New approaches to teach a toddler to read and write?

Question

I have a 4 year old son. I can't get his attention to learn the basics of reading and writing. He's into watching tv too much he easily memorized the lines from a commercial. Help..

Answer 1

So he's memorized the lines to a commercial ? This would CLEARLY indicate "Intelligence", is he in "Day care" ? Good day care teaches basics, then they take off when they get in school, a woman (retired teacher) told me my four year old will be one of the youngest kids in the class, and will be slower because, he did'nt go to Nursery school first, I said he's in pre-school day care, she said that I was unfair to him, and slowed his learning, I said "Really, He's logging on the computer and navigating to the coloring book, using it, logs off, and shuts down, It took me a year to learn that" !

Answer 2

Turn the tv off ! Now you have to get your imagination going abit, Make up games of memory with cards. Read to your child , play some board games .All these things will help .Get your child involved with anything your doing around the house, If your cleaning let him run the vacuum make some games out of it . What ever you do don't force your child to sit for anymore than 45 min max at a table doing work, or its just going to frustrate him. Have fun with it and you'll see an improvement , Limit the television time and video games

Answer 3

That's easy, it he likes watching so much TV then let him.

I bought my son (4yrs old) the leap frog phonics letters edition and after about a month he learned all the letters and there sounds, that's step one.

Next is learning to write each letter, maybe just in upper case for now. Buy one of those dry erase books and markers, its easier. Also you can have him practice tracing the letters if you want to. There is a site that you can type in any letter or word and they will put it on tracing paper for your child. Type in tracing paper, I don't have the site off hand but I think its Moondrops.com or something like that but it works great.

After that reading might still be a little difficult so try something else like learning to count and recognizing numbers. My son can count to 50 now.

What ever you do or however you do it, you HAVE TO MAKE IT FUN!!! or this could turn them off forever. Good study habits now, good study habits forever.

You can try some sort of reward program for when he does well. Trust me, these kids need motivation.

Oh well good luck to you I hope this helps you too.

Answer 4

Remember He is still a 4 yr old.. Not even in Kindegarten yet and if my memory serves me not even ready for preschool either. He is still pretty young for that. Start with abc puzzles, educational GAMES.. sitting at the table and writing is not fun for a 4 yr old... Think of it from his perspective. Get the abc magnets that go on the fridge. Every day u both can make a new word, eventually make a sentence. Label different things around the house . As for writing  u can make a game out of that also . Write a word, Like Apple Except u only write the PPLE.. Tell him he needs to write the A. Then when he does u to will go on a search for the hidden apple that is "HIDDEN" around the house and when u find it u can eat it. Make everything a game. Kids at 4 dont wanna learn they wanna PLAY

Answer 5

We have been teaching my five year old her letters.  Everyday is a different letter.  In the morning, I make a piece of paper with the letter.  I then sit her down and she makes that letter.  We put it on the front of the fridge, and come up with games and such for that letter.  Letter A, we made apple pie.etc.  Now we play "I spy something that starts with the letter..."  My three year old has been there when we are playing games.  The other day I was asking my oldest, "What starts with the letter V?"  Before she could answer my three year called out vacumm!  I'm not sure if I even spelled it right.  Anyways, if you make a game out of it, they will have fun with it.  My girls spend a lot of time listening to music too.

Answer 6

I have a 5 year old, he is in preschool/daycare. That may be a good place to start, so that he is learning as well as socializing at the same time. I would cut tv time down, and sit with your child and engage in his interests of activites and talk to him about it as well. Do some craft things or colour, paint, teach him basic letters and 3 word spelling. My son loves to paint and write and learn.

Answer 7

Cut the TV off.  Set times during the day when he can watch TV but limit it greatly.  Nothing good comes from kids watching too much TV.  

Have lots of paper, crayons, pencils, markers, etc. around that are easily accessible to him.  Read to him every day.  Four years old is not unusually to not be reading.  Don't stress over it.  I have a 7 year old who has struggled with reading and now, over half way through 1st grade, has just gotten it.  If your son sees you loving to read, he'll learn to love it also.  But if he is being pushed to read or you're getting frustrated with him, he will of course rebel against it.  Make reading to him a fun, warm time when you cuddle together.  Take him to the library for story time and let him pick out books he likes.  When he sees reading time as a safe, fun, cuddly time, he will be more interested in learning to do it on his own.

Answer 8

If your son is into tv then I suggest getting the V-smile system. I have this for my kids and they love playing and learning. They are quite inexpensive as well. (approx. $40.00 at Walmart) Good luck!