Need ideas to get them caught up

My boys have NO interest in these areas. I feel like they are VERY behind.

They start counting.. 1...2... A..b....c Now i know my abc next time wont you sing with me.

Abc's they say a.b.c. now I know my abx's next time sing with me....

Colors they know a few. They can match all colors.. if I have a green shirt on they point out everything green and tell me it matches...

I have been reading that certain kids are better at certain things then others and thats fine. They have both MASTERED their hockey slap shot but cant count. Something needs to be done.

I feel like I am the only mom a 3 year old that cant do these thing.

Can you all give me some ideas to help them learn??

TIA

 

I am no expert by all means but all I can say is count and talk to them about everything. Here are some examples:

- put magnetic letters on the fridge and make a game of pointing out the letter for "Baby" or "Ball" - perhaps try a new letter each day
- when they are colouring or drawing, use a crayon yourself and write out a letter and say what it is for
- same thing for numbers - buy the magnetic numbers for the fridge and/or write out the numbers on paper and say what they are
- if you are outside using chalk on your driveway, write down a letter or a number and tell them what it is
- count everything - count the stairs when you are walking up and down them, count their fingers, count how many feet they have, count how many shoes are in the front closet, count the number of pieces of toast they have, how many birds are sitting on the telephone wire, how many cans of soup are in the cupboard
- as for colours - describe everything - if they say ball, you say "green ball", if they say "shirt", you say "blue shirt" - expand on everything they are saying - it helps with speech, reassurance and to increase their vocabulary

This is what we have done and they seem to know their numbers, letters and colours. Good luck.

 

They're still so little! I understand why you're feeling the way you are, but what they can do as 3yos is great!

The counting...just start counting...EVERYTHING when you're with them. We count the stairs as we climb up and down...the clouds...EVERYTHING! Not only are you teaching them to count, but as a teacher, I can say this is a FANTASTIC way to start making math meaningful to them. It's not something that's learned only at school, they'll see math is everywhere!

As for the letters, I personally believe that letter awareness is more meaningful outside of the sequence of the alphabet song. We do an I-Spy with letters when we're out of the house. I do a weekly letter with them. We color a worksheet (using the printables from one of the homeschool sites in the sticky at the top of the page), read some letter books (I have a collection from my teaching days), do theme foods, we talk about the sound it makes, etc. I do letters OUT of sequence. I also have the Leap Letter Factory DVD that is one of the few DVDs they watch in the car that has helped them tremendously in learning the letter sounds.

NONE of this is important at this age, just something that's ingrained in me from my teaching days. Kindergarten is the great equalizer and I can almost guarantee that with or without this extra supplementing all of our kids will come out of kindergarten right around the same level.

ETA: You didn't ask this, but one thing I'm passionate about is READING to your kids! I STRONGLY recommend that everyone go get the book The Read Along Handbook. There is research to support that the best "edge" you can give your child in learning is to read aloud to them at least 20 min per day, throughout their childhood. Not only does it wire the brain to recognize reading as a pleasurable experience, making them more likely to do more reading throughout the life, but it enhances their vocabulary, and truly is good brain food!! I used to tell my parents that is honestly the BEST tool they have at home to create lifelong learners!!

 

I don't think your boys are necessarily behind--they've just been concentrating on other things.

Magnetic letters on the fridge are fun, they can count those and sort them by color too.
Generally just making a rich environment of words, letters, numbers, colors, and pointing things out to them is a good idea.
Because my girls are identical I monogrammed a lot of their t-shirts and other clothes with puffy paint to help realative and the daycare workers know who is who. B and G were of course their fist letters, since they were on everything right down to their shoes. On their own they started noticing those letters out in the world on signs and such. Now that they are in preschool, they have a letter of the day and they look for that letter everywhere.

For counting, how about combining hockey and counting? Count the number of players, each boy gets a certain number of shots on goal, etc.

Do you let them use the computer? there are also some great educational computer games out there for 3 year olds.

