Phonics and number games for 3 year old

[SleepyHead]

Hello

I am looking for some advice on how to teach DS (3.5years) his numbers and phonics in a fun way. My older child used to sit and play with flash cards and do the various toddler sticker books - it was all fun for her. But DS doesn't SIT! I've tried hopscotch on the patio but he's not really keen on that, tried cooking so that he can count the spoons of flour he serves out - but it all ends up as messy play (which he's more interested in.)

Painting with numbers (I draw a big number) and get him to paint it in - but we get blob of blue and no number at the end.

Any innovative ideas would be much appreciated. (He's not at all interested in the lovely toddler sticker books where you can trace a number or stick the relevant phonic down)

Thanks
sleepyhead

[mm23292]

My daughter and I used to play with Smarties (or raisins)...the fact she could eat them, was definitely more appealing. Simple, but seemed to be very effective!

[Amber]

Ok I am going to be really predictable here now, but why would you want to be teaching your 3 year old numbers and phonics? He's going to be forced to do it at school soon enough (much too soon actually) so can't he do something totally different for the small amount of time left to him before the education system gets hold of him? He doesn't choose to sit because he is 3 and he isn't designed to sit. His school is the big world and it's unlikely he cares too much about phonics just now. And who can blame him? Messy play is far more fun - why can't he do that instead?

I won't post again as I know what will happen; but couldn't not say it, sorry.

[SleepyHead]

Amber thanks for your reply - to some extent you're completely right, but on the other ... (wait for it) he's behind other kids in his nursery class. (Yes there are some kids who already know all their phonics and numbers up to 20.) So I am just really trying to keep up.

Maybe I'll hide some phonics in the sand pit!

[mystery]

what nursery class is that? It must be unique, surely?

[SleepyHead]

here are a few games I've come up with -

1) counting pebbles/bean bags and then painting them
2) eye spy
3) sticking leaves on a piece of paper (and counting them)
4) making number cards 1-10 and using colourful buttons to count the appropriate number of buttons onto the card
5) playing the jolly phonics cd (on the school run from time to time)

I don't think this is anything OTT - and hopefully DS will enjoy this too.

(With an older DC who I am preparing for the 11+ I can fully appreciate that it's time for DS to play and enjoy himself now)

Sleepy
X

[ginx]

I have never been told in nursery that my child was behind, but did become aware from other dp's that their children were doing more than mine (reciting the dictionary backwards etc).

Maybe I'm lucky as I didn't work then and spent more time with all of my dc. We've always done lots of cooking (baking mostly, because they like eating sweet things, doubtless the dentist will realise that soon).

You can do so much with recipes. And it is fun. I enjoyed it too.

SleepyHead has some excellent ideas. I don't think we had phonics at age 3. I find that incredible! At nursery (this is years ago and doubtless things have changed), children used to play. Painting, role play, playing with beads, lego, cars, water, sand, playing outside. Learning to play together or side by side, to follow basic instructions, to enjoy their first challenges.

I would not worry too much at 3! Really.

[Tinkus-Pinkus]

I don't think you should teach him unless he wants to be taught. Different children develop at different speeds and if he is struggling to make the connections no amount of coaxing will make him. My DD was the same, and after a while ended up getting very upset. In the first 2 years of primary she was lagging behind, but I still didn't push her reminding myself that no other country starts to teach formally until children are 7. I had to be quite firm with her teachers. In the mean time I made sure she knew how exciting it was to read, how much knowledge can be gained from books and how fantastic knowledge is. I kept telling her about all the times I use maths in my job and at home.in year 3 DD suddenly got it and she wanted to do it all and we have not looked back since. She is a prolific reader, and is top of her class in every subject. Many of the children who were the early readers are lagging way behind now because they have no interest or motivation in learning. I can't stop my daughter she is totally self motivated and realised a long time a go that hard work and practice makes perfect. I personally would be careful of pushing a child if they are not ready.

[mystery]

No I do not think it is o t t either. I was just very surprised your son was "behind" at nursery and that it all sounds so serious there.

There are quite a few lovely counting picture books and there is one good one that goes up to 20 if you search carefully. Some kids love a nice abacus too, and real money ( maybe stick to ten pences and pennies) is usually popular.

Phonics - many many parents "teach" children the alphabet names of letters before they start school. In reality it would be more helpful to teach the various possible sounds of individual letters and groups of letters. I use teach in the losest sense of the word. Learn the correct sounds yourself first though. Try mr Thorne does phonics website.

Other useful phonics car games are "say it fast". You say c a t ( sounds) and the child has to glue it together to fond the word you have chopped up. Make sure you are doing it properly yourself. This skill is then transferable when blending during reading. Some kids can play this game 18 months up, others can't until years later.

Do the opposite too - games where words are chopped up into their sounds like robot talk. This comes in useful later for spelling. Remember sounds not letter names. One can play this game without any clue how words are spelt.

Enjoy. It's like anything really. You can adapt it all into something your child will enjoy. If your child can take it in now great as you might have more time with them now than when they are at school. But if not, never mind. When your child is ready to take it in, he can learn to read very quickly indeed if it is taught well. In the meantime his vocabulary development is more important, and play that develops fine and gross motor skills.

Sometimes the things that a child appears to be behind in are not the ones that will make any difference longer term.

[mm23292]

Have to say I totally agree with Tinkus Pinkus, if my child showed an interest, all well and good, I would do my best to encourage and help in any way I can. But if they didn't, no amount of coaxing would change that. My approach is that learning should be inspired by interest, otherwise, it becomes a chore. DD who has just turned 4, has always showed an interest in numbers, started trying to count objects at 2, not because I coaxed her to, because she wanted to. However, she had never showed the same interest in letters, she loves being read to, but was never interested in trying to do that herself. So when she started writing words out of the blue a few months ago, that was a big surprise to me. It shows she did have an awareness of what letters and words were, but preferred to express that in writing, rather than speaking?? She was almost completely deaf until she was three, so that might be part of it.. who knows, what I do know, is that they will make every effort to learn, what they want to learn!