Is this normal for a 4 year old?

Question

My 4 year old son is in headstart. He can say his abc's and count to 10. And is starting to learn how to write letters. But he doesn't know the letters or numbers when he sees them and can not spell his name or wirte it without help. I thought that was what the headstart teachers were supposed to teach them, but the told me today there is some people coming to give extra help to the kids who need it. If the teachers are not teaching them these things then what are they there for? I feel like they are just babysitters if he is not learning these things in class. Anyway, is this normal development for a 4 year old or is he behind?

I do work with him at home, I was just making sure he is not behind on his learning.

Answer 1

A preschool teacher's job is to introduce your child to sitting still, paying attention, sharing with friends, cleaning up, sorting, organizing, learning what happens when you mix colors, counting, 1:1 correspondence, healthy meals, your role in the family, neighborhoods, community workers, environmental print, etc. etc. Anything else is icing on the cake. YOU should be working on letters, numbers, colors, shapes, shoe tying, and how to spell/write their name. A headstart teacher will have about 15 kids with an assistant. If a headstart teacher manages to help each kid spell their name once a day, I think that's great. Most kids need more repetition than that.

Not quite the same topic, but here's a poem about what a preschooler does everyday--and only one line about writing! Preschoolers do a lot!

There's Nothing in My Bag Today

Today I did my math and science,
I toasted bread.
I halved and quartered.
I counted, measured, used my eyes,
and ears and head.
I added and subtracted on the way,
I used a magnet, blocks, and memory tray.
I learnt about a rainbow and how to weigh.
So please don't say, anything in your bag today?

You see I'm sharing as I play.
I learned to listen and
speak clearly when I talk,
to wait my turn, and when inside to walk.
To put my thoughts into a phrase,
to guide a crayon through a maze.
To find my name and write it down,
to do it with a smile and not a frown.
To put my pasting brush away,
So please don't say, what, nothing in your bag today?

I've learnt about a snail and a worm,
remembering how to take my turn.
Helped a friend when he was stuck,
learnt that water runs off a duck.
I looked at words from left to right,
agreed to differ, not to fight.
So please don't say, did you only play today?

Answer 2

http://asq.uoregon.edu/consent.php?lang=en

Hi,
I too have a 4 year old daughter in preschool, so I know how you feel always wondering if they are on track or not. I am a development specialist working with infants and toddlers 0-3 years who have developmental delays. The above link is for the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. It is a great developmental screening tool designed to help parents and professionals decide if children should undergo further developmental assessment or evaluation. I would definitely complete the screening before talking to his teachers. If there are no concerns, then I would show them the screening. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that Headstart is required to do dev screenings on their children when they begin and end their school year. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, your child has the right to a free and appropriate education which includes any "extra help" that he may need. If there are concerns, it is always best to go ahead and seek help now. You may be right, the teachers may just want someone else to do their job, but if the people coming in to help complete an assessment and he doesn't show a need for special services, the teachers will have to intervene themselves. I hope this helps. If you have concerns after completing the screening, I would go to this website: www.nectac.org. It is national site for info on children 0-5 with dev delays or those who have concerns that their child may have a delay. There is a link on the home page to states' websites. You can follow the link to your state to find out who you should contact about your child.

Answer 3

That is totally normal. One huge problem with our society today is the entirely too early focus on academics. The things you mention are benchmarks for the end of kindergarten...when he is about six. He will likely learn to write his name before that, but knowing all the letters when he sees them (letter identification) will come much later. What he should be learning now is how to be appropriately social with his peers. How to sit at circle time without hitting, how to negotiate and problem solve conflicts, how to be friends, how to regulate his emotions. The child's developing mind learns so much through play. Play is not just play for children, but is a way they learn. Your child is gaining tons just by being in a social context with kids his age, and that is what he should be focused on at age four. Don't worry...all that academic stuff WILL come. Even if he doesn't learn a thing about letters in that class, he will know so much more than a kindergartner who hasn't been to preschool. He'll understand the structure and flow of the day, what you do at circle time, how you speak to others, etc. VERY important stuff. Good luck to you and your child!

Answer 4

This is normal. Each child progresses differently. At the age of 4, children typically begin learning numbers and letters and sounds. Give him some time. Instead of calling the teachers babysitters, what are you as a parent doing to help your child? Remember, you have a job as a teacher too. That means, reinforcing and reviewing with your child what he learns in school and providing educational opportunities in the home.

Keep working with him.

Answer 5

no i say not. My son is 4 as well and attends a daycare with a curriculum that follows the school districts requirements for kindergarten.

My son can recognize his name, but cannot spell it. He too is learning to write letters. He has been able to say his alphabet for a couple of years, and can count to 20.

So I say sounds pretty average to me. Just keep working with him at home, if you are worried.

Answer 6

They all learn differently. Just because your son is not getting it right now, doesn't mean the teachers aren't teaching him. It's just going to take him a while longer. Teaching isn't magic and all kids learn at different speeds.

Answer 7

That is normal infact I would even say slightly advanced!

Don't worry him he is doing great and I bet ya he's going to be top of the class when he gets to school. My son didn't know his ABC's at all he couldn't say them in order the whole way thruough and he had only just learned to write his name when he started school. Half way through his first year at school he was saying his ABCs and recognising letters numbers and even words.

He is going to be fine :-) You can't push him to learn this stuff but you can encourage him every child is different and learns things differently and at different times.

Answer 8

chill out a little your expecting miracles school just started good give it time.

they teach letters colors shapes numbers
my son is also four and in we call it pre k 4 here
and is having the same struggle

Answer 9

This takes time. Every childs development is different to one another.
it is so natural