Should I be taking more time out at home to learn alphabet and counting ?

[supersonic]

Hi,

My DD has just broke up from pre-school today until September - she has just turned two. At home she does her alphabet and counts to 12 quite well, however at pre-school I am beginning to wonder if she shows what she can do - she knows her colours and shapes as well I would epect for a three yr old but the other day the teacher said she 'wasn't to good with these' - she didn't make a special effort to come and tell me it was just whilst we were dicussing something else. I felt a little sad, not sure why though! I am more now thinking perhpas I should sit down with my DD daily and perhaps go through the alphabet and umbers etc. I have also just found out that my friends little girl who is to go to nursery in September can count 1 - 10 and 10 -0. I feel perhaps I am not helping my DD enought - please some assure me or I would be gratefuly of any advice of how to make the coutning and alphabet exciting at home.
Apologies it so long winded and muddled, I just feel a little tense at the moment and feel a bit of a deflated.

Just realised I said she was just two - you probably thought I was nuts and one hell of pushy mother!- she has actually just turned 3. See I am tense and cponfused - does my DD stand any chance

nononononon
leaver her to learn it at her own pace

I would just point htem out when theya re relevant in your evrery day life
making it too formal is a mistake imo

yep sgree, she will learn at her own pace. ds does things at home that he doesn't at pre school and vice versa.

in fact he wanted me to tell him the letters in his name so i did but didn't do it phonteically like they do at pre school so he is now more confused!! in future i will stick to doing playdough with him

hi supersonic, personally I wouln't be too concerned - my ds will be 4 at end of October and he doesn't know his alphabet - counts quite well when he concentrates up to 20. His pre-school don't really push the letter thing until they are getting close to primary school which for him will be NEXT year. They have a "letter of the day" thing and they are encouraged to bring an object in starting with that letter and then have a little discussion about it, but they don't sit them down and drill it into them! When I read to him, I point out different letters, or I find Alphabites at teatime are good, for explaining different letters and words. Don't feel that you are not doing enough - your dd is still very young and it is amazing what they are taking in all the time when you don't realise it!

I really think they do things in their own time, and it is best that they want to learn. Ds is a mathematical genius (note the proud mum!) , but was a slow talker. However, he's now caught up with his talking, but I think he does have an affinity with maths. And whilst he started off learning his letters quite early, this has plateaued, and he's not so interested now. So that's fine. When he shows a bit more interest we'll do a bit more. I'm more concerned that he learns how to play, and to interact - they all level out eventually. Agree with codswallop - just introduce them into normal life. Ds likes to do sums with his pasta - put 5 on his plate, take one away (by eating it) - how many left? So 5-1=? And then addition when he wants some more.

(We're not neurotic - he just likes maths btw!).

lots of them do like maths sont hey?
what goes wrong later?!!!

I wouldn't worry. You know she can do it and it sounds like she's doing fine for her age. Perhaps this wasn't the greatest teacher - they're not all as good at observing strenghts and weaknesses or perhpas they haven't been doing any particularly inspiring shapes or colour work recently so she's not up to date.
I wouldn't sit down and do formal alphabet and counting things with her at home - I'd just build it into your day. So try things like counting how many strawberries she has on her plate, or pointing at cars when you're out and asking what colour they are. Or play some "educational" games with her - we have some simple dominoes, or roll a dice and get her to move the right amount of spaces.
Stop if she gets bored. It should be fun not pressured.

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