2 yo knowing letters, normal?

[Asma_08]

Good Morning!

Quick question, my dd just turned two last week and she seems to know all the alphabet letter names and sounds. Is this normal? My older two ds didn't learn this until almost 4, well the one who is almost 4 now is just learning his letters and she knows more than him. Right now I just read board books to her and she listens in to read alouds (sort of) with her older brothers. Should I be doing anything else? From my experience with my ds6, I would rather wait until well past 4 to start teaching phonics. Two just seems way too early.

Anyway, just wanted see if anyone has dealt with something similar.

[Laura Corin]

Calvin knew his letter sounds at eighteen months and I thought he was heading for reading. In fact he wasn't ready to blend sounds until he was four. At that point he went from C-A-T to Harry Potter in fifteen months.

I don't think there's anything wrong with playing with the letters to make words, but don't be surprised if there is a big pause before real reading starts.

Best wishes

Laura

[Quad Shot Academy]

My oldest knew all his letters at age 2, my next at age 3 and my next will not know them until she is 4. I always thought it was just because I had less time to spend with each child, but maybe it is a sign of intelligence. With my oldest, I taught phonics sounds at age 3 and he was reading by age 4.5. He was reading Nancy Drew Mysteries by age 6.5. He really benefited from reading early because he was reading tons of science and history books by age 6.5. He knows more about most things than me!

I agree with Laura, there is usually a big pause before they are able to blend sound into words though. My son could sound out words perfectly for about 1 year, but he had no idea what word he was saying! I have heard it is a developmental milestone that can't be helped along too much.

[ddandgirls]

My oldest was the same and was reading chapter books at 4 and the whole little house series at 5. My second knew letters and letter sounds early, but can't blend well yet and will be 5 in a couple of months. I agree that it can't be helped along if they're not ready.

My oldest however, was ready. I began doing "light" phonics and she seemed to teach herself how to read overnight. I would provide the skills and do a lot through playing and continued read aloud, but not push them if the next step does not come on it's own.

D-

[nmoira]

I'd follow her lead. My older girl made it very clear to me what she wanted; I was merely a prop. At about 15 months, she started drilling me on letters and numbers. When she had those mastered, she'd dictate sentences, and I would write on a chalkboard or a piece of paper. Next she had me run my finger under words while reading aloud. By 2.5 (our best guess, she was in the closet until about 2.75) she was reading fluently on her own. I did do some work with her at about 4, not because she wasn't reading well, but rather because I figured it wouldn't hurt to expose her to phonetic patterns in a systematic way. I had her read the word lists and stories from OPG (no lessons, just reading), correcting the occasional mistake. She did no explicit phonics until recently, and only for spelling.

[Asma_08]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. I will just plan to read more with her and play with letters and we will just see how it goes. This is the one who always keeps me on my toes so I never know what to expect from her:001_smile:

[Donna]

My dd knew her letter sounds at 17 months, blended simple words at 2.5yo then stalled until started reading anything and everything fluently at almost 4yo. She also memorized every book at 13 months so may have been reading earlier but hard to tell and I didn't give her credit for reading since she memorized in one reading and by 2-3 had over 50 books memorized word for word.

We didn't use any reading program exept 3 lessons of E-Z Lessons when she brought it to me at 2.5 then she got bored with it so we stopped and I just read to her a lot and let her tell me stories (made up and memorized).

[Mom2legomaniacs]

My oldest knew his letters and sounds backwards and forwards around 22 months. He didn't actually read books until he was 5. He was capable, but balked at the actual process (read: stubborn). It was fine. He went from simple to 2nd grade in the matter of a couple of months. By the end of K, he was reading extremely well and much above grade.

Just follow their lead and they will let you know what they are ready for. Have fun! Learning, especially at that age, when they are so sponge-like with their brains, is so rewarding!

[CleoQc]

My DS knew his letters by name at 10 months old. He would point them out when we asked a specific letter. By 18 months, he knew his letters, upper and lower cases, and his numbers. His greatest fun was to 'read' out loud license plates. But he wasn't talking. He was over 2 years when he said 'mama'.

