Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

What average age should children start to know the alphabet??

68 replies

carbonarayum · 25/03/2013 19:30

Saw a friend today with a just turned 3 year old who apparently knows the full alphabet and can almost spell his name. My DC 2.5 is no where near this. He can count to 10 (but can't really actually count, if you know what I mean -well maybe to 2) and knows what the alphabet song is and knows the alphabet poster on his wall is the alphabet, that's about as far as it goes..!!!

Friend talking of teaching phonics, practicing handwriting etc..

Freaked me out a bit as I'd have thought this would be a big step off yet age wise??!!

Just wondered what others experiences were?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NaturalBaby · 27/03/2013 12:56

My 2.2yr old knows most of the alphabet because he has 2 older siblings and has bee listening to them learning it. He can also 'count' up to 20 because he hears them do it so copies. He will ask for a pink cup while pointing at a green cup and things like that so hasn't really learned his numbers, letters and colours.

Trazzletoes · 27/03/2013 12:59

DS is 3.6. Can't count to 20, doesn't know any letters thank goodness he isn't starting school this year

He'll get there.

duchesse · 27/03/2013 12:59

Cecily, that was a lot more standard in the 70s and 80s as lots of children didn't go to nursery or preschool. Nowadays they're pretty much all in preschool of some description and they certainly do learn them, so if they start school not knowing any they are pretty unusual and are kind of behind most of the other children.

duchesse · 27/03/2013 13:01

ah trazzle, how's the wee man doing?

Is he a September birthday? (DD3 is late August, 3.6 and is starting school this year).

Trazzletoes · 27/03/2013 13:49

duchesse thanks - he's not getting any worse for the minute that seems to be about all we can say right now!!! Baby steps...

Yes, he's early September. And I am SO grateful for that right now! At least he stands a chance of getting to grips with numbers and letters in the next 18 months.

duchesse · 27/03/2013 14:44

I'm not posting on your threads but I am thinking very hard about you all very often.

TheSurgeonsMate · 27/03/2013 14:56

DD has been learning the alphabet song at nursery. I was a bit surprised, I always thought of it as an American song, but it's obviously being sung a lot amongst MNers children in general?

BeCool · 29/03/2013 01:02

Dd2 is 22 months and knows most of the alphabet song . We have magnetic phonics on the fridge and she learnt from that plus playgroup plus dd1 who is 5.

I count the steps with her - wherever we encounter them. She can count up to 13 unassisted now but wouldn't recognise what 3, for example, was.

It it's there some kids just absorb it.

KMandMM · 27/04/2014 10:40

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Mrodnyc · 25/07/2015 22:17

My son knew his letters at 20 months.. probably before that, since the only reason I found out at 20 months is because my mother bought him an alphabet mat and we put it together and he started reciting the letters out loud. I had never sat him down and taught him the alphabet, I just let him use an Ipad and my iphone for baby learning apps and let him watch learning cartoons. He's 2 next month and knows all the letters and numbers 1-10. And wheee!! he's potty trained. Apparently he's a quick learner. So I still don't know what the average age is for kids knowing their letters which is what brought me here...

SleepShake · 25/07/2015 22:27

DD could say and recognise alphabet and numbers around 22 months. At 25 months could count to 50.

Mouthfulofquiz · 25/07/2015 22:48

All kids are so different. My ds has just turned three. Knows the alphabet and the sounds, can count to around 50. I've always done those things with him though - in a day to day sort of way. He's just got a good memory I think. If I'd spoken German to him he would have been good at that instead.
I was very early to talk and learn to read etc... And whilst I like to imagine I'm Einstein, I am distinctly average now!

waitaminutenow · 25/07/2015 22:57

My DD can sing the alphabet song ,she's 2.5. But it's just a song to her really. She recognises her name...mostly. She can also count to10 confidently (not just reel off the numbers but actually count).

drinkscabinet · 25/07/2015 23:38

When DD1 was in her last year at nursery the QT in charge of the preschool room told me the average child knows 8 letters when they start school. I'd assume most of those will be in the child's name.

DS is 2.10, he doesn't know any numbers or letters yet but that doesn't stop us thinking he's a genius .

