Teaching letters and numbers

[snowbird]

She did indeed RachelC x

[creations]

Sorry, not read the whole thread as I don't have much time (just browsing ) but I think I'll come back later to read about these little geniuses here.

Meanwhile... I bought 3 sets of these wooden alphabet blocks when DS was about 6 months, they are LOVELY
http://reviews.asda.com/1440-en_gb/000736374/asda-play-and-learn-26-piece-wooden-blocks-reviews/reviews.htm
(£3.50 per set)
What I love about them is that they are not 'just' letters.  The letters can be talked about and introduced whilst building towers (physical activity helps learning and there needn't be a huge focus on the letters but just fun building), the blocks can be used for adding up and counting too (although they do not have numbers printed on them, just use as blocks).
Each block has 2 different letters on.  Now I bought 3 sets thinking they had one letter on each and the only way to make the word 'mummy' would be to have 3 sets, I was wrong, 2 sets would do it, but as they are so cheap I'm still pleased to have the extra blocks and extra letters (I'd like even more to be honest, and make whole phrases!)
Each block also has 4 pictures on, pics of objects that begin with those letters.  So these are a lovely addition to looking at and working with the letters.

I was looking for inspiration for gifts on 'notonthehighstreet' and came across this
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/e-side/product/tell-me-a-story-set
which is 3 blocks, no letters, just pics on each side, it's a game where you throw the blocks (dice) down and make up a story to include those objects.  The site explains the game in more detail.  It's £32 and whilst it looks lovely you could play exactly this game with the cheap Asda blocks too.  Whatever letter or picture is thrown then that must be incorporated into a verbal story/sentence.  What fun!  I can't wait to start this with DS.

My own little genius can now pick out all the letter 'd's from his big plastic letter set.  He mostly chews on them but at 11 months old I am v v proud that he recognises a shape and links it to me saying the 'duh' sound.  He has no idea which way up the letter is supposed to go (and he still think they all belong in his mouth) and we are a long way off literacy but such fun fun fun!

[clairebear79]

Also just wanted to jump on & say for those with younger LOs who want to start teaching letters & numbers, we got a basic plastic shape sorter from mothercare with shapes on 2 sides, letters A B C on one side and numbers 1 2 3 on the other. 

http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Shape-Sorter-Cube/dp/B002P9ABB2

Its great b/c while we play with the shape sorter I tell my 16month DS the sound that goes with the letter shape & in the last month he's learnt to recognise & say them all by himself.

[Katet]

Just want to add something from a parent of a 6.5yo who is 'gifted' & was reading at 4yo.  DS2 was fortunate he had a teacher who was willing & interested in offering opportunities to extend him, BUT DS2 was not interested in being "different" to the other children at school, he didn't really like having extension work & so rarely did it & that did impact his overall motivation in the classroom, because he had learnt (self taught) reading at an earlier age he went to school reading, but I can't say it was helpful, sure he did his classwork/homework quickly & easily & he isn't a child who would misbehave when bored (& I don't actually think he was bored) so he wasn't a challenge to the teacher in class, but he did spend lots of time running errands/taking others to the toilet or even helping other children, in itself not a bad thing BUT despite having opportunity & ability, he didn't want to & as they say "you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink".
DS2 will be in year 1 next year & the class he has is a 1/2 but it won't be challenging for Ds2 as he is already at 2+ level academically, but I know the teacher  & she will offer him challenges, that still won't mean he will take them up.

DS2 has always been a child who does things when he chooses (cruised furniture for 6months, but ran the week after he walked) & does them without 'error'. At 6y5mo he HATED writing & spelling, the last 3 days he has written 3 pages in a journal of his Holidays, I'm talking on 1cm lines (writing more neatly than half the children who were in DS1's year 2 class), & it started like this "On day 1 of the holidays I woke up at 6:00 I sat down to watch TV and I watched Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes the hurricanes got all out on 140 the Scorchers needed 141 the Hurricanes win by 31 runs then we played Monopoly..."  He used the computer & all manner of things around the house to work out spelling, & he didn't have a spelling mistake (punctuation needs some help LOL) It seems with DS2 that 6y 6mo was the point at which he "clicked" with writing as now he is loving it, but he would hardly write a sentance for the teacher, even when she asked him to tell her what he wanted to write so she could give him the hard words (she knew he hates to spell things incorrectly)

Not that I would be able to stop DS2 teaching himself to read, because I didn't teach him BUT I know if I had my time over I think I would be trying to limit the school type learning & get him learning in a different direction because with a child who wants to learn being an early reader is a great thing, but with a child who is happy with their status quo, even if it is well advanced he hasn't had the chance to experience a joy of learning the same way I see it with my DS1.

Just wanted to give some food for thought there... early readers in some personality types isn't an advantage.

[babymunkey]

Emma - I started early with H too. We started with writing his name - his nickname 'H'! Then we moved onto each of the letters in his name - always just playing and stopping the minute he lost interest.

But that's the only thing I've consciously taught him. We've bought books and cards etc but mostly I've just made use of every letter/number we see in everyday life - on toys, food packets, tv, road signs etc etc etc. I would point out his favourite letters in bed time stories, get him to look for them in the words - just any opportunity. He can say the whole alphabet, sound out the phonetics for each letter and put simple every day 3/4 letter words together with help. Re numbers we're working on double digit numbers (helped by his advent calendar). I can't take all the credit - he sits with the older children at the child minders when they do their school homework and Nat gives him 'work' to do as well.

I was worried I'd started too early but as long as he's interested teach him anything he wants to know I say! And I'm the same - pretty rubbish at imaginative play!! Just can't do it!

A little tip from my childminder re writing practice - instead of dots for making letters or numbers for them to write over, she uses highlighter pens, then they have to keep inside the 'lines' and write over them. H loves this and will do pages of it.