When do they start recognising words/letters

[mysterymachine]

Got the talking, counting (in a fashion), think copying name but when do they actually start recognising letters. Am I being to premature in getting out the letter cards and expecting recognition. DS is 2.75 btw.

My DD started reading at 2 1/2 but imo that is advanced. Now she is 4 she is reading her almost 7 yr olds school books.

BTW I would get them out if he is showing interest but do it at his pace.

my ds was 2.3 when he learnt alphabet from his thomas laptop could recognise numbers up to 10 and all of alphabet

but he is speech delayed and seemed to take more interest as this was the one thing he could do at ease as laptop taught him

dont worry its not common apparently until 3-4

speech therapist says my ds is quite young to be able to do this he is now 2.7 they all ,learn different things at different rates as i now know

my ds is almost 4 and is just starting to recognise letters.

I think dd was younger - but iirc it's around Reception age that they really take off. Number recognition does seem to start somewhat earlier - have no idea why though!

I think its more interesting to notice letters as parts of signs or in books, and I think you also have to bear in mind that there is a big difference between naming letters and actually being able to read. Many children of around 2.7 can recognise and name things - some like dinosaurs, some like trains, and some may like letters. However, I expect its more interesting for your child if you follow their lead.

If you don't mind your ds being on the computer try this: www.starfall.com

Tons of stuff and goes on to reading. Dd started with the letters at 18 months and totally loved it and had to be strictly rationed. She learned them all, names and sounds, by 2. Those cards are a bit boring - I have some but we never use them. Games - matching things and blocks are better.

I didn't set out to teach her the letters - we didn't even know what the site was at first - it was recomended by another online buddie. But I was happy to indulge her when she was so keen.

It varies so much so give it a try if he's interested.

I think flash cards are very very dull.

Better to draw letters yourself and relate them to words to do with things your child likes/ is interested in - so T is for Thomas the Tank Engine etc.

Ds is 2.6 and has been able to recognise letters since before age 2 (if you said point to the B etc he did) but couldn't name them as his speech wasn't great until he was maybe 2.3.

I've heard it's better for them to start with lower case (bummer as ds knows upper case)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I will carry on as I have been but get the cards out to play with.

Acinonyx thanks for that link, I will let him on there (eventually) - he does like to get on the lap top so I have to be careful when I switch it on or I get kicked off lol.

Looks like I might be slightly paranoid about him not 'reading'/'writing' but he's an only one so not got one to compare with.

My dd1 is 2.5 and recognises and can name most letters. She seems to struggle with written letters but does really really well with some wooden letters from elc. maybe has something to do with being able to pick them up and feel them.

Oh - another thing dd loves are those soft rubbery mat-type letters in interlocking squares that you can pop out.

If you are going to teach your child letters teach them as phonetic sounds (a,b,c) not names (ie. ai, bee, see) Knowing the letter names does not help a child read and some children get confused between letter names and letter sounds. Little and often is best and also its important to back off if he isn't in the mood.

Jolly phonics do really nice finger phonics books and a DVD which your child might like, although they may be a bit young. Jolly phonics produces a very good handbook on how to teach a child to read.

I taught my son to read using Jolly phonics at the age four years old, because I disagree with the way that reading is taught in the majority of primary schools. At the time he was very moviated and learnt to blend and segment words very quickly. See these websites on methods of teaching reading.

www.dyslexics.org.uk
www.rrf.org.uk/

I chose to teach my son to read because I did not want to leave it to chance. The percentage of children who leave primary school with inadequate reading skills is truely horrifying.

Honestly it not a sign of intelligence knowing letter sounds or letter names at two years old. Its a sign of being hot housed. Children who learn to read later often over take hot housed children.

What is more challenging is teaching a child to blend. Also there is more to reading than just barking at print. Just because a four year old can decode seven year old books does not mean that they actually understand them!

Learning good social skills, manners, knowledge about the word is important at two years old. For children to comprehend what they read they have to have a range of life experiences. Children also need to build lots of muscle running about in the park and climbing.

My dd is 23 months and recognises the letter P, which is the first letter of her name. No others yet though.

Sorry reallytired but being able to read letters does not mean a child has been hothoused. That's total b**cks. Ds has not been hothoused. I have never ever sat and taught him letters in a hothousing way.

It might not be a sign of genius but I don't think any of us said it was. That's fine but don't assume we've been hothousing.

Thanks Reallytired, I'm of a similar opinion to you about the way to go about teaching reading and these links are really useful.

(can you tell I get defensive about the hothousing issue??! I'm just not that kind of mum)

If you really must know I think ds has learnt them because I (not him, I) watch Countdown quite often and it's on in the background whilst we potter around. I think he has a bit of a crush on 'Carole Countdown' as he calls her!!!