 

We have the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD and also the Fridge Phonics which does the same letter sounds as the DVD. We have these Flash Cards for practicing our letter recognition. We also do it when reading books or anything. If I have a t-shirt with words on it the kids will all pick out the letters that they know. Do the same with numbers. They will get it!!

 

I agree with all the PP's on their suggestions. We have fridge phonics, we watch baby einstein DVD's, Sesame Street, we have TONS of books, etc. Anything you can make a game out of is best. If they are physically active kids, maybe they are kinetic learners an doing things while in motion could be the key.
Here's a definition of Kinetic leaners :KINETIC LEARNER -- Processes knowledge through physical sensations; highly active, not able to sit still long; communicates with body language and gestures. Shows you rather than tells you; needs to touch and feel world; good at mimicking others; likes scary amusement rides; naturally athletic and enjoys sports. Often labeled with attention deficient disorder. MOTIVATING TIPS -- Physical action is the key ingredient to stimulating this student. While reading, let child chew gum, walk around, rock or ride stationary bicycle. Use numerous hands-on activities and experiments, art projects, nature walks or acting out stories"

Google kinetic( or kinesthetic) learning for preschoolers and things like that and you'll get what I am saying. There are lots of good ideas for teaching in this style on the internet.

All that said- they are 3! Children entering Kindergarten don't have to know all their letters,numbers and colors- really! They will learn them, I swear they will. Many kids don't even know the names of their colors when they get to school, much less be able to match them. If your children understand everthing you say to them and their speech/communications skills are good, you shouldn't have anything to worry about just yet. Just because many 3 year olds have been pushed to learn everything in our super competitive world, doesn't mean yours are the only one's that don't know these things yet. Trust me!

Good luck!

Kelly

 

They do understand EVERYTHING and can tell a story like no one else.... They know all the color names just cant match the name with the color. They also know all the numbers buy name, not sight and cant put them in order. I guess I just hear some many people say that upon entering kindergarten that theres alot they need to know. B/c their b-day falls on the 7th of December they already have to start a year later I just want to be sure they are ready and wont fall behind.

They are more interested in sports then anything so like pp said they are perfecting that first I guess

 

As a pp mentioned, the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD and fridge phonics are great. My DS knew all the letters from the DVD within three weeks. That was right before Christmas when they had just turned 2 (and they were born over three months early!). Now he is absolutely obsessed with both letters and numbers. We go on letter and number hunts around the neighborhood! DD knows some. she just isn't as intersted as DS and she is definately my more advanced twin! So, i also think it also just depends on your child. They will learn when they find an interest in it. But i do highly recommend the DVD. I have friends that have seen my DS with letters and ran right out and bought it, and they too are having great success with it!

Candi

 

We read lots of books. We have posters (preschool looking type) of alphabet and numbers on the walls. We have toys like puzzles that help them learn.

And I use everyday activities to practice. How many boxes of cereal are we buying today? What color is this banana (you could start with yellow or green?)? When putting away laundry - what color, how many, etc? We count when we go up/down steps.

Basically, whenever possible, I just put it into conversation and activities. It keeps them interested.

Since they like sports: What color is this ball? Let's count our balls... What letter does the word Ball start with? etc, etc.

 

The Preschool Prep Here Come the Numbers is good for numbers. Fridge Phonics and the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD are really great too. Plus we incorporate numbers and letters into everything, like counting the stairs as we climb, talking about dad starts with
D, and talking about the color of everything.

Mine are very interested in all of that, so they are doing pretty well with it. I'm moving on to the next Leapfrog DVD for spelling and we got them the Word Whammer for Christmas. They can spell their names, and recognize a few easy words (dad, mom, their names). But I highly recommend the Fridge Phonics and Letter Factory DVD, plus the numbers one. I think they are really great. We switched the number one over to Spanish now for a little change up.

 

I do believe that children learn at different paces however there are a lot of activities you can do to help introduce and reinforce concepts such as numbers, letters, and colors.
At that age many opportunities come in the form of play.

