seriously, get a grip, really!

My dd wasn't even talking at that age let alone counting to 5. She's now 8 and knows all of her times tables. Similar with my 3.5 yr old. He couldn't count to 5 a year ago, 1 year on and he can count to 10. It's a good idea to keep an eye on development but please try and take the whole what they should be doing at certain ages with a pinch of salt, especially at that age. Babies and children develop in their own time.

Exactly this! Children just repeat what they hear over and over. My DS could ‘read’ 2 of his bedtime story books before he was three, he could memorise each page and knew what each page said, obviously he couldn’t actually read but to someone looking in they’d think he was some sort of genius lol

This is the third thread I've read in 24 hours where people are worried their children aren't developed enough by a certain age. There's a range. I know lots of kids who were slow to get going but then developed into very intelligent children. Just relax and let them go at their own pace.

I wouldn't worry about that. None of my kids could even say more than 6 words at 2.5. All grown up now and it's not made a blind bit if difference

Plenty of children can't even say 10 words at 2!

If there is something the matter with your child, you will notice. Back away from assessing her against milestones you've read online and focus on the joy of seeing her discover new things every day - it doesn't last forever! :)

So many posts lately where parents are fretting their totally normal sounding child has a problem.

One of my DC didn't know any letters much less numbers when he started school at 4. He's now at high school in top sets for everything. He was initially so behind I just thought oh well, he likes helping in the kitchen maybe he'll be a chef or a barber. Plenty of career options for those who struggle academically.

My point is development rates differ and if your child is otherwise happy and healthy then don't worry. And not all kids will be academic geniuses. Equally, kids who start off like rockets with their learning are often overtaken by kids who come from behind. It's usually all fine for all of them.

Meh, counting to 10 means nothing.

So many children I have come across who can recite onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten without any concept of the meaning of the words, or concepts like more/less or what three or five actually LOOKS like. With my own kids it was more counting things out - do your buttons up one, two three. Or asking them to pick up three apples in the supermarket or whatever.

Yes, I meant that it doesn't explicitly state that a 0-3yo needs to be able to count to 5 accurately. It does mention counting but it's more to show an understanding of one number for one item type thing.

Leave the poor kid alone!

I was born in 1967. My Mum specifically didnt teach me money as decimalisation was coming in. Once we had new money she introduced it to me.

I'm an FCA!

Didn't do me any harm waiting.

Lots of singing eg 12345 once I caught a fish alive, or 5 little ducks went swimming one day. Get a Jo jingles album! Lots of nursery rhymes are good for speech, rhythm, counting, sounds, story telling etc. So many kids don't know any songs, maybe because parents don't. Probably considered old fashioned now. (Obviously there will be some dubious ones but you can still find plenty of good ones). Get singing!

Good god! Children develop at different rates. Innnow a kid who could read at 3… at 15 he has no social skills and barely reads anything. He doesn’t ‘get’ most fiction.

Big science brain though.
DS same age, took ages to read fluently. Now can read any fiction at any level and ‘gets’ all emotions, subtext and meaning from any piece of literature. Mediocre at science.
different kids different skills.

We use the stairs to count so we go through each number per stair going up or down stairs (although she starts missing out a couple after thirteen).

I suggest you seriously unwind. You'll do more damage to her emotional development with your negativity and neurosis, than her apparently abhorrent inability to count to 5 will ever effect her

Here's me thinking my ds is a genius because he counted 4 poppers accurately as a one off at 27 months. Lol

“Counting” is different to reciting numbers they have heard frequently. Very few kids would be able to count properly at age 2.5.

My dd could sing Frere Jacques age 2.5. It was just because I used to sing it often. Now, she can’t speak a word of French.

Some children learn by rote easily. Some kids don’t.

That saved me posting the same. Exactly that.

Whatever about the shoulds, don't forget the don'ts: Don't quiz or question! You just count in a normal everyday fashion and she will learn and join in. Lots of chat and exposure to language and vocabulary Inc through reading. There are plenty of books and rhymes and songs with numbers. Don't become fixated!

YABU

DD1 was a very active baby / toddler. She was walking on her 1st birthday. Friend's DD wasn't walking until about 17 or 18 months. Her speaking was more advanced than DD though.

Fast forward 17 years - guess which one has always been an avid reader, enjoys drama and wants to do an essay heavy degree, and which one competes in triathlons and wants to do a sport related degree!

In other words, not only do children develop at their own pace, you can't predict from toddlers where their strengths lie.

2.5 yo? No. Forget your expectations.