Nearly 4 year old doesn't know numbers/letters...

[superfrizbee]

I swing between worrying about this, and thinking it's fine and he's only little. He starts school next September so he does have some time, but right now he doesn't have much interest at all. I know you shouldn't compare children, but
DD knew all of hers by now, whereas my son knows probably 3. Maybe a couple more max. I've tried finding ways to show him that will interest him but I'm so time poor (3 small kids, additional needs and type 1 diabetes to contend with). I guess most of my problem is not that my son doesn't know them, but that he doesn't know them because I don't get to give him the time and attention he needs to learn them.

 

[CaptainMummy]

Honestly ... Don't worry at all!


My dd2 (almost 5) started school yesterday. She doesn't know all of her letters, and I'm not even worried one bit. She can spell and blend sounds and make words from sounds but doesn't recognise some of the letters because she has never actually been taught... That's what school is for! They 100% don't need to know them when they start!
She does know her numbers, she is a maths whizz tbf, but again, she learned them from YouTube just before she was 2 and her brain is just a number machine so she just knows how they work and can manipulate them naturally.

My dd3 is the same age as your boy. She can recognize up to number 10, again I've never sat and taught her, she actually learned them at nursery a few months ago. She only knows a handful of letters.

I feel the same as you, I barely have the time to scratch my a**e never mind sit and teach my little kids things that they will learn in school. Keep on doing what you are doing, and loving your babies, and don't worry one bit!

 

[_Meep_]

My 4 year old has been able to count to 10 since she was about 2. She can now count to 20 and can identify numbers by sight from 1-10. She doesn't really know the alphabet, but might add a letter here and there if you sing the song and then stop to let her have a try. She can identify a few letters - basically 'o', 'n' and 's' (the latter two being the first letters of her own and her sister's names). That's really as far as it goes. I'm not worried. For her, also, it's a total lack of interest. She can make up a wicked imaginative story with any one of her toys. That's what she's into. Your lad, by all accounts, sounds like a very physical being ...? I'm guessing he just doesn't care about these things just yet, because he is 3.

When you say he doesn't know them, do you mean he can't identify them by sight or he doesn't count/sing the alphabet, etc.? I don't think it's too unusual at this age.

 

[claireybell]

Dont stress about it hun, when my DS started school, he had just turned 4 when he started school.. He never really new much about that kinda stuff, he was more interested in playing tbh. The Reception year at school has techniques of learning & you'll be suprised how quickly they pick up the literacy & number etc

 

[GodsNotDead23]

My son is significantly younger. BUT he goes to a very active and learning based daycare and has had the same daycare provider since basically birth. He refused to do numbers for THE LONGEST and knew the colors mostly from videos, not from daycare.

Then he randomly started counting up to 10, not always in order, but can do it.
Then he stopped and refused to go past 5.

He doesn't know ANY letters except "I". And he proceeds to call EVERY NUMBER OR LETTER "I". He thinks its hilarious.


Kids are much more observant, silly, and playful with their learning and especially with their demonstration of knowledge. SOme days I swear he doesn't actually know these things then for a few days straight he just gets everything spot on. Some days every color is yellow. *shrugs*

Also my 7 year old never went to daycare. I only briefly taught her things and she was an only child up until age 5. She is now in 2nd grad of spanish immersion and the head of her class.


The point is he will learn. Whether its now or later. And he will be smart and bright and everythign will be wonderful.

 

[lau86]

My son is 5 in December, he starts school in a couple of weeks. He knows the first letter of his name, that’s it! I’m not a teacher so don’t want to teach things wrong, I also have 3 children and it is difficult to find 1 to 1 time. My son isn’t interested in learning letters either. He is happy and will learn everything at school, as my oldest son did. I wouldn’t worry, it sounds like your doing a great job

 

[SarahBear]

Not all kids are interested and that is OK. It is better to wait for a kid to be ready than to force it too early.

 

[NovaStar]

He’ll learn them eventually. I would sing songs to my daughter in the car or as I was doing other things to help her learn. She loves songs. I’d just sing the ABCs (she knew letters but couldn’t identify them until recently, she’s almost 5). With numbers I would have him watch Team Umizoomi or another number-heavy show that’s engaging and fun. And relax, all adults know these things so he’ll learn them when he’s ready.

 

[misspriss]

It will come when it comes. ODS (started kindergarten this fall) didn't know his letters and showed very little interest. Someone gave him Dr. Seuess ABCs for his birthday in March and it was his favorite bedtime book for like two months straight. He learned more from that ABC book than any other book. Coming out of the summer he learned all his ABCs (mostly from that one little book) and can go through a stack of flash cards now and name every letter and think of words for each one.

 

[c1403]

DD2 is almost four and doesn't know many letters apart from her name. she has only just recognised 1-10. My eldest could blend words and knew a good few sounds at the same age but she was more interested in learning and playing games. My eldest appears more literate and my youngest has a bigger vocabulary and is more active. All children are different so don't worry.