Toys:
As mentioned the Fridge Phonics are great....and work well on magnetic easels which will keep your fridge clutter free.
Foam letters that lock together make cubes and alphabet trains
Bath letters and numbers are great. The Alex brand has two sets of letters and a set of numbers in it.
Leap Frog Videos have a great series introducing letters and sounds and simple words

Books:
Read lots of books together. Some books you might just talk about the pictures, ask questions like "Which boy is wearing the green shirt?" How many cars do you see in the picture...let's count together.

Art:
Fingerpainting (great for reinforcing colors)
Playdough (talk about colors, make letters, or roll into shapes and count)

These are just a few that can help build recognition and understanding of basic concepts.

Sharon

 

Try putting them in some sort of Pre school - you will be amazing at how much they can learn from an outside source.

 

I can't say enough about talking. Narrate everything. I know it's been mentioned by a pp but really, that is one of the big keys. Ask your kids to do things. "Bring me the yellow ball. Let's play catch with the yellow ball." Have a variety of toys in different colors for them to use. You can get similar sized balls in different colors. Blocks. Build a tower in alternating colors. Patterns are a big kindergarden skill. "I'm making a tower. It's blue, red, blue, red... what comes next? Can you give momma the next block?" Sizing. Big, Bigger, Biggest. Have three balls in a laundry basket and ask them to bring you the biggest or smallest. Work on things like over, under, on, beside... "Can you find the ball under the table?" "Put your shoes beside the door." Even if they are working on sports and perfecting it, incorporate play with a purpose as much as you can. Even if it's 15 minutes a day. Make it a part of everything you do. "You can have four crackers. Help me get them. 1, 2, 3, 4. You have four crackers. How many crackers do you have? Can you count them for me?" They will learn from this even if they aren't trying. Get a bag of m&m's. Tell them they can have five red m&m's. They can sort them, count them and eat the reward. Sort them m&m's on the table into color groups. Ask which has the most. Which has the least? Are any the same? Seems silly at first, but it is effective. You don't have to do workbooks or coloring sheets. Learning can be done with everyday activities.

 

I can't say enough about talking. Narrate everything. I know it's been mentioned by a pp but really, that is one of the big keys. Ask your kids to do things. "Bring me the yellow ball. Let's play catch with the yellow ball." Have a variety of toys in different colors for them to use. You can get similar sized balls in different colors. Blocks. Build a tower in alternating colors. Patterns are a big kindergarden skill. "I'm making a tower. It's blue, red, blue, red... what comes next? Can you give momma the next block?" Sizing. Big, Bigger, Biggest. Have three balls in a laundry basket and ask them to bring you the biggest or smallest. Work on things like over, under, on, beside... "Can you find the ball under the table?" "Put your shoes beside the door." Even if they are working on sports and perfecting it, incorporate play with a purpose as much as you can. Even if it's 15 minutes a day. Make it a part of everything you do. "You can have four crackers. Help me get them. 1, 2, 3, 4. You have four crackers. How many crackers do you have? Can you count them for me?" They will learn from this even if they aren't trying. Get a bag of m&m's. Tell them they can have five red m&m's. They can sort them, count them and eat the reward. Sort them m&m's on the table into color groups. Ask which has the most. Which has the least? Are any the same? Seems silly at first, but it is effective. You don't have to do workbooks or coloring sheets. Learning can be done with everyday activities.

 

there were things my twins had trouble with. There were also things that I was very amazed that they knew at such an early age. Justin started walking around 9 months, while it took Ashley a couple months longer. Now, Ashley is the one to learn everything first. Justin kind of has this, hmmm, I don't really care attitude for some things. They both know their alphabet and how to count. It did take Justin a little longer to really learn the numbers from 1-10. Ashley can put puzzles together. Not just the 5-10 piece puzzles, but the 48-63 piece puzzles. She even helps me with some 100-20 piece puzzles and she is good at it. Justin-well, he is in his own little world and they don't do puzzles there!!!! Just hang in there and get some DVD's of shows they like. Like everyone says, they will learn them!! Just hang in there!!!! I think that is all we can do with twins!!!

there were things my twins had trouble with. There were also things that I was very amazed that they knew at such an early age. Justin started walking around 9 months, while it took Ashley a couple months longer. Now, Ashley is the one to learn everything first. Justin kind of has this, hmmm, I don't really care attitude for some things. They both know their alphabet and how to count. It did take Justin a little longer to really learn the numbers from 1-10. Ashley can put puzzles together. Not just the 5-10 piece puzzles, but the 48-63 piece puzzles. She even helps me with some 100-20 piece puzzles and she is good at it. Justin-well, he is in his own little world and they don't do puzzles there!!!! Just hang in there and get some DVD's of shows they like. Like everyone says, they will learn them!! Just hang in there!!!! I think that is all we can do with twins!!!

