By what age should a child know and recognize the ABC's?

Question

I have a 4 yr old daughter that "can't" learn her ABC's. We have sat down and went over and over them. Starting with A, B, and C only. I can hold up a flash card, tell her that "this letter is an A" and keep telling her and make her tell me. Then I pick the flash card up again and ask her what it is and she will tell me she either doesn't know or she will ask me what it is. It's getting frustrating because I knew my alphabet by age 3. I've wrote the letters, I've had her write the letters, and we have used the flash cards. What's left aside from whoopings??

Answer 1

Most children should know all the alphabet throughout kindergarten (4-6 years old).

Answer 2

Try not to get frustrated with your child. She may indeed have a learning disability or just plain be a little bit slower. Not everyone is the same. They teach children ABC's and numbers in kindergarten. Flash cards and writing are excellent learning tools. But don't rush it. She's only 4. The teacher's will let you know if she is indeed not where she's supposed to be. In fact she's getting a head start by you teaching her now at 4. Most kids don't start kindergarten until 5 and don't start until then and many do not have the help at home. She'll come along in time.

Here's something my 5 year old's kindergarten class does. Every week they are given a paper bag with a letter on it---say the letter B---the teacher puts a piece of paper in the bag and they have to find 1 thing to put inside that bag that begins with that letter---say a ball for B---on the paper you write 3 clues that describe the object--- for instance it is round, it can bounce, you can catch it. They take the bag to school and the rest of the class reads their clues and tries to guess what is in the bag.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

3 or 4

Answer 5

Before I start with my response, let me tell you that I was dyslexic, but now have completed over 400 semester units of college. I am the Director and curriculum writer for a chain of private preschools in Japan. The school that is the number one academic rated school in the country. With that behind us let`s look at your daughter. First of all many 1 year olds can learn not only the alphabet but also simple reading. Nearly ALL 2 year olds can. Being 4 years old and not being able to name a card immediately after instruction is a problem. Now...what type of problem is this. Try something for me. Let`s try a simple memory check first. Use 3 easy cards, say a banana, an apple and a strawberry. Show and name each of them to your daughter, lay them down and then have her pick them up. I am assuming she is otherwise mentally normal right? Ok now do the same thing but turn the cards upside down. Can she remember which is which. If she cannot, post another question "How do I significantly improve my child`s memory?" If she can, let`s go on. Get a few pictures that are the same except for one with very small differences in it. Ask her to Identify the different one. If she is unable to do so quickly, she may have a type of dyslexia. If so, try using whole words that only use simple phonics ( cat, dog, mom,) and get her used to looking at letters in use so she can develop recognition skills.

There is a possibility that she is just bored and disinterested in learning letters. (many children are). Skip the alphabet and go straight into reading. Use very easy phonetically spelled words and associate the words with the pictures. That may bring interest into learning the letters. Also once a day, do sing some type of ABC song while pointing at the letters. Do not teach capital letters exclusively from the begining; teach capital and small together. If she proves herself, and easily identifies letters one time, and later seems unable to...that is defiance and that is where discipline (of your choice) come in.
We have 5 year olds who appear mentally retarded if a sweet and permissive teacher is in the class; but who read at a 3rd grade level if a strict teacher is in the class.

I actually have a 4 hour lecture on reading instruction, but I am sucking up too much space here so I will stop now. I hope it has been a little helpful.

Answer 6

I hope you were joking about the whoopings for not reciting her ABC's. That is awful and hopefully she isn't holding back because she is afraid. have you threatned to spank if she doesn't learn them? Ihope not either. Anyhoo, children learn at different rates. I say don't push it. She will learn it once she gets into school. Sounds like if you aren't having any success maybe you should let someone else do that teaching. maybe she finds the flashcards boring. Maybe she doesn't learn that way. Try some different approaches like the other posters have mentioned. I think you should allow her to just be a kid. If she is having problems in her speech or other areas of learning then they will catch that in school. Allow her to play and back off with the ABC's for awhile. She probably is just not ready.

Answer 7

Kids are all wired differently. Some kids have a harder time remembering the shapes of the letters in the alphabet and do better in other subjects because that is what they are geared to. They might be more of an auditory learner, or kinesthetic learner verses a visual one. It has nothing to do with will - but what the abilities are. ...And there are all different types of intelligence.

Now, you say she is 4, but there is a big difference between a kid who has just turned 4 and a kid about to turn 5. If she is a young 4 year old, I wouldn't start worrying just yet...

If you think there is a learning disability, there is a lot of research on how some people process language differently. A dyslexic, for instance, has to use 5x the brain "space" to process language than a non-dyslexic. They don't remember the shapes of the letters very well.

It's going to take a lot of care and patience on your part. But its good that you are involved this early. We all want kids to learn things on our time schedule - but sometimes it just takes time.

Answer 8

Give her a break.

My daughter started recognizing some at 3 1/2. She's now 4 and she knows many of the letters, but not all by sight. I think she knows her capital letters pretty well, but not lower case so much yet.

She's learning from her teachers at preschool and from the other students. The big thing is learning how to write you name and once you've mastered that, learning to write your friends names.
They are all into that right now.

Answer 9

OK try other things like buying refrigerator magnets from the dollar store My grandson wasn't getting it then at 4 when it became a game he got it .We would also sing the ABC song and point to the letters and every time he get it right he would get one M and M and say You win you win you win.
Pavlov method works great with kids .Clap and dance when she gets it right Or say good try when you tell she is trying.
Way to go.
My son knew how to read and write by age 2 did computer at age 3 his son my grand son age 4 wasn't getting it But just making it fun he got it. We even sing them in the car.also read books from the library to the child when it dawns on them that letters mean something they want to read the story to copy mom and dad.
I personally was dyslexic as a child I had trouble seeing the letters when I wrote them .
The best thing you can do is make it fun don't push and watch plenty of Sesame street. on PBS television She will get it

Answer 10

My daughter started recognizing most of the letters of the alphabet at 15-16 months. She started first with the sound that the letter made and is still working on the actual letter name now at 18 months, and can point them all out when asked. I think that the DVD by leapfrog Phonics Farm has helped. Don't get me wrong, I have worked with her with books, flash cards, crayons to write the letter, alphabet magnets, labels on foods etc. I would aim to keep it fun for her and don't let her know you are frustrated. She isn't really behind from what I understand. Check out the leapfrog video "Phonics Farm", play with letter magnets, look for Pinterest crafts with the alphabet and maybe focus on a new letter a day. Just don't stress over it. Oh, and I also have scavenger hunts for letters. I put things like blocks, flash cards or magnets with letters scattered around the room and ask her to bring me a certain one. We cheer both when she gets it right & when I help to boost her confidence.

Answer 11

A kid should knotice their ABC's at age 5. They should be able to say their alphabet in order by age 6.