Best way to teach my 4 year old...?

Question

How to write his name?

How to recognize the letters of the alphabet?

And how to recognize colors?

I have been using flashcards for quite some time, along with several Leap Frog learning tools, and he just isn't getting it.

Also, he can only count to 11. Is this NORMAL for his age? He will be 5 in July.

Answer 1

try this site:-

starfall.com

Answer 2

I would definately sling out the flashcards if its not working for your child .  The most important thing at this stage is that you dont panick, different kids learn differently.  Chances are you and your child are probably bored and frustrated.  Look at this as a personal challenge to  figure out innovative ways to keep teaching the same stuff and be sure to keep it fun and lighthearted!  

I would forget about the alphabet as a whole and if he dosn't know it already, teach him the alphabet song.   I would focus on him recognising the letters of his name.

My son's name is Andrew, he is 6 he didnt learn to write his name properly until he was 51/2.  It took him until he was almost 5 to get A .   He did know his shapes so I told him it was a triangle on legs! One of his favourite activities was to put glue over  the capital letter and he would carefully place cherrios on the glue and we would stick it on the wall for all to see.  

I come from a business background and it was very hard for me not to play the 'teachure' but I firmly believe that if you make it fun, they will pick it up in no time.  Be sure to praise him too, every single time he improves.  Tell him how smart he is, even if you dont believe it, in time you will.  

When identifying colors such  as  blue and green, try and relate it to something that they already know like, "thats blue, like the sky" ; "thats green, like the grass".   I dont sit down much with my son now (except to do his homework) but when we are driving we play a few silly games.  One I think is called Shark, but he renamed it.  Whatever color your child has just learnt, its whoever spots the first 'green' car wins.  Then after a while whoever spots the most blue cars etc.  Trust me if you keep it light hearted, you will both have a blast and he will not even know he is learning!  

Hope this helps.

PS.  Pls forgive my spelling, apart from being English, I am a terrible speller and the spell check wont work!

Answer 3

time patience and story time .  playing with blocks watchng yo write yor name.  letters on fridge bathb crayons worked wonders for all of mine.  they loved writing on walls.  hide the flashcards and have a letter scavenger hunt with a prixe at the end. anything that is fn works

Answer 4

to write his name, you should space out lines in the shapes of the letters in his name..if that makes sense..for example.

|

|                    <------like that. that's how my sister learned

|                               when she was that age, and it makes them learn a lot faster. leap frog doesnt really help

how to recognize colors..get some of his favorite "toys" and ask him to identify and if he's wrong, correct him..then come back to it later.

how to recognize letters of the alphabet, i'm not too sure about. i tutore my 7 year old sister, and i'm only 14 so i'm not really good on "parental" teaching stuff. but hey, whatever works. hope this was helpful!

Answer 5

I teach 4 and 5 yr olds. We are in the second semester of school and there are a few that still cant write their name. Check out www.handwritingworksheets.com you can make sheets with his name to trace. You may need to work on his fine motor skills. Give him things like clothes pins to mash, and pouring wet and dry materials. This will help with his hand control. Check out www.starfall.com they have a level that reviews letter sounds and words. My class loves it!! Make learning a game!! Don't push him too hard. Children will shut down if you push to much!

Answer 6

Is he in preschool and are you planning on sending him to kindergarten next year?  Boys develop slower than girls so do not compare to sisters or to other girls mentioned in other answers.  Boys just want to play so you absolutely have to make this fun for him.  I have a little boy who is having trouble recognizing his numbers so I let him pick out a truck from my clip art and we made him his own book together.  We are "reading" this book together every day - of course, it's very simple - the first page says 1 dump truck  with a picture of one dump truck - the second page says 2 dump trucks with a picture of two dump trucks - we can reinforce the number by having him count the trucks if he gets stuck on simply recognition.  

Print his name - first letter capital, rest lower case - with a yellow highlighter and have him trace it.  The ideas for Spiderman and Bob and Builder are also good ones - put stickers of the character there so he can have a sticker when completed.  Name the letters as you go.  

Colors - check him for color deficiencies - do any of the other males in your family have any color blindnesses?  My dad, brother and son all have the EXACT same color deficiencies.  It is not the end of the world - they said my brother could not be an electrician or engineer - said my son could not be a mechanic - and the both are.  

Good luck -I hope nothing is going on that is blocking his learning such as a learning disability - with boys, it's hard to tell - while you're showing him flash cards, he's probably looking over his shoulder wondering what he's missing with his toys or the cartoon that is on.

Answer 7

To help him write his name you can have him trace over his name, then connect the dots of his name, and finally write his name with a copy of his name in front of him.

To be ready for kindergarten it really is only important that children know the letters of their name as a minimum.  Just talk to him about it.  Tell him what the letters are.  While reading books maybe pick a letter each day and try to point out all of those letters in the book.  

While playing with toys or eating dinner just ask your son what the color of the car is, or what the color of the corn is...things like that.   He will not be pressured and it is a casual way to talk about it.

Some kids just aren't ready to learn these things.  I teach preschool and it is perfectly okay if he is not ready to learn.  One day the light will go on and he will begin to recognize letter and colors in leaps and bounds.  

counting to eleven is great....if you are concerned maybe while you are doing routine activities count with him to see how long it will take.  he will begin to remember more and more.

Hope this helps!

Answer 8

Here are some preschool writing activities that may help with the fine motor skills he needs to write his name.  

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Many 4 year olds, especially boys, aren't ready to write yet.  My oldest wasn't at that age, and now he's 7 and writing just fine.

I would suggest putting away the flashcards and using fun activities to teach alphabet, colors, etc.  Here are some that may work:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Other than that, just read to him.

I am betting that your son is perfectly normal.  Children learn to walk at different ages, and they learn to count, read, write, etc. at different ages as well.  Just have fun with him.  Let him grow in his own time.  It all evens out in the end.

Answer 9

make it fun for him coem up with soem kind of game usign colors and numbers and then one with colors and th eletters of his name or the alphabet flash cards work only for so long then they get bored with them but if you make ti into a fun game usign thsoe things then he will most likely catch on more easily hope that helps

Answer 10

I wouldn't sweat this one too much. Heck, when I was growing up, I didn't start learning how to read and count until I was shipped off to kindergarten. By the end of elementary school, I was winning local spelling bees.

I would give up on the flash cards in favor of writing the letters in front of him. Alternatively, find a toy he likes and go through the letters of the name of the character -- wanting to know how to spell Spider-man or Bob the Builder could be powerful motivators.

Answer 11

dont rush

Answer 12

Colorful flashcards and a rewards system. Now my little sister picked up all of the things you described at 3 1/2. We went over it slowly. When she was coloring, we would pick up her crayons and say "pink" or "brown". She took these moments to learn. When you goo food shopping, point out the colors of fruits. "Jimmy, look at the RED apple!" The name may come a little later, but help him trace one letter at a time. The alphabet may be a tad difficult, but review and review and examples will help. "look Jimmy, the D-d-dog is w-w-walking!" pronounce and repeat the words. All kids learn at their own pace. If you try to rush him, he will become disillusioned and frustrated. You should be able to ask little Jimmy's pre K teacher or a pre k teacher any useful tips and recommend teaching aids. ANd never give up! Kids sense that and they will become disappointed! Always praise or reward him so he knows he's doing well.

Good Luck!