 

You've gotten a lot of great suggestions. I also swear by Leap Frog Fridge Phonics, and the Leap Frog videos, too.

Letters, colors and numbers were learned by our boys long before WE ever taught them...they watched A LOT of Sesame Street. :blush: Seriously, do not underestimate The Street when it comes to teaching the basics.

 

yes!! I still watch Sesame Street when my kids have left the room!! It is one of those shows that has been around for years and will still be around! I love how they focus on only 1-2 letters and numbers at a time. Gives time for the kids to learn it and not feel overwhelmed!

 

Just to give you some perspective. Your boys have 2 school years' to go before K. In our preschool, in the 3 year old class, which is 2 days a week, they do one color and one shape a month. In the 4 year old year, they do a letter every 2 weeks or so, and numbers once they finish letters--that class meets 3 days a week. So, the fact that your guys aren't consistant with any of those things is perfectly fine. If you are planning on sending them to preschool, they will learn them there, and as they start learning at school, they will start picking things up more quickly.

I am a firm believer in natural learning for young children. This means, as PPers have mentioned, you talk about the green grass, the brown trees, the black road, the white sidewalk, etc. You can show them two shirts to wear, and ask if they want the red one or the green one.

All this said, there are some kids who go to K not knowing their letters or anything else. My friends son, who was in preschool from the day he turned 3, went to K, and he still didn't know all his letters, let alone their sounds. By the end of K, he was reading at a beginning 2nd grade level. Jonathan read on his own at 3 1/2, Marcus wouldn't read before K. Now 3/4 of the way through 1st, Marcus is pretty much caught up to his brother, and both are reading at end of 2nd grade level!

So, while you can work on it, don't be worried because they aren't interested, once they become interested, they will take off!

 

QUOTE(moski @ Mar 26 2009, 11:38 AM) [snapback]1245419[/snapback]
We have the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD and also the Fridge Phonics which does the same letter sounds as the DVD. We have these Flash Cards for practicing our letter recognition. We also do it when reading books or anything. If I have a t-shirt with words on it the kids will all pick out the letters that they know. Do the same with numbers. They will get it!!


Ditto minus the flash cards (although we do use some from Walmart).

 

QUOTE(sharongl @ Mar 29 2009, 03:48 AM) [snapback]1248885[/snapback]
Just to give you some perspective. Your boys have 2 school years' to go before K. In our preschool, in the 3 year old class, which is 2 days a week, they do one color and one shape a month. In the 4 year old year, they do a letter every 2 weeks or so, and numbers once they finish letters--that class meets 3 days a week. So, the fact that your guys aren't consistant with any of those things is perfectly fine. If you are planning on sending them to preschool, they will learn them there, and as they start learning at school, they will start picking things up more quickly.

I am a firm believer in natural learning for young children. This means, as PPers have mentioned, you talk about the green grass, the brown trees, the black road, the white sidewalk, etc. You can show them two shirts to wear, and ask if they want the red one or the green one.

All this said, there are some kids who go to K not knowing their letters or anything else. My friends son, who was in preschool from the day he turned 3, went to K, and he still didn't know all his letters, let alone their sounds. By the end of K, he was reading at a beginning 2nd grade level. Jonathan read on his own at 3 1/2, Marcus wouldn't read before K. Now 3/4 of the way through 1st, Marcus is pretty much caught up to his brother, and both are reading at end of 2nd grade level!

So, while you can work on it, don't be worried because they aren't interested, once they become interested, they will take off!


I whole heartedly agree with this! It will happen in time!