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Behaviour/development

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

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Original poster

how to teach 2.10 yr old about Capital and lowercase letters

117 replies

LauraGas · 03/04/2009 14:08

DS is 2.10. The last few weeks he has been almost obsessed with letters and knowing what they are and what word begins with them. He can recognise all letters of the alphabet - in captial letters. When we do drawing he mainly just wants me to write words for him. I'm keen to encourage this but am struggling with trying to explain about capital and lowercase letters. Is there a good way to do this so that he understands that the same letter comes in 2 formats? Not sure if there are any good books that anyone could recommend.

Just as an incidental, he can pick out all the letters of his name when asked - it's Joe. But, he insists that the O comes at the end. Can't get to the bottom of why, but think that it's maybe because that's the last sound of his name? Anyone have an experience of this?

OP posts:

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eastereggfeaster · 08/04/2009 14:42

Oh dear I must be tired today as just read the title as 'how to teach 2.10 year old about capitalism. Bit young for all that

foxytocin · 08/04/2009 14:42

it makes me think, if he could learn to tell time when studying french, they didn't he learn this before in his own language, iyswim.

normajeanbaker · 08/04/2009 14:45

DD1 and DS could spell their names at 2 - no hothousing - just they loved letters too. That said DS spelt his name with all the right letters but not always in the right order. Their Dad is a graphic designer and obsessed with letting and fonts so I guess it was in the air. DS calls his name his 'logo'. Gawd.

MadameCastafiore · 08/04/2009 14:47

He is 2.10 why on earth is he just not playing?

Acinonyx · 08/04/2009 14:55

pinktulips - dd knows that letters have a name and a sound and there doesn't appear to be any confusion. As you say - she will need both at some point anyway.

I don't get what it is that some people don't get. Learning letters etc IS play for some children - they enjoy it - they ARE playing. Should I say - sorry darling - you are not supposed to enjoy this particular kind of play - this is supposed to be a chore that only a trained professional can entice you to endure when you're bigger.

Habbibu · 08/04/2009 14:55

MC - maybe it is play to him? DD often puts her fingers under words when we're reading a story and says "what does it say?" and isn't happy until we've repeated a whole section in this manner. Believe me, I am far too lazy to actively encourage this stuff. Maybe Pink's ds is just interested - what is she supposed to say "I can't tell you that, dear"?

Habbibu · 08/04/2009 14:56

Not Pink's - LauraGas's

PinkTulips · 08/04/2009 14:58

how on earth did the poor lad slip through the system for so long?

i was in a class of 36 with one teacher... no teaching assistants or parent helpers.... and there's no way any of my teachers would have failed to notice that. my god, when i was dropping behind in maths there were times i wished to god they'd be a bit less observant and leave me be!

i guess those of us who had the good fortune to attend a good school don't always appreciate not everyone is as lucky... i was in public schools til 15 but the standard of education was brilliant, even if my parents had showed no interest in me at all i would have been well educated thamks to my teachers. it's depressing that so many teachers now just don't seem to care about the kids who need a little extra help

MadameCastafiore · 08/04/2009 14:58

She should be sounding out though and not caring yet about capital letters - do you think that her child is going to understand about sentances, proper nouns etc and when they need to use these capital letters?

PinkTulips · 08/04/2009 15:03

MC... ds1 enjoys letters, he thinks pointing at letters and naming them and asking me what word something spells is a game.

trust me, i prefer playing catch with dd but if this is what entertains him i don't see the harm in going along with it

Habbibu · 08/04/2009 15:03

Why? Why should she? Why shouldn't she explain if and when he asks what things are? FWIW, I don't sound out if dd asks because I hated phonics as a child, and think that children are generally a lot less easily confused than we give them credit for. If dd asks what E is, and then what e is, I'll say big E and little e. I will not, and I suspect neither will laurag, be teaching her when she should use them at the age of 2, 3, 4 unless she asks.

