My 4 year old is having trouble with colors and numbers?

Question

I just got my son's preschool trimester report and he is not consistent with his colors and numbers. I've talked to other parents who have 3 year olds with a bigger vocabulary. Me and my wife are very quiet people and are having a hard time relating to our son. We really love him a lot and I would like to know if there are any online sites that could help me to interact more with him. Please help.

Answer 1

"It's time for you to be dumb."  I jokingly say this to some parents sometimes.  There's something about the idea that the child will be able to figure it out better than the adult that gets them interested in learning.  Here's what I mean and I'll give you an example with an idea I have.

Get a cheap, wooden train.  You don't have to get the whole train set (though you can if you want to).  Also get a simple children's book with numbers and colors.

Paint the train cars with different colored numbers on the side.  If your book has numbers in colors, paint them that color.

When you play it with him, pretend like you want to put them in order, but are REALLY confused.  "Is the red car number 1?  Or is it the blue car?"  Have your son help you out.  If he doesn't know, go get the numbers and colors book and look it up with him (this will also be good.  It shows him that it's ok to not know information and ok to find it out.)



Every time you play, you stay at the same level (or get worse) and he is able to improve over time. You don't have to play this with a train.  But I would find a similar type of toy he is interested in.

1-10 can be hard for some kids to swallow at once.  I'm curious if the teacher is trying to play "catch up" and teach him the whole thing.  I wouldn't dive into 10 yet.  From my experience, teaching 0-9 first THEN teaching 2 digit numbers is more beneficial in the long run.  But I would start off slow...0-3.  When he has that, move it to 5.  When he has that, you can introduce 6-9 as well in your games.  Take it a little at a time and you'll see that once it clicks, he's got it.  You'll know when it's time to move on.

I have also had luck teaching 0-5 first.  Then 6-9 next (without the 0-5.)  Then once the child has both understood, they are ready to put them together.  

I've realized that "acting stupid" usually works with a lot of children.  If they can teach something to you, they'll develop a mastery beyond what you can give them otherwise.  He'll probably catch on later that you're playing then it will become funny and he'll want to do it just for the laughs.

Keep it fun and keep it educational.  But, overall, have him teach you as best he can and have resources around to go to if he does not know it.  If he can count, a simple chart of 0-9 might be the only number resource you need.  Then he can count to see what the number is.

Matt

Answer 2

There are many resources out there online if you do searches.  I currently work with children that are typically developing and some children that are not, ages 3-5 in a school district.  Is the school you send your child to a daycare/preschool or is it an actual preschool ran by your local district.  You may want to look into that option if it is a daycare setting or try to find a center that employs certified staff.  The reason I say this, is that certified staff are trained on what is typical for your sons age and they will be able to determine if there are "problems" that my need to be looked at further.  If this is your child's first experience in a preschool setting you need to allow him time to adjust.  However, any work you do at home with him to help him improve on the skills his teacher is saying he is inconsistent on, will only further and improve his learning.

Answer 3

If he doesn't have much of a vocabulary I would have him tested with someone to do with speech. Early detection of a problem can possibly avoid loss of some abilities. Maybe there is a reason your having trouble relating.

Answer 4

here is a link http://pbskids.org/barney/children/games...

Answer 5

Try starfall and I think you will be happy with it.  I recommended it to several people and they have all told me how much it helped their children and thanked me.  It is a fun site for the kids and one woman told me her grandson doesn't like to play games any more but goes to starfall to play the games there an dlearns at the same time so I think you will be happy with that as well.

Answer 6

How to interact with your son isn't something you can find online.  Perhaps that thought inof itself is part of the issue.

Start simple.  Get Go Fish cards that require kids to match colors and just start by playing Go Fish with him.  He'll love the 1-on-1 and it will help reinforce the colors.  

Take him to the store with you and play "I Spy" numbers.  Say "I see the number 5" and have him look around and try and find it.  Again, you are interacting with him and helping him learn.

And get Candyland, Hi-ho Cheery-o, and other games that are, yes, adult-mind-numbing...but the kids love them.

Color with him, and ask him to hand you crayons of specific colors.  Cook with him and ask him to read "How many Eggs" you need.  

And talk to him, read to him, and I'll bet you'll see huge improvements.

Answer 7

look, web sites will do no better than you trying to teach them. i personely belive that you will always be a better teacher than anyone alse for your son. don't give up on him and always keep on teaching him. slow and steady is the way to deal with childrens intelectual. and remember, a smile can brighten anyones day.