3 1/2 yr old can't recognize letters or numbers

[Crayola kiddies]

Haha to gcj ... That's hilarious .... My youngest watches podcasts of sesame street on my iPhone ....and I totally believe this is where he picked it all up from ..... I never have tv on during daycare hours so my kids rarely watch tv but they do love my iPhone

[momplus6]

I wouldn't worry about it my son didn't know them when he started kindergarten. It could also be that she won't do it on command I have a child who I will hear occasionally counting saying the alphabit but won't do it when I ask tell her to.

[zen39]

Not a big deal at all. That's what JK is for. Some kids will learn it earlier others learn it in school. It's all fine.

[KingstonMom]

I have a 3 1/2 yr old dcg who only knows the letter her name begins with as well. She also has no interest in learning so that could be why she does not know any others.
But on the other hand, I have a 21 month old son who knows and can point out all the letters, although his pronounciation for some is not perfect. We have used flashcards since he was little, and have pin up alphabet posters in the house, also magnetic letter on the fridge and alphabet floor puzzels he loves.
Whenever the dcks go home he points to the flashcards and insists we open it for him so he can tell us what each one is and place it back in the box. Over and over lol
He absolutly LOVES when we read to him and this is what we do every night from the time the dcks leave to bedtime. He does enough playing during the day and shows us that this is what he wants to do.
We never tell him no when he wants to read or learn his letters, we encourage him as much as we can, but I know that if we made it a 'chore' for him he would be totally turned off it.
We are so proud of him and can only dream that he will be the smartest cookie ever, but I know that this may not be typical. All kids will eventually learn their letters, and early learners are not necessairly rocket scientists. I imagine just because a kid walks before others, does not mean they will become stronger, leaner, more athletic than others.
I disagree that "this is what jk is for". I think it is still the parents job to introduce them and teach their kids the life basics; letters, numbers, proper speech, MANNERS etc...
Theres my bragging moment of the day

[mamaof4]

I think it is totally normal! Kids will learn. Let them be kids!

[sunnydays]

Although I agree that parents should be helping kids learn basics, I don't think this should be a prerequisite to JK! That is a lot of pressure on kids very early. Instead I think setting a good foundation for learning is important. Teaching them to love reading, to love learning in general. If the child is interested in something, go with it. If not, expose them to it, but don't force it. As others have said, pointing out letters, shapes etc while reading makes it fun and puts it in context and is easier on those short attention spans than sitting down and doing letter learning for half an hour.

[Crayola kiddies]

I totally agree with you Kingston mom I have never pushed it with any of my kids either they just love it .... I exposed my children to it early so it is second nature to them.... My youngest has alphabet books and everyday he goes through all of them and points to each picture says what it is ect.... I think it's good for their self esteem to know this by the time they get to school so they can focus on other things that kindergarten has to offer. I think a child that doesn't know this has probably never been exposed to it early enough ... Children are sponges as we all know might as wellteach them early ... In no way do I think it will make them smarter then anybody else ... My 7 yr old boy Born in nov knew all this stuff before he entered jk and was therefore able to keep up with the kids born at the beginning of the year ...this year he is in grade 2 and is in a 2/3 split and is able to thrive in that environment he is also in early French immersion ( we are English and do not speak French in the home) .... I was born at the end for the year and struggled through all of my schooling ....so i am happy that he is able to do mire then just keep up .....I am all for giving my kids the tools in which to succeed. This little girl I was referring to has very good verbal skills, seems to be rather mature for her age, is looking forward to school but has no interested in learning.....i have no intention of pushing it as I want her to enjoy her days .... But I sure am proud of my smart little cookie ; )

[playfelt]

Something to watch with kids that show little interest such as this girl is to watch how they perform on other tasks. My daughter has vision issues and does fine on large activities such as figures on the feltboard or can grasp a magnetic letter and put it on and off since it sort of tries to stick by itself but give her an up close have to focus activity and she can't do it but is because she sees everything blurry so can not make out the differences. With her glasses on of course it helps a lot she just prefers not to wear them. Look up a list of things to watch for to identify vision issues such as tilting the head to one side, avoiding close up activities, sloppy movements, etc.

[Crayola kiddies]

Playfelt ... That is very helpful .... My two older sons wear glasses .... The oldest one was just disruptive in class and was determined that he couldn't see .... My other son has esotrophia (?) a from of a hereditary condition that runs in my family ....she does like to do puzzles and color and cut out shapes, I have a letter sheet that I got from one of my kids teachers that they trace over the letters and she does this quite well .....she seems to shy away from anything new though for instance she does the same puzzle over and over if I give her a different one she just pushes the pieces around and then walks away from it, she and I were making muffins the other day while the younger ones were still napping and I asked her if she likes to bake with mommy and she said no her hands are to little....so maybe she is just not exposed to the same types of things we do here. I am also big on independence but she seems to always need to be helped citing she can't do it and her reason is usually her " little hands " .... They seem just right to me ..... I'll keep my eye out for any indication of sight problems ... Thanks for the tip

[playfelt]

The "little hands" label is likely coming from the mom. Sounds like mom either thinks she can't do it or just can't be bothered letting the activity take the extra time.

For new activities like the puzzle do a backwards chaining format - make the puzzle except for one piece and leave it on the table with the piece right there and hope she goes to explore it or even ask her if she could finish it for you while you do something else. It has to become familiar to her. She may have been told she is too little so much that she lacks confidence. Then gradually leave more and more unmade till she is starting with you from scratch putting in most of the pieces.