What is the earliest age for learning the alphabet?

Question

How early should a child be taught the alphabet?

Answer 1

It shouldn't be a contest. They should be interested in learning things like this before they are introduced. It is a natural progression from the alphabet to reading, and each child has his own right age. Youngsters who learn the alphabet very early do not necessarily do better in school.

Answer 2

Most children, learn their alphabet by age 3. At age 2 they can usually say part of it. It's never too early to begin singing it to them, and pointing out colors or counting. It is the repetitiveness that teaches them what they need to learn. VERY few children learn by age 1. I'm mom to 3. I always sang silly songs about colors, the color of their outfit, shoes, my shirt, anything. I did the same with numbers and the alphabet. They do listen and watch while you are singing and since kids model parents, it's a great way to begin.

Answer 3

I knew the alphabet by eighteen months, reading Dr. Seuss by the time I was 3 1/2, and starting the Harry Potter series when I was six!

A child should be taught the alphabet when s/he shows interest in learning it! If you force it on him/her, s/he will quickly despise it.

Answer 4

I would say 2 years old was the average age with my kids. My oldest learned a little earlier but let me give you one piece of advice. MOST parents say their kids know the alphabet because they can sing the song, but that DOES NOT mean they really know it. They just know the song. I bought a $1.99 pack of flash cards from Walmart with the letters of the Alphabet on them and taught my oldest that way. He not only knew the alphabet in order but could identify each letter if given to him out of order. That is when you know they know their letters.

Answer 5

My three y/o can sing the entire song.. But the other side of this coin is that the alphabet, like vocabulary, is only a tool and not a true measurement of wisdom or raw intelligence. My three year old, in my opinion, has a firm grasp of understanding the non-verbal components of speech (which account for well over 50% of the meaning of any speech)..

Whatever, whenever, each child should simply be loved and encouraged, but ultimately accepted for who they are...

As parents, we can not possibly see ourselves as perfect.. and we are competing with society in raising our children..

Answer 6

It's never too early to start teaching, even if they seem too young to understand. You can sing the alphabet song to them as an infant lullaby. Same with reading. Start reading as soon as they're able to sit on your lap and keep on reading to them until they can read themselves. Kids are like sponges. They'll absorb whatever they see and hear, whether it's a good or bad.

Answer 7

my niece pretty much had it down before she was even potty trained. Sing the song allot while the child is a baby and as soon as they start talking teach numbers and alphabet it will give them a great head start.

Answer 8

My twins knew the alphabet at 2. We had mats that had the ABC's on them and we used to sing the song together.

Answer 9

My 2 year old has learned to sing the song and randomly points to the letters he sees in stores, road, etc. On the other hand, he is not very verbal and is by no means chatty.

Every child is different and is learning so much that we aren't even aware.

Check this out: http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/readingplanet/ReadAloud_Stories/abc_song.html

Answer 10

try when child learns to talk well like 2 or 3yrs old. Usally by 5 they should know it. Sing the song and keep doing it kid will catch on