is this a 'normal' level of development in a nearly three year old?

[fullofregrets]

DS is 2.10. I felt he was doing ok (not a genius but about average) until seeing on babycentre people complaining that their children have regressed from being able to count to 100 and will only now write a few letters and can only do 35 piece jigsaw! My DS has never done any of those things let alone repressed from being able to do them!

He can:
Count to 20 by rote.
Touch count to 8
Do some simple addition and subtraction using pictures or objects to 8.
Recognises numbers to 20
Recognises some letters, mostly out of his name.
Spells name aloud by rote.
Knows colours, 2d shapes some 3d shapes etc.
Good vocabulary and I think very good imaginary play.
Recalls stories by heart.
Knows a few words by sight.
Beginning to know opposites.
Very good at identifying emotions and feelings of others.

But he does not:
Do jigsaws. At all. Won't even try.
Do bigger and smaller on a number line (wtf?!)
Draw anything recognizable apart from the occasional face or cat. No interest. None.
Hold pencil properly.
Write any letters or his name.
Know many letter sounds. Only their names.

He just has no interest in writing or drawing. He will paint but that is it.

Think this still falls under normal? I don't want him to be behind when he starts nursery but I can't force him to draw or write. It would probably put him off even more!

But it just seemed that most parents on the boards were saying their children knew all their letters etc and no one was saying 'wow, that's advanced!'

But what does knowing all their letters actually mean? If someone takes an inordinate amount of time teaching letter shapes to a toddler, I guess they will learn them, but it just suggests that the parents don't have anything better to do with their time. So the reason I wouldn't be saying 'wow' is that I just wouldn't be impressed. And as for numberlines, if their child was so darned brilliant, they wouldn't need a numberline.

agree with CecilyP. My DS would not know a numberline if it jumped up and stole his biscuit. He doesn't know any letters apart from (occasionally) the first letter of his name. And even then he's got no idea why it pleases me that he recognises it.

My DS knew his letters quite early on (by sight, couldn't write them) but I think that's because his big sister was in Reception and learning to read. He would sit with us each day when she read to me and did her spellings or phonics practice, so I'm sure he picked stuff up then. I've never actively 'taught' him. Maybe all those kids on Babycentre had big brothers and sisters.

As for number lines - that's just ridiculous. Why would you show your 2 year-old a number line anyway?

What are number lines??? Just a line of numbers? 1 2 3 4 5?

They use them in school to teach counting, counting on, counting back etc. So yes, basically a line of numbers! Why you would use one if you weren't doing maths in school I really don't know.

I can remember starting number at school....when I was 5, not 2. And the first lesson, the teacher wrote "1 and 1 makes 2" on the board, we went from there.
Why would 2 year olds do number work?

MissM - my DS has a big sister. But he doesn't listen to her reading and spellings. He spends that time bashing me over the head and trying to rip her book out of our hands. I like the sound of yours better.

@margo!

This is one of those threads that I read a few days ago and I have thought about it since and it made me really sad. Your DS is doing really well but somehow through you comparing him to others you have missed this and you are already acting like he is failing. A friend said to me the other day that her DS is "crap at reading"- he's not even at school yet, only just 4! Where do we get these ridiculous ideas from? I hate to think what effect this has on our children where we are disappointed before they have even started. So I would say, chill the out, encourage him, see what he's interested in, go with that and have fun. And forget what others say their children can do.

There seems to be a normal developmental scale and a MN scale where all are compared against the 99.9th centile and declared lacking. I am Oxbridge educated and my son (2.11) goes to a pre school nursery that tends to feed into the academic prep schools in the area. Yet, I don't think many (any?) of the children can do most of the things on the OP's list.

The thing is things like counting can be learned like a nursery rhyme at a very young age, but it is a boring rhyme/story and means zero in developmental terms (other than a reasonable memory). As for drawing a "recognisable" face or cat at 2.10, well maybe some scribbles are "recognisable" by doting parents!

Why not just let children be children and teach them what interests them at this age. Clearly it is nice to introduce them to concepts but let them run with them (or not). And allow them some time to play with other children or even veg in front of the television.