My son is going into kindergarten and doesn't recongize his letters and numbers when he sees them?

Question

How far behind is he? He can say his ABC's and knows some of them when he sees them, and he can count to 20 but doesn't know any numbers when he sees them. He knows all this colors and shapes. How far behind is he from other children his age (5)?

Answer 1

His in kindergarten to learn all that c**p. DW

Answer 2

I don't he's behind at all. I know many children who go into kindergarten without knowing any of the stuff you say your son already knows. just keep working on number recognition with him. maybe get a place mat with numbers on it so when he's at the table he can look at them. they sell them at walmart for a dollar or two. when it comes to this it's all about practice. the more you go over them the better and faster he'll get.

Answer 3

Does he play nicely with other children? Can he wait for your attention if you are busy with something? Can he wait his turn at the slide or swing at the playground?  Can he dress himself and take care of himself in the bathroom? Can he occupy himself coloring or playing with toys for a while?

Those are the skills he actually needs for kindergarten. Kindergarten teachers say they are perfectly capable of teaching them letters, numbers, colors and shapes but they need the children to come ready to learn. The problem is not with children who don't know all of their alphabet -- the problem is with children who think they are the center of the universe and have no concept of waiting their turn or that the teacher cannot entertain them personally all day long.

If your son is able to think of his needs in the context of a group and is curious and lively, he is perfectly ready for kindergarten.

Read to him, go on walks where he can point out the things he sees, go to a museum or art gallery, listen to different types of music, get a loaf of frozen bread dough from the store and follow the instructions. Let him experience cause and effect and the properties of physics by seeing it rise, then have him help you knead and bake it.

Honestly, don't stress about the pre-academic stuff. He is not behind. Let him be a kid and like I said if he is a curious child and not on the computer and TV all day he will blossom at kindergarten.

Don't let the administration and their No Child Left Behind nonsense get you down. And don't let them put him in special ed if he somehow does not get it right away. Some children are not developmentally ready to learn to read until they are almost eight -- but once they do they take off and catch up with the kids who were reading in kindergarten. So don't let other moms get you down saying, "Jimmy was reading chapter books in pre-k."

Have fun and help him see kindergarten as a new adventure!

Answer 4

Your son is behind.  I would have him tested.  

Answer 5

I am not sure if he is behind but often boys don't get this as fast as girls and he will probably be fine in school. My son went to preschool at the age of 4 ...he is 5 now and will start kindergarten also BUT he too wasn't recognizing letters or numbers. I was actually not toally aware. Between preschool and me we worked with him. I was at a lost and all the sudden one day like overnight it just clicked and he knows all his letters and writes them! Knowing the actuall alphabet is actually wortthless as the techers have told me cause its just a repetition song. I was like he knows the alphabet but to many kids it means nothing. But I really think will boys it just takes them longer. The only reason my son knows as much as he does is from preschool.

Answer 6

My daughter went to preschool and they didn't teach the kids anything they needed to know in kindergarten.  In K, they were taught one letter a week and by the end of the first quarter, they had to know up to the number 20.  By the end of the year, they had to know up to 100.  Every kid goes at their own pace, don't worry.  There will be kids who know less than your son does.

Answer 7

Well, i'm not sure if he's necessarily behind as it really depends on the school.  My daughter is also 5.  If your son was going to my daughter's school then yes, he would be behind.  She doesn't go anywhere fancy either, it's just a small town public school in the mid-west.  But, the 1st week of kindergarten the kids start learning how to read.  Last year in school (4k) she learned all the letters and how to write upper-case and lower-case.  I don't know how high she can write her numbers, but she can count to at least 200.

Answer 8

I don't think he's behind. I think he is a 5 year old. The one thing I would really work on before school starts - Teach him to write his own name.  Thats the first step with his letters.

Answer 9

hes not behind they teach that stuff

can you help?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 10

I teach kindergarten and he is perfectly fine!

Some kids know more, some kids know less, but the majority of kids are where your son is. When making my lesson plans for the beginning of school, I expect most kids to be where your son is. Some don't even know their ABCs.

Don't worry! He will know all of the by the end of the year.

There are more important things to focus on for now-- read him stories about kindergarten and get him excited about going.

He'll do just fine!

Answer 11

he is not behind that is what they learn in kindergarten and if he doesnt recognize like an a is for apple after about a month or two take him to the doctor because he might be dislexic.... it will be a little hard to deal with if he is but he will get used to it! dislexia = 6=9