MiaowTheCat · 26/07/2015 10:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

indieblack · 29/07/2015 17:20

I think some kids just enjoy and focus on diff things at diff times. DS is 26 months and obsessed with letters and numbers. He could identify letters (though not their sounds) by 22 months and could identify bus numbers, quiz show jackpots and prices on pizza flyers. He's been counting objects up to 4 for about a month. All great but he's not using a spoon consistently, hates jigsaws and spends most days digging in the park rather than playing with the equipment. He starts nursery in Sept which we're hoping will round him out a bit

MewlingQuim · 29/07/2015 17:37

Learning the alphabet song is not the same as actually knowing the alphabet. DD knew the song by about 2.6 but didn't really know any letters then except maybe her initial. Now she is 3.6 and knows quite a lot of letters, she points them out on number plates etc., but they are mostly the letters of her name, mine and DH's names and the initials of her friends from nursery. She loves letters and I feel she is doing quite well, then I read these threads on MN where children are writing sentences at 2 I'm thinking that must be a typo and I think she still has a way to go

dietcokeandwine · 29/07/2015 22:07

DC knowing 8 letters on average when starting school sounds about right to me, drinkscabinet.

I don't think either of my older two knew any letters outside of their own names before starting school, but both knew them all after a term of reception. Ds3 is 2.5 and I don't think he recognises any written letters or numbers yet.

As always though there are the usual 'Christ, I don't push anything, obviously, but....' posts on these kind of threads where the poster then reels off a comprehensive list of toddler's many advanced accomplishments . The vast majority of 'normal' real life children are not like mumsnet children!

MiaowTheCat · 30/07/2015 07:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

red1357 · 03/01/2016 09:32

Our little one has just turned 2..He knows some shapes, numbers up to 11 (after which he just says 4,3 if its 43 etc) and knows the alphabet. It's not something that we have pushed him to learn. He just enjoys it and looks for numbers and letters when we are out or at home.
He also like lining things up (like cars) Hope no ocd creeping in there lol.. And like to dress himself.
He is at the scribbling stage for colouring. And am struggling to get him off the bottle. Hoping it's a comfort thing. Going to nursery soon. So hoping being with other kids will help solve that one. Everyone develops differently and we all have different interests. Interesting times ahead. .

Jesabel · 03/01/2016 11:30

Most of the children in my son's Year 1 class know all the letter names and the order of the alphabet.

Salloway6 · 08/03/2016 02:08

My daughter is 22 months old and already she can count to 20 and can also say her alphabet is this the norm

KeyserSophie · 08/03/2016 03:13

They know what they're taught but I dont think it's a massively good indicator of intelligence.

DS started reception recognising (being generous) maybe half the letters (and he was almost 5). Did not write at all. Not much interest in drawing. He was definitely towards the bottom in the baseline assessments but has made massive progress in reception and is now "mid-table" and rising, and his writing has also come on in leaps an bounds. My DD, by contrast, recognises all her letters and can write her name aged 3 and read simple words by sounding out.

I dont think DD is much brighter than DS. The difference is that DS went to an IB pre-school where they do not focus on formal literacy at all, whereas DD went to a "local" preschool (we're in Asia) where they prioritise it as children who will go into local curriculum primary schools will be tested aged 4.

Yes, I could have taught DS before school, but he wasnt very interested so I just left it.

Atenco · 08/03/2016 03:30

I think some people put too much emphasis on this type of learning when there is so much else small children can learn. My 2.7 year-old dgd is showing amazing talent as a conceptual artist

Bluecarrot · 08/03/2016 05:50

I don't see the issue if she's following her child's lead and capitalising on their interests.
Dd1 (now 13) could do those things by 3, including writing her name and recognising whole alphabet) and went on to be an amazing reader and writer.
Dd2 (just turned 2) seems to be similar and I do say "this is the letter... it makes the sound.... Like [example] and she gets most of alphabet. She initiates alphabet play, though I might mindlessly sing alphabet song to distract her when trying to climb up my leg while I cook. But it's just another song like old McDonald or whatever. Aren't they all educational to some degree?!

I don't make her recite things in public though her dad tries repeatedly, she hates it. It's embarrassing

Flip

1 2 3