Does your 2yo know how to count, colours, shapes or the Alphabet?

[Snowdropfairy]

Hello

Does anyone's 2 year old now how to count to 10, know the name of shapes, the Alphabet or the name of colours?

I have a 2.1 year old boy who has just learened to say a few words and a family support work has said i need to teach my child all the above now!

I didn't think a child could learn these till they were older

I guess i'm just worried that i have let my child run ferral instead of teaching him the above. He is my first so i have nothing to compear him with.

So is everyone else teaching their 2 year olds the above and if so how do you do it?

Rathlin in some london areas you tend to have to contact hv yourself if you want the check, as they are busy and dont seem to get round to giving apts for checks or anything. Im not in west, but north london and thats the case for us. some of the checks you only get it now if you request, otherwise they wouldn't bother with it

I agree with everyone eles. Children at this age really differ in what they can and can't do/say and a few years down the line everything seems to balance out. My three are bilingual and were all very advanced verbally I am guessing on the most part because I never shut up. Try just talking more during your daily life rather than stressing your selves out trying to teach your dc. Colours of cars, shapes of foods and count your way up and down steps for example. I am sure you will find it all falls into place.
good luck and don't stress.

I also am appalled at hv advice re bilingualism!

How terrible of her to give such advice when she is almost certainly totally untrained to do so, and totally wrong.

So your ds has missed out on 2 years of learning a language at a crucial time!

We are an english family living in germany. We only speak english at home. dd is 2 1/2 and has gone to nursery for just over a year and she is fluent in both languages (as far as a 2 yr old can be) and rarely mixes the 2 up.

From your list btw, my dd is a few months older, but she knows her colours and numbers, dunno about shapes and def not letters.

Compared with sil who is in UK, there seems to be a lot more pressure for kids to learn this stuff earlier. (sil was drilling dn in alphabet when she was only 2 (close to 3), but dunno how much was her being competitive mum, and how much was expectations)I don't actively 'teach' this stuff at all, just fun stuff like counting steps when climbing up or counting day to day stuff as it's relevant iyswim.

Are you going to start talking to ds in Welsh? The later you leave it the harder it iwll be.

I'd be putting in an official complaint I think.

No need to worry about counting or alphabet at two. Just keep on talking, singing etc with your lo. And agree re bilingualism, speak welsh too. Keep an eye on the late talking tho, keep going back to hv every three months or so if no improvement.

I really don't think you should be worrying too much about 'teaching' your son those things. Use the language when you play with him (as a pp said 'Oh, you've got a red brick!' 'Look, there are two teddy bears sitting together' etc). But don't worry, he will pick them up when he is ready.

My DD is 2.6. and can't do all the things you list. She certainly has no idea about the alphabet yet and although she can 'count' to 10 she is only just beginning to count objects - she can recognise 2 objects and will count 3 or 4 accurately with a bit of encouragement.

Toddlers are learning so much at this age, I think there is a danger of focusing too much on the things like counting that are easy to test and compare. IMO it's just as important to 'teach' them about the world- talking about the weather, paying for things in shops, cooking, jobs at home, safety etc etc.

Thank you all for your replies.

Yes i will start to talk in Welsh as well as English. My Husband and his family are not too happy about it but so what, he is my son.

I will just talk more and hope he picks it up. I really want to let him be a child and play instead of "educating" him at such a young age but i dont want to put him at a disadvantage if eveyone else is teaching their 2 year olds.

I do feel a bit angry about not talking in Welsh to him but as there is not support within the family i dont want him to get a negative view of Welsh.

I think i will get him some Welsh story books and start from there.

Thank you for all your advice

Wow, snowdropfairy, well done for bringing your DS up bilingual. It's such an amazing gift because it often leads to them picking up other languages much more easily in the future. And heavens knows todays children are going to need their language skills to survive in the international markets. Your DS is very lucky.

Good luck!

I have two boys and they could do none of the above at 2. They could 'recognise' when asked 'where's the red car' they would point at red car, but for DS1 everything was blue until he was about 2.5 and DS2 didn't start talking before he was 3!

I agree with general rule that in laws are a pain. My MIL kept on telling me that 'her' children could read before they were three (they could!) but my husband is no more of a genius than I am. Obviously our children are very clever, socially developed, gorgeous, funny.........

Oh yes and they know all the vegetables and fruits. I went to the veg shop the other day and asked my sons to get two avocados, and they got them and even poked them to see if they were ripe. they are really clever......

@ BlueberryPancake, we must have the same in laws! If I hear just one more time that dh could read when he was 2.....! I quietly nod and think to myself, that's nice, dh is very very clever but he's doing no better in life than I am, so here have a !

@ snowdropfairy, don't worry, at this stage, children are like sponges and if you just talk to him in Welsh for everything instead of English, he will pick it up very quickly. Everybody else will talk to him in English anyway so that's how bilingualism develops. Good luck!

In answer to the question:

No no no and no. He is nearly two and a half and does know the names of the teletubbies.

He is potty trained and bilingual (at least he can say 'no' in both languages).

Good luck with speaking welsh to your ds!

I really don't think it matters at all whether a two year old knows how to count to 10, or the names of shapes, or the alphabet or colours.

