Alphabet by 2???

[AnnaMumOfOne]

Hi,

I have a son who is 2 in 3 weeks. He can already recognise all the letters of the alphabet and fill in any gaps on the alphabet song as well as counting to 9 and recognising the numbers and turning a 9 around and calling it a 6.
Can anyone say they have a child the same and can suggest some gentle encouragement games / toys etc? He knows most colours and all the basic shapes as well as a vast vocab.
Mind you he was slow to walk.
I just want to encourage it.

Just carry on. Talk, play, explore the world.

You don't need to teach, just share the world. Get messy, draw, go on adventures, fire the imagination.

Enjoy each other.

But don't overdo it!

Are you using the CORRECT Phonics sound for letters? Letter-names are no good - it needs to be SOUNDS. As used in Cbeebies:

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/alphablocks

MUSIC is also good - but I'll come back on that another time.

DD was the same. I just follow her lead - for example, often when we're reading she wants to know what every single word says. So I tell her. But I'd never go through a book saying 'this says that' etc if she didn't ask.

DH likes doing the Jolly Phonics app with her; personally I hate apps but they enjoy it together.

I just enjoy playing with her - with her cars, stuffed toys, whatever. I love her imagination.

It's great that your son is learning things like that. The next step is to give real world meaning to the symbols, sounds, songs.

Play games with foam letters in the bath.

Can you help him pick out a d for daddy, g for grandma c for cat etc?

Play at spotting letters when out and about, and the same for numbers. Count steps, lamp posts etc,

And of course phonics. Alpha blocks are fab for this!

But basically, don't push too hard, the main thing is to foster the fun and curiosity of learning.

DD1 could do this, we got some books recommended by nursery (EYFS approved) and let her do a few minutes homework each night. She's four now and can read and write, she just loves learning. We don't push it, she asks for homework and is very serious about it bless her.

My almost three year old is the opposite (she knows her alphabet and can count to 20 but it's rote) she has no interest in learning more. She loves music though and is playing the piano quite well by ear (nursery rhymes not Chopin).

Embrace their interests, I reckon I'm going to be in for a big shock when I'm pushing two moody teenagers to do their homework.

I try to fit learning into our every day lives, we explore the world using letters, numbers, shapes and colours. I love watching their little minds at work, I hope it carries on but I have my doubts.

Sadly i am not. This is because he learnt them through singing the alphabet song so i need to teach him the correct phonetics now

Thank you. Great advice. We do alot of it already. We have the foam bath letters too!

My 2.5 year old is the same. With regards to numbers, he loves playing shops so I make his shopping add up to an amount where he needs to add two coins together, which he learnt really quickly. With English he loves letters, we use foam letters and bath crayons in the bath, he also loves puzzles so I got him some where you have to join the correct letters to make the word on the picture, and just reading books with him, he takes it all in! He's now reading around thirty words, and writing a little. They learn through play, try and find things that little one is interested in, like my son with shops and puzzles, and go along those routes. Just take their lead 😊

Op don't worry yourself about getting too bogged down by all the phonics- it's a minefield and so technical. It sounds like you're doing a super job at encouraging learning already - do remember they learn phonics every single day once they get to school! Instead, keep on sharing loads of stories, talk about what is happening and encourage prediction, reflection, observation and a love for reading. The technicalities will follow once school starts but that immersion and reading for pleasure thing he learns from you will set him up for life.

OP. Phonics is not complicated or technical.

If you want to go forward towards reading then use the alphablocks link above and you'll be fine. As he knows the names, start by introducing the sounds with the names eg. The 'kay' usually makes a /k/ sound.