4 year old not recognising alphabet

[jl421]

I'm a little concerned about my son who has just turned 4 and is starting school in September.
He's cannot recognise the alphabet, he can recognise his name when written down but when it comes to knowing the letters he says he doesn't know what they are. Should I be worried at this stage? And can anyone give advise or tips on how to try and teach him. He has a very short attention span so trying to get him to sit down and try to learn is difficult

How much time have you spent trying to teach him the alphabet? We had lots of different alphabet games and books. And did fun ways to learn them like writing the letters in chalk on the ground and having to run to the right letter. Concentrate on just a few at first.

Good advice thank you! I find it really hard as I try to sit down with him and he just runs off to do something else. Will def try small baby steps and take it from there

Don’t sit him down. Keep it fun. Point out letters when out. See if he can find them on walks. Draw them in chalk on pavement in the garden. Keep it active for him. You may find when he starts to get more confident and feels less pressure he might be more open to settling down and concentrating.
Do you read to him regularly as well?

Alphabet? Children don’t learn the alphabet until much later on. Phonics and sounds is what your DC should be learning.

Ask the teachers for advice on the scheme they follow. Most schools should have videos that will be able to help.

Long term your DC won’t be able to read unless they can orally blend. Knowing the alphabet won’t help them with that…you can’t read the word dog for example (unless knowing by sight of course) by saying dee-oh-gee. Hence phonics.

Happy to advise in anyway! Trained early years teacher and phonics lead

He's 4. Stop worrying. He will learn his letters when he starts school. Concentrate on reading lots of books to him.

Don't worry at all. School won't expect him to know this. Recognising his name is a great start, and you could build on this by getting him to practice copying the letters so he can write his name by the time he gets to school.
Also read to him a lot, the type of books where he can follow along as you read or the ones with everything on a page starting with a letter, so he gets familiar with how every letter sounds.
Don't stress about it though, school would rather he can do things like go to the toilet independently, get his own coat on and off etc

He's not even started school yet! Make learning fun, as a pp said we done games, puzzles, chalk in the garden, water gun on the path, sand writing, play dough letters and so on the list is endless.

They learn at school! Starting with letter sounds (phonics).

I would start them on recognising hearing sounds in words (like the "c" sound in cat, not "cee"). Also in their name (if its phonetic!)

He hasn't even started school yet...I really wouldn't worry. I don't think my dc knew the alphabet before the school.

If you’re going to attempt to teach him anything please look up some info on how children are taught to read. Phonics and sounds not just letter names.
School will not expecting to know any of these things. Great if he does but fine if he doesn’t.
If you want to prepare him for school then it would be most helpful if he can-
dress himself including his shoes and coat
toilet himself
sit for the duration of a story and engage with what is being said
take turns in a game
hold a pencil correctly
know how to use scissors
know his colours
recognise and write his own name
count to 10.
School will teach him all the rest

Thank you so much everyone, this is so helpful and reassuring.
We lots and lots of reading so that's good. And he's very independent when it comes to toileting and getting dressed etc,

Neither on mine did at 4. It's really not a big deal at that age. Some do because their parents spend a lot of time investing in teaching them but it's certainly not an automatic thing you'd e direct them to have picked up yet. Even in the first year of school where Phoenix and letter recognition is taught every day it takes them ages's to recognize the letters. Don't be worried. Let your child be a child. Let them play with letter magnets for fun, draw around them, enjoy the shapes, look at books and read stories, generally play at everything. Playing all games that enhance Co ordination and confidence help with h aspects of development and help if gain strength and stress as time goes on. Things are fine don't stress. Your child is only little

This. Retired HLTA and private tutor here. He will be working on phonics. The alphabet at this age is just that stupid song where, I kid you not, some children believe that there is a letter called 'elemenopee'!