Bearing in mind that French does not require the same phonics training than English, he started reading at 2 years and a half. Funnily his first words were 'on' and 'off'. In English. ;-) At 3 he was reading picture books aloud to the neighbours' kid. At 5 he was into Harry Potter. Steady progression for him. At 7, he was reading in English, with no phonics instructions. In fact, with no instructions at all!

The danger comes with the following child. The tendency to worry that the child doesn't know her letters by age 3 is big. And if you share that worry with an outsider, you'll get looks. Ask me how I know. :blush:

[EKS]

My younger son knew letter sounds when he was two and started reading about a month before his 3rd birthday. He read Bob-type books at 3 and Henry and Mudge at 4. We found that he had some vision problems when he was 5 and he has been having vision therapy for many months. In the last few months he has been reading some Roald Dahl and Beverly Cleary books (maybe 4th grade level). I think the vision problems stalled his progress but he seems to be gaining ground again!

So, I would say it's not typical, but it's definately not unheard of--especially on this board!

[nmoira]

The danger comes with the following child. The tendency to worry that the child doesn't know her letters by age 3 is big. And if you share that worry with an outsider, you'll get looks. Ask me how I know. :blush::iagree:

My youngest is extraordinary in so many ways, but it's hard to set aside my experience with her older sister, especially since I hadn't previously been around children much, and said sister's close friends are highly gifted as well. You could say my concept of "normal" is a bit skewed. :001_unsure:

[Eliana]

Calvin knew his letter sounds at eighteen months and I thought he was heading for reading. In fact he wasn't ready to blend sounds until he was four. At that point he went from C-A-T to Harry Potter in fifteen months.

I don't think there's anything wrong with playing with the letters to make words, but don't be surprised if there is a big pause before real reading starts.

Best wishes

Laura

That sounds like my eldest! She knew all of her letter sounds... well, let's see... it was before dd#2 was born, and it was fall... so she'd have been about 14 or 15 months old. (We didn't teach her, we just gave her the information she asked for!)

She too didn't start blending until... until ds was born, so about 3.5, but she was such a perfectionist - and she wasn't perfect at it yet. So she stopped until she was 5 and then she went from Bob books to Anne of Green Gables in a few months.

All of my other kids have had a dramatic gap between learning letters and learning to blend sounds...

Asma, I would go on reading to her. I would see if she is interested in more than board books - see what holds her interest! I would talk with her, do fingerplays and sing songs and read poems.

She might like to play with an alphabet puzzle - we liked this one (http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Upper-Lower-Alphabet/dp/B00004NKKN). Or with some of the Montessori type language materials. Here are three great Montessori catalogs:

Michael Olaf (http://www.michaelolaf.net/)
Montessori n Such (http://montessori-n-such.com/)
Montessori Services (http://www.montessoriservices.com/store/)

Many kids that age *love* to learn the exact names for things - and Montessori classrooms have lots of cards, often with labeled and unlabeled versions so a pre-reader can match the label to the correct card.

The Mommy it's a Renoir (http://www.parentchildpress.com/art.html) cards delighted my kids at that age.

Child-sized rhythm instruments are fabulous for kids with strong language skills, as they often have such a strong ear for rhythm.

I think your instinct to hold off on direct instruction is a good one - unless your daughter starts asking you for more guidance, I'd let her continue to absorb things from her environment.

[Eliana]

The danger comes with the following child. The tendency to worry that the child doesn't know her letters by age 3 is big. And if you share that worry with an outsider, you'll get looks. Ask me how I know. :blush:

:smilielol5:

:lol:

:rofl:

Different details, but I know those looks! Each of our kids has been accelerated in such different ways that I've (almost) given up having expectations... but each time I think, 'nothing can surprise me now,' I get proved wrong! ...and I catch myself wondering why one of the twins is trying algebra (she's six, I'm sure she is in over her head, but she was so insistent and she is continuing to do her 'easy math' to placate me) but the other one isn't that much past grade level... or why the twins are 6 and neither of them is ready to read the Hobbit yet... I *know* better! ...well, at least I know better than to talk about it outside my immediate family and you guys!