Does your toddler know the ABCS, shapes, numbers?

[That Is Nice]

Just curious...at what age did your toddler start naming and identifying letters of the alphabet, shapes, and numbers?

[Yo Becca]

Singing the ABC song...about 20 months, maybe earlier.

Recognizing letters..began around 24-26 months, probably not 100% accurate for all 26 letters until 30-32 months. She probably recognized her numbers a few months earlier.

Knowing the sounds each letter made, probably not til 3 or so.

Being able to write the letters - between 3-3.5

[elyag]

This is one I'm very proud of so I hope it doesn't sound as if I'm coming off as bragging.....: but my DD could recognize by sight and say all of the alphabet at 17 months.

We bought her some sponge alphabet letters and numbers for her bath and we were so shocked at how quickly she picked them up.

[That Is Nice]

Originally Posted by elyag

This is one I'm very proud of so I hope it doesn't sound as if I'm coming off as bragging.....: but my DD could recognize by sight and say all of the alphabet at 17 months.

We bought her some sponge alphabet letters and numbers for her bath and we were so shocked at how quickly she picked them up.

Wow. That is amazing! My little one hadn't even said a first word by 17 months.

[That Is Nice]

Originally Posted by Yo Becca

Singing the ABC song...about 20 months, maybe earlier.

Recognizing letters..began around 24-26 months, probably not 100% accurate for all 26 letters until 30-32 months. She probably recognized her numbers a few months earlier.

Knowing the sounds each letter made, probably not til 3 or so.

Being able to write the letters - between 3-3.5

Wow! That is really great!

[Romana]

Dd taught herself - she became interested at a couple of weeks past her 2nd birthday and taught herself the whole alphabet in 2 weeks. The next week she taught herself numbers. She learned upper case alphabet first and lower case was in week 4 or something, lol.

I was pretty stunned but she's the type who when she wants something, she does it, kwim? I say she "taught herself" because one day when we were looking at the *one* book she would sit still for 10 seconds for (because I made humorous animal noises), she pointed a the letter K and said, "K!". Suddenly she was pointing to letters and saying "Whazis? Whazis? Whazis?" relentlessly, 24/7, until she knew them all.

She's just voracious but it's always on her terms! Goodness forbid I attempt to "teach" her anything - hahahahaha!

She's 2y4mo now and is trying to write the letters - she can get a scrawl that looks sort of like a "C" or "M" and she'll point at it and exclaim what it is . . . sometimes you can't read them but I go along with her.

It was a relief to see her suddenly so interested in letters because she was 100% pure energy until 2 yo, a very physical toddler, and only had a few words. That changed very rapidly after she turned 2.

[AfricanQueen99]

Originally Posted by elyag

This is one I'm very proud of so I hope it doesn't sound as if I'm coming off as bragging.....: but my DD could recognize by sight and say all of the alphabet at 17 months.

We bought her some sponge alphabet letters and numbers for her bath and we were so shocked at how quickly she picked them up.

My daughter, too. She had them down by around 16-17 months - would point and say the letters. Ironically, she didn't start verbalizing with words until after two.

I am *positive* that she really learned her letters from Super Why! (on PBS) and practice at home.

Anyway, brag away, momma!

[kittyhead]

my son just turned two and can recognize and name about ten letters... nothing i taught him, he learned them from this obnoxious leapfrog toy that he loves.

elyag, thats amazing! my son was barely talking at 17 months.

[Norasmomma]

My DD sings the ABC song and has since 17 months or so, but the letters sometimes get jumbled. She is recognizing and verbalizing letters and she's 22 months. I also think that she's learning much of it from Super Why, she loves that show(and so do I). She's really starting to count now and knows that when her birthday comes she's going to be "TWO!!"

[ann_of_loxley]

My son did things backwards - I have yet to meet another child to do it this way! lol

Most kids can count and sing the ABCs. Not my son...

He learned to recognise the written letter and number far before he could count/sing ...and he learned to understand what a number meant (I have three grapes for example - except he still couldnt count - at least not out loud becuase if I showed him 5 things of something he could tell me there were five there but he could not count them out to you) and letter sounds (combinations as well - Ch/Sh/etc) even far more before he could count/sing. (hes not much of a talker either - I guess this is one of the thigns I am really proud about as well - despite I had nothing to do with it! lol)

I still dont think he knows his ABC song - but tbh, its not really a song we sing!!! So fair enough there. After two he learned how to count in order...1,2,3,4,5.... etc

He could recognise his numbers hmmm...You know, I cant really remember - I will say around 17 months. And recognise his letters shortly after after that...about 19 months maybe.

