My ds (7) is in year 2 and doesn't know his alphabet

[Peaceflower]

Is this unusual and does it even matter?

He is in the top Reading group, second top writing group, and top spelling group.

He knows all the letters, but just never learned the right order of the alphabet. It seems odd to me, because it was the first thing I learned when I started school.

Anyone else's dcs the same?

[helyg]

Devexity: no we didn't sing it, we were too busy singing Dau Gi Bach and Mi Welais Jac y Do. As I said earlier, there is no alphabet song in Welsh, you try fitting this to a tune:

A B C Ch D Dd E F Ff G Ng H I L Ll M N O P Ph R Rh S T Th U W Y

[lolapoppins]

Peaceflower - out of interrest, how did school react to your ds not wanting to learn?

We took ds out and homeschooled him half way through reception, we had hell with pre school and the first term of reception.

[Devexity]

helyg - ha! Perhaps there is some sort of catchy reading comprehension song I could learn.

And real-music mothers: Have you experienced the awesomeness of the They Might Be Giants oeuvre for children? Podcasts! Youtubery! The sun is a mass of incandescent gas! Blissful.

[Peaceflower]

lolapoppins, his reception teacher was very understanding, although I was taken aside one day to say ds had been disruptive at carpet time, calling out and fidgeting. Luckily for me, a lot of the teacher's focus and attention was being directed to another boy who was subsequently diagnosed as adhd.

At playgroup, the playgroup leader/assistants were also very relaxed, and let him do what he wanted.

Although ds is coping with school now, he is struggling with handwriting (dyspraxia) and feels frustrated and restrained in class. School is trying to help by letting him use a computer for writing tasks.

[mrz]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uavlzZhJFVQ&feature=related
not very catchy ...

[OtterInaSkoda]

I remember stumbling with the alphabet when I was a sixer in Brownies (so I must have been 8 or 9 I imagine). I don't think singing it to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, as we were all taught, helped - the elemenohpee bit gets mangled. We were taught a different tune at Brownies which made it far, far clearer.

I was a very good reader, so my lack of aplhabet skills said nothing about my literacy.

Soooo in essense, I wouldn't be too worried.

[mrz]

When do you need to know alphabetical order? dictionaries phone directories filing systems etc...

[Jane054848]

I am 34 and still have to sing the little alphabet song to get some letters in the right order.

[3point14]

Don't you transpose the letters for numbers so that J is 10 and T is 20 and so forth ?

If you don't how do you deal with ciphers and similar ?

When I was a child this was normal. We had it drilled into us every day and nigh on 40 years later I do not have to think for times table or alphabet answers.

Is it because the teachers do not know ?

[mrz]

I certainly wasn't taught that way 3point14 and definitely not the way children are taught today.

[DilysPrice]

Here Come the ABCs by They Might Be Giants is a reasonably adult-friendly album/DVD of alphabet songs (the follow ups, Here Come the 123s and Here Comes Science are even better). They've got us through some very long car journeys.

[MumNWLondon]

why does it matter? I have heard 3 year olds singing the alphabet song despite having no idea what they are singing. its rote learning and not useful

[ChocHobNob]

My eldest is 4 and he knew his alphabet when in Playschool from 2. I've now noticed he seems to have "forgotten" it. I assumed it was down to the focus on phonics. He knows all of his letter sounds when asked though.