What age to start teaching how to read and count???

[girlylala0807]

Ds is 3.5 now. Started to count and recognise numbers and likes listening to stories. So how do I go about teaching him to read and show him how numbers are used? Any books I can buy or sites I can use online to help me?

TIA.

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Encouraging him through play would be best at this stage. Is he at nursery? If so he is most likely learning a lot there and you can help just by reading and counting his toys. Letters and sounds take a little more time and again, if he's at nursery, he'll naturally start getting familiar with them.

Alphabet books are good for letter recognition and there are hundreds of counting and phonics apps around. The main thing is to follow up whatever he gets engaged by, and that will be different for different children. Alphablocks on cbeebies is a favourite with my son, as are his magnetic letters.

Why would you like him to read before he goes to school?
In my experience your time with him would be invested better by teaching him other skills, eg doing up zips, buttons, putting on shoes, social skills. These sorts of things will equip him to get the most out of school when he goes.
I wasn't reading when I started school at 4years and 11 months but was soon in a reading 'group' of my own as I must have taken to it really easily.
He won't become more intelligent or be a better reader by starting to read at 3.5.
Sorry if I sound negative and judgemental - you sound like a very loving mum.
(I sometimes miss reading books with my DC) now teens (and doing well at school).

Try phonics and if your DS starts to pick it up, build CVC words with magnetic letters. I found Jolly Phonics presented sounds in an logical order for this and their Jolly Stories book can be read over & over.

After counting, count objects, then count sets. Count one set, count another and then count all together.

Easy does it and make it fun. Repetition is key.

I started by counting the stairs every time we went up and down, repetition worked for us. I bought an alphabet poster for DDs room and sang the alphabet song at bedtime, she picked up the letters pretty well but now we are working on the phonics which is confusing as she knows the letters.

Hi all. Thanks for the advice. My mum asked the other day if he had started reading yet. I said no, she was concerned as I was reading when I was his age apparently. I did not know the right age to start.

He is at nursery and to be honest Im not to sure they do all day apart from play. Thats fine though. I read to him every night. He knows numbers on buses and things.

The whole social skills thing...of course I will teach him those things, they are not skills for school those are skills for life surely(zips and buttons I mean)??? I also believe its not just a schools job to teach him things and that I should be doing things as a parent as well.

Thanks for the advice about lower case letters, will keep that one in mind. Im looking into phonics and books that will help.

Start any time. Counting steps as you walk up and down. Counting biscuits out on a plate. Looking at signs in the street. Reading book to them at bedtime. If you show them what letter their name starts with and then see if they can spot it when out and about... terrific. If they want to have a bash at painting that letter on a piece of paper... marvellous. I think the earlier letters, books, words and numbers become a familiar part of everyday life the better for the teacher when they get to school. As my DS's nursery teacher pointed out to me 'some arrive not even knowing that you turn over the pages to get to the next bit of the story'.