Maybe its because we read a lot and go shopping a lot - no idea! But I never sat him down and said 'this is this and that is that'. He sort of took be by surprise with that one - and as I said, backwards to the way most children learn it!!! lol

Now at nearly three he can recognise some words - 'house' was his first recognisable word as there is a sign engraved in stone on a walk we take often - he often runs his fingers along it...you see he is very hands on learner so I think it stuck for him! - and just this past week I have noticed he is starting to figure out what words are by their first letter.... small words - and yeah there are pictures to go along with it, but hes pointing to them and sounding out the first letter and then 'guessing' the rest which is usually correct lol

[KarmaJoy]

My dd will be 3 in September and just doesn't seem at all interested in her letters or numbers. She can sing the ABC's and count to maybe 14 (since 2 and a few months probably). She is very bright and articulate but that learning to recognize them doesn't interest her. She knew every shape I know by the time she was 18 months so I thought she would be interested in letters/numbers since shapes were so fascinating to her, but no. She doesn't watch any regular TV so she has no where to pick them up except from me and I won't teach her until she shows more interest.

[Hippie Mama in MI]

I was amazed that my son started saying letters along with "Dr.Seuss' ABC Book" (which we read almost daily to him), when he was 18 months old. He knew almost the whole alphabet by the end of a week trying, and after a couple of months the only letter he couldn't "get" was X (he called it 'K').

[limette]

Originally Posted by elyag

This is one I'm very proud of so I hope it doesn't sound as if I'm coming off as bragging.....: but my DD could recognize by sight and say all of the alphabet at 17 months.

We bought her some sponge alphabet letters and numbers for her bath and we were so shocked at how quickly she picked them up.

Same here. We had stuffed letters that a friend got her. She was obsessed with them. Whenever we'd go to the mall she'd yell out the letters on all the stores signs.

[That Is Nice]

Originally Posted by KarmaJoy

My dd will be 3 in September and just doesn't seem at all interested in her letters or numbers. She can sing the ABC's and count to maybe 14 (since 2 and a few months probably). She is very bright and articulate but that learning to recognize them doesn't interest her. She knew every shape I know by the time she was 18 months so I thought she would be interested in letters/numbers since shapes were so fascinating to her, but no. She doesn't watch any regular TV so she has no where to pick them up except from me and I won't teach her until she shows more interest.

Wow. Knowing shapes at that age is very good, too. I'm impressed all of your children are so verbal.

I honestly don't know if my little one knows shapes, letters, numbers, etc. I have an extremely non-verbal child.

My guess is that my little one doesn't know these things, but I can't be sure.

[sacredmama]

DS could sing the alphabet a little before 3 and is starting to ask me what letter is what and wants me to write names of things a lot. He's pretty non-verbal, as are his dad and I.

[hannybanany]

Around 17 she was able to recoginize about 10 letters, and by 22 months she knew them all. She knew all the letter sounds by 2.5.

Shapes were the same. She picked them up fairly early. But numbers... not so much. She still doesn't recognize numbers by sight, but can count objects and counts to 20. I really don't know what "normal" is...

[fritz]

Right around 3, DS just sponged the alphabet song over a few weeks (dramatic improvement in pronunciation). Once he mastered that, he was on to learning the individual letters, and can now easily recognize them, and spell out any word he sees (although he isn't reading whole words yet). He's also started to learn some sounds of consonants from some youtube videos he found. DS is 39 mos now. And he's been counting to 20 since around 3 as well, but now he can go up to 100 (but needs a prompt at 20, 30, 40, etc). This is all self-directed.

[Limabean1975]

Random letter recognition here and there before 2, but just after his second birthday, I suddenly realized he knew all the letters. As in really suddenly - someone gave us Scrabble for Christmas (so I could play real Scrabble, not just online! hee.), and he got into the box and spilled allllll the letter tiles on the floor. While we cleaned up together, he kept handing me tile after tile after tile, naming the letters. I was kind of shocked.

eta: I never sat down to "teach" him letters, just pointed them out on occasion in books or on signs, and answered his "Whaddat" questions for our fridge letter magnets, etc.

[TefferTWH]

Originally Posted by Hippie Mama in MI

I was amazed that my son started saying letters along with "Dr.Seuss' ABC Book" (which we read almost daily to him), when he was 18 months old. He knew almost the whole alphabet by the end of a week trying, and after a couple of months the only letter he couldn't "get" was X (he called it 'K').

My son loves that book too! He can sing along with the alphabet song (we sing it while soaping up hands for washing) and recognize individual letters and knows their sound. It's not solid yet, but it's there. He's the least verbal of all of his friends who are very verbal, but he's also the most physical and athletic, as well as the most social, so he's gaining in other areas.

[Norasmomma]

My DD is another Suess ABC fan, we have 2 versions the "real" version and the board book(which is not as good IMO). My DD is also extremely physical and social, she is either climbing, running, kicking or asleep. I cannot get the girl to stop saying "Hi" to everyone, she also sings the ABC song(or her hybrid with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) in the store. The girl is a go-go kiddo, and I am a tired mama. The funniest thing she said "book" in her sleep last night, that was so cute, she dreaming about books.