My three year old son won't even try to learn his ABC's?

Question

My three year old son doesn't have any interest in learning letters or numbers. When we sing the ABC song the only letter he will say is "O". Is he defiant or do I need to get him help?

Answer 1

it's ok. don't stress. children develop at different levels. just because one 3 year old knows his/her abc's doesn't mean they all do or even need to. i would not pressure him. i would offer encouragement and make learning into a game. maybe not sing the abc's...but practice letter recognition with games, book that have the abc's in them (bad kitty by nick bruell is a good one), or find different music that says the abc's (not the typical abc song). not all kids will respond the same way to activities.

again, i wouldn't stress. just offer praise and fun!

good luck! :)

Answer 2

dont push it on him. let him gradually get use to the idea. besides most kids start to learn thier abcs in kindergarden.

Answer 3

Oh course not! He is 3! He has other things to do and places to explore!

Answer 4

Well i think if he doesn't know them by age 4 get him help so he knows them before kindergarten. Have you tried getting him a game that teaches kids the alphabet? I know they make them because my little cousins have a ton of them.

Don't push him too hard because he is young and kids don't like to listen to parents (its in their blood). My parents pushed my to learn to read and to study but the more they told me the less i wanted to do it.

Answer 5

Maybe you pressure him too much. I have a little brother. When he was still months old i put him to sleep by turning on animal planet. And now that he is three, he is much interested in all sorts of animals or even insects. His very observant with what people are doing around him. He is very much interested in everything. I say that maybe it also depends on the environment that the kid is leaving in. Try to make him see that learning the ABC's is fun and enjoyable. Make him curious so that he will be interested to try those things. It should be natural and not be pushed for them to not become a rebel. They should do it in there own interest and parents only needs to guide them and not force them.

Answer 6

Lay off already, he is only 3 years old.

Give him to grow a bit more. If you force him now he will continue to rebel.

Answer 7

Let him watch shows like Sesame Street or other Preschool shows. there is a whole channel dedicated to preschools skills.  Don't pressure him just watch them with him. I DVR the shows and play them often but I'm always there learning the songs and movements as well. Make it fun.

Answer 8

I would not stress out, because three is still young.  He is not being defiant, he is just not ready.  Girls and boys learn differently. Girls learn through language, and boys learn by doing.  So he would need hands-on experiences in order to learn the alphabet. I would not pressure him but you can do fun things with him to introduce letters.  Have cookie cutter alphabet letters and let him explore play dough with them.  You can sit and talk about the letters that you are playing with, but do not drill him.  Children who are drilled feel like they have to preform. You do not want him to just memorize, you want him to actually learn. If he is not ready now, wait six months, because three is young.  Read to him all the time.  Sing songs with him, and relax. He will get it when he is ready.

Answer 9

Have fun with it... put in a sing-along video and get him excited to sing along. It may take time but be patient.  

Answer 10

I would spell out loud in front of him.  For example, tell a friend (within his earshot, of course) "I got my son a T-O-Y for being such a good boy."  This should get his interest, and if he says what's that, you could say "Well this T-O-Y is something you play with and is really fun" and just make it fun for him until he guesses it (and then give him the toy, of course).  Then later keep it up and ask "do you like your T-O-Y?"  Do this with other basic words too, such as "I'm going to the C-A-R to get a piece of candy for you" or other such phrases that would get his attention.  

Another idea is telling your son that you want his favorite stuffed animal to be very smart and that it needs to learn the alphabet.  Then make it a point to bring the stuffed animal in the car and play the alphabet song on a CD for it.  If your son isn't happy with this, then of course stop doing it.

Answer 11

okay, If you really wanna help im, Id suggest maybe making it more fun and involving im (because lets face it he's only 3 and most  year old lose interest.

Get that soup with the alphabet letters and say he can eat it when he names the letter or you could search the internet for online games or printable worksheets suitable for his age....

Good Luck!!

Answer 12

As a preschool teacher and mother of two little girls, Ages 2 and 4, I believe it is very important for children to be exposed to text at an early age. However, it is also important that they are exposed to it in a fun and natural way. For example, we do letter of the week at preschool. We hunt for the letter of the week that I've hidden around the class, make letters out of playdough, design a box for the letter and then put things in the box the start with that letter. Usually, if you have fun playing with the alphabet, shapes, numbers,etct. they don't even know they are learning! My oldest girl just turned 4 in July and she already knows all her letters, sounds, and is reading. If you would like more suggestions on how to teach the alphabet you can post it and I will try to get back to you.

Answer 13

Children learn best what interests them and he's too young to care about the ABC's. Make sure he has lots of exposure to books and sees that you value reading, let him do things like help you count the forks and set the table and otherwise include letters and numbers in every day activities. Other than that, leave him be.

Answer 14

Try not to worry so much. He just isn't ready to recite this. He is probably learning as you sing and play but could care less about helping out. Just sing them in different voices along with spelling his name. Show him letters on cereal boxes and at stores point out letters. Don't worry about him repeating anything. If you keep it silly and fun he will surprise you one day and show you what he really can sing too. Just don't push your worry onto him. Be a mom and have fun with your child, you are a good and caring Mom!