Much more important by far to ensure your 2 year old is out and about in the world, meeting lots of people of all ages, going to the playground and playing on the swings, slides, jungle gym and in the sandpit. And helping you shop and tidy the house and garden. And having a beach holiday and taking a train and a bus.

My DD could count to 10 and knew colours and could recite the alphabet song by just over 2yo.She was far more verbal at that age than physical IYSWIM (never attempted the stairs without help until about 3yo!).

DS is two in a few weeks and is virtually mute! He has about 10 (sort of) words. He understands everything though, but it seems funny trying to teach him colours when he can't talk! He has been able to scale the stairs, climb furniture, go up and down big slide since just over 1yo!

(btw DD has known some Welsh words since she could talk (nursery use a lot of Welsh) and has been learning Welsh in school since aged 3y1m).

At 18mths DD could recognise numbers 1-10 and count to 15
She also knew the main shapes (circle,star,square,rectangle,hexagon)

Now at 2.5 she counts to 20, knows shapes like Crescent.
Recognises all of the alphabet normally and phonetically and can spell small words like Cat,Dog.

Id say this is mostly due to her eagerness to learn and her love of books and reading. We have found with most things that she actually only needs showing a few times to pick something up. Not always a good thing though!

Just start adding things into daily life (noting colours and shapes)and he will pick it up soon.

I really struggle with your dilemma as I have been told my 2 yr old should be singing nursery rhymes, counting etc and talking well. But she is not really properly talking yet - she is beginning to make the correct sounds of words but no way can she count to 10 or 20 yet. She knows a few colours well and recognises familiar objects. I do worry when I see children her age singing away fluently etc but think positively because at least yr son is talking now even if it is only a few words. We spend too much time feeling guilty and comparing them which is soo easy to do but detrimental to us and their sanity!!!

I am absolutely gobsmacked that a HV told you that.. My children are bilingual and both very verbal in both languages, as seems to be the case with many other families on here. I just can't begin to imagine how cross I would be if some fool had said that to me..

Aside from that, I think your son sounds fine.. Different children do things at different times. I know a very successful engineer who started school only being understood by his Mum!!!! There are all sorts of variations at my son's nursery.. And they all iron out!!!!

The fact that you are aware will mean that you are on top of it.. But PLEASE do NOT listen to that HV ever again..

onyva - I have one DD who never sang nursery rhymes, she just liked to listen and do the actions. DD2 loves singing them - she spontaneously breaks into song regularly. I wouldn't worry if your DS isn't singing - some children just don't like to!!

Pigleychez - while it is wonderful that your DD is so advanced, you do realise that is not even remotely normal, don't you? I doubt it was your inention but your post could be seen as bragging, which is unlikely to be helpful to the OP.

Why on earth doesn't your husband want you to speak your language to your own son?

Mine is 2 and 4 months and knows colours and shapes, can recognise a few letters by sight (S, T, X, O and I, only because she calls them "snake, hammer, cross, circle and stick") but has no real concept of actually reading, and can count to ten but sometimes gets one or two of them wrong.

To be honest, I push it a bit too much, because I was a freakishly early reader and so I sort of assumed she would be as well. And it hasn't made a difference - several of her peers are ahead of her, others are behind. I think they pick it up when they're ready to. Your son is well within the bounds of usual development and sounds like a joy to be around.

at everyone's overachieving 2 year olds.
Is there ANYONE here on mumsnet whose DC isn't counting, identifying colours and shapes???
I thought DD was doing quite well talking and stuff til I read what everyone else's DCs was doing....
runs away

Mine isn't. Blue is sometimes blue, but more often than not it's yellow, green, red or pink. Numbers are thrown at me randomly when I suggest we count the stairs, she knows a shape is a shape but couldn't tell me what it is. She can however work my Ipod touch, so is clearly a genius!!!!

All of mine have done different things at different ages. One was very early with everything but she recently asked whether out cat who had just had kittens was a boy or a girl... This is a scholarship child so I have hope for my haphazard counter!!!

My Husband thinks that Welsh is a dead lanuage (sp?).

Less than half of people in Wales know it and as we live in England there is no reason for my son to know it Dh also wants Ds to undrestand English first and then when he is older ask him if he wants to learn Welsh I think this is a whole other thread

Anyway i found a wedsite called ichild and they have free activities to do with children to help them learn. They also do free reward charts. I have printed some matching and snap games off to have a go at and some counting games. I will have to see if it makes any difference.

Also my son has been on a bus lots as i dont drive, has been on a train, to the zoo and sealife center, robin hood center, yorkshire wildlife park, the local petting zoo and goes to different groups and nursary. We go swimming 2 times a week and this year we are going on a seaside holiday and a camping trip in the new forest. He gets life thrown at him and he loves it.

But i do not "teach" him about counting, shapes, colours and not the alphabet as he just seems too young. Also his speach is a bit delayed. But as his 2 year assessment is comeing up i just wanted to know what other peoples 2 year olds know.

Thanks for your replies.

If he thinks Welsh is a dead language, tell him, ten times more people speak welsh then there are people who speak Icelandic.

My 23 year old counts to 20 and recognizes all the numbers. She knows the alphabet and recognizes them. She knows all her colors and all her shapes. And says a few words in French. Is this normal?