Should I be worried?

[lairyfairy]

My 4.4yo dd1 is really struggling with her letters, she doesn't know the difference between numbers and letters no matter how many times we go through it. She has only just learned to count to 20 and only really knows one letter( the one her name starts with). I know you are not supposed to compare but all her friends same age seem to be writing their names, I spend a lot of time trying to teach her things but have had to cut back as I am frustrated that I don't know what I am doing.

I wouldn't worry - but that's easy for me to say! Ds1 was like this at the same age. Started reception with little understanding of words/numbers (despite us treating him like a PFB and trying to drum it all into him...).

However, he's now 5.11 and made me so proud yesterday when we did an impromptu spelling test in the car (like you do) and he was able to spell 'crash', 'made' and 'day'! I was gobsmacked. He's still not the best reader in the world but he's holding his own - just started to get the hang of it slightly later than most of his classmates.

They all develope at their own rate. My dd was like this but since moving to year1 in september something has clicked with her and she has caught up with the others. Don't panic she will pick it up when she is ready. We weren't pushed to start learning to write etc till we were in year 1, they seem to be pushing it from nursery up these days.

She does love reading and can recite any story from memory, I think sometimes that she can actually do it fine and just doesn't want to for me.

oh yes, and dp's just started going into ds1's class to help hear them read and was very surprised to discover that he reads much better at school than at home...

They read in small groups and take a page each and apparently he's sailing through books at least 1 level harder than the ones he brings home. Little monkey...

mine is 4.4 as well...ONLY JUST4 may i add, and he is EXSACTLY the very same.

im not woried, they are babes yet hun.
do it her own time.x

I agree - they're still babies and we tend to want to push them these days - especially the first borns?

Reading the thread earlier about everyone's 2yo that can recite alphabet etc got me thinking. She is my baby but sometimes you worry that you baby them too much don't you.

LOL
"recite"alphabet means they know the song, like Bah bah black sheep, does that mean that they are geneous

Lairyfairy
also never ever underestimate our kids ability to pick up on our anxieties and tensions however hard we try to conceal them.
at her age you should just feel good about relaxing and playing with her not trying to teach her academic stuff. Teach her about being kind and and happy and messy and all that good stuff. I think thats our job just now ( and then like me in 10 years time you can laugh when your child shows you their homework and asks for help and you can't understand a word).

Actually now you mention that 20mth old dd2 copies the sounds of the numbers as dd1 counts. dd1 has an amazing talent for drawing and colouring and always colours in the lines etc. I think they just all have their own talents, it was just the name thing that worried me really, she doesn't always get it right when you ask her what her or her sisters name is, or what daddy and I real names are. I don't really know muvch about development. Also playing hide and seek with her cousins and she just covered her face up, db said she should have grown out of that concept.

Take a deep breath, count to ten then repeat after me...... Every child is different they all develope at their own rate.