(scuttles off embarrassed that a. watches Countdown b. son has crush on Carole V)

He now weirdly prefers Deal or No Deal which is much more alarming - what the f* is he going to pick up from that - a load of weirdos on that program!!

I think it's premature to get out letter cards.

DS has been recognising (some) letters since he was 2.9 or so -- chiefly the initial letters of his friends' names, so letters that he doesn't have friends or relations beginning with he tends not to know. e've never done anything formal but he gets/got terribly excited when he spotted them on numberplates, road signs, buildings, etc. Now he's three next week and knows most of the lower-case letters for the upper-case letters that he knows.

He's definitely not hot-housed, though, and nowhere near having any idea about blending and reading. He's just keen on thinking about what words start with what sounds. He'll randomly comment apropos of nothing "Carole and carrot start with the same sound" but this is emphatically not a sign of incipient genius as he will also come out with "W for Wiggles and W for Wednesday ... and W for Friday" .

Ditto SaveScrab. I am also pretty defensive about hothousing - kids pick up this stuff from games - that's not hothousing.

Methinks Reallytired is a bit defensive herself explaining why she has very deliberately taught her child to read preschool - which of course is so not hothousing you understand.....

I wouldn't expect anything at such a young age. Dd could write her name at 2 but it's only got 3 letters. It honestly didn't enter my head to even think about looking at flash cards. There's just no rush. Dd started Reception last September, nearly 5, able to phonetically say most letters of the alphabet and read basic cvc words. Most of that she learnt from the school nursery with a little practise with me when we were in the mood. Now a few months into Reception and she's reading really well, top group, soaring ahead. What would I have gained if I'd spent time hot housing her age 2?!

Thanks again everyone - this has certainly highlighted different feelings. I think though, as I said before I will carry on as is - I only asked as he is an only child and I'm probably paranoid about what he should be able to do. (Not having a helpful HV doesn't aid the situation).

I've certainly picked up some useful webs to look at and how to look at helping him start to recognise letters.

mysterymachine,

Your son sounds lovely. It is difficult to know what is normal child development for any parent. I think you should carry on as you are doing as it sounds like you are doing a great job.

Honestly how many NORMAL two year olds really want to spend their time looking at flash cards. Most children at the age prefer immaginary play, making friends,painting, climbing, asking ten million pointless questions about the world.

If a two year is completely obsessed by letters and numbers to the exclusion of play then you have a major problem. Hyperlexia can be a sign of autism.

My ds is 3.5 and only now would I say that he is openly & independently curious about letters - well rather the sounds they make.

He could say the alphabet at about 2 but that's not learning to read, that's reciting from rote having listened to some very irritating toy! That's not to say that this interest in reading has come out of the blue; as most parents do instinctively we've been singing nursery rhymes, reading, drawing, playing.

I don't think Reallytired has 'hot-housed' her child at all; her post said that at 4 she taught her son to read using Jolly-phonics as that supports her theories about learning to read.

We'll in all likelihood do the same; synthetic phonics and blending was the way I learnt. It makes not only reading but spelling so much easier imo. I enquired on the pre-visit as to how reading is taught at primary school and the Head's reply made me nervous.

I teach English at secondary where a large number of pupils with reading and spelling problems have a lack of phonic sound recognition & a over-reliance on recognising whole words.

Pet educational rant over!!

I don't even care whether RT was hothousing or not - just found it a somewhat OTT response.

Kids see print around them all the time and, honestly, a lot of 2 yr-olds enjoy recognising letters and numbers. It is just another game to them (and I think most of us said we didn't use flashcards because they are boring). I just don't see what the fuss is about.

Heated, this website might interest you.

www.syntheticphonics.com

I think that healthy pre schooler is interested in everything. Certainly my son was at that age. He enjoyed playing games like Fred speak where you say "touch the b-o-x" or "go to the k i-tch-e-n".

You say the first letter sound quite loudly and then whisper the other sounds quickly. With a bit of practice the child learns to hear the target word. My son often asked what something said and I used to say the sounds of the odd word to model the blending process to him. He also liked the Jolly Jingles CD.

Blending can be quite hard to master and if kids have mixed methods thrown at them they will take the easiest way out. In the early stages a child might appear to be doing very well on look say. The problem is that as a child progresses through the education system the amount of vocabulary they are required to use in reading and writing goes up. The child reaches a point when their brain is totally overloaded. This is why dyslexia is often diagnosed at secondary school level or university level when someone is hit with a lot of words to add to their vocabulary.

Often the hapless secondary school English teacher gets blamed when the problem is that the child had a poor foundation in the early years. Naive people will say "why is that child struggling with literacy when they got level 4 for their SATS", the reason is that you can only get so far on rote learning.