Original poster

LauraGas · 08/04/2009 15:04

I obviously used "teach" in error in the post title. If you read my first post, I have NOT made a conscious decision to teach my 2.10 (almost 3) year old to read or write. He is very interested in letters (and numbers) asks lots of questions as to what words say, what letter is this etc.... In fact he asks a lot of questions generall which I believe is a healthy thing. (DH say's he's nosey just like me When we draw he asks me to write the names of his favourite people. When we go out he may see a "J" for example on a shop sign and say "that's a J for me mummy". He can identify every Capital letter, not because I have "taught" him capitals but because the signs etc he sees seem to be mainly of capital letters. My original post for advice was how best to explain the difference in capital and lowercase letters when he asks what a lowercase "t" when it looks different to a capital "T". I say it's a little t but he just says "no it isn't" and I end up feeling that I've not been able to answer his question.

To be honest, I've been a little surprised at some of the outrage that seems to have been directed at this but it's good to know that there are others who don't think I'm the pushy mother some seem to think. The comment made earlier about "what is the world coming to" still infuriates me and I suggest that the poster of that particular gem reads the headlines in today's papers about 2 kids being charged for attempted murder.

OP posts:

Habbibu · 08/04/2009 15:08

I refused to have anything to do with reading as a small child - was v. happy having staff (i.e. my parents) reading to me! I also: couldn't tell the time until I was 15, couldn't tie shoelaces until about 12, couldn't drive until 33. All these choices have made me very happy, and not hindered my academic or social achievement in any way - I'm hardly going to be supporting hothousing, now, am I??

PinkTulips · 08/04/2009 15:09

MC, if a child points at 2 very differna tletters and is told both have the same name the child tends to follow up with 'why?'

the op simply asked for a simple way to explain this to a young child.

have you read the thread? all this has been gone over already

Original poster

LauraGas · 08/04/2009 15:10

Habbibu - yep, you're right. It IS playing to him. Just as much as kicking a ball, playing lego, zooming his cars are.

OP posts:

Acinonyx · 08/04/2009 15:14

It's interesting how many adults cannot fathom how finding out about eg letters can be a kind of play. If the parent sees learning letter etc as antithetical to play - what kind of message does that send to the child about learning vs pleasure?

PinkTulips · 08/04/2009 15:19

i know acinonyx... that thought had crossed my mind too.

it's quite depressing how learning is seen by so many as something to be endured, that is forced upon children who obviously hate every second of the experiance

Habbibu · 08/04/2009 15:24

That is how I felt about phonics, Pink! Seems to have affected me quite deeply, given that I'm still banging on about it 32 years later...

Am happy that I gave dd a name that's v. problematic for traditional phonic sounding out. It wasn't intentional!

normajeanbaker · 08/04/2009 15:25

Likewise Ac and Pink. It's all play. DD loves numbers too. She is working out the codes of the world I guess and if DCs show an interest in anything I get into it with them. They will meet enough barriers in life - learning shouldn't be one of them when their natural instincts are to be curious and find it fun.

foxytocin · 08/04/2009 15:56

for many kids teens, making learning seem like a game is the best way to draw them into learning. hence why i suggested playing odd one out etc to build your games repertoire with kids.

foxytocin · 08/04/2009 15:57

yes otherwise a lot of them think learning is to be endured and taking pleasure in learning is an alien concept.

mumeeee · 09/04/2009 23:19

He is to young to learn this. Don't write words in capital letters,just use lower case.

kitkatqueen · 10/04/2009 09:06

Didn't know that you had met the op's dc, as children are all individuals and all develope mentally and phisically at different rates it would be very hard to accurately make a statement like that about someone elses child using your computer screen.

"Don't write words in capital letters,just use lower case."

I see - the child is asking should the op just ignore the childs questions??

I sometimes wonder how many people read the op let alone the following discussion...

mrsruffallo · 10/04/2009 09:10

I agree that capitals come after lower case.
Just teach him in lower case and worry about capitals later

kitkatqueen · 10/04/2009 09:53

Pinktulips, Foxytocin - over to you...

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