I recently came across The Write Start, a well crafted blog by mom of two, Jennifer Hallisy. Hallisy’s ideas for introducing the alphabet and writing to young children are inventive, easy to replicate, and inspiring. I am excited at the prospects of sharing her ideas with Annabelle, and at the same time I want to be sure that now is the right time to introduce the alphabet (as a precursor to writing) . . . Annabelle is just 2 1/2 . . . I wondered, is it too early to begin teaching letters to my 2 year old?
Because I am exploring different educational avenues for Annabelle (and her brother too), I thought that my questions about introducing letters and numbers could be answered with a bit of reading, reflection, and discussion with my husband; let me tell you, right off the bat, that neither my husband nor I have a good solid idea about what the right answer is for our daughter, for our (soon to be) son, or for anyone else’s child . . . I’m of the school of thought that different families need to figure out what works best for the family and the child (though this is also one reason why I lean towards homeschooling my own children: there are so many educational choices and possibilities to suit the needs of the individual child). But here is how the question of how to introduce letters, numbers, etc. is unfolding in our house:
As it tends to go (and no offense to my husband because the hours of his day are devoted to working outside of the home to support our family), I surveyed the literature, summarized my analysis for my husband, and forwarded links to articles that I thought he might like to read (note: I’m being redundant but parenting issues like cosleeping, positive discipline, television watching, etc. have been explored between us in a similar fashion). My husband listened, shared his observations (of Annabelle’s interest in letters and numbers), and made an argument based on his experiences . . . right now I think he is leaving the educational literature alone (because as he puts it, “With what time?”).
So I read a bit. Let me be upfront: the literature I read dealt almost entirely with Waldorf Education and the Montessori Method (and not as much with alternatives, like traditional and/or public school educational approaches). Here is what I read:
Andrea Coventry’s article Teaching Writing in Montessori: Activities to Refine Pencil Control
Barbara Sokolov’s There is More to Reading than Meets the Eye
And, for a surface understanding of how reading is explored in Waldorf Education, I also surveyed waldorf answers that attempts to answer questions about how reading and writing are taught with Waldorf Education.
Again, my mind is not made up, regarding the teaching of writing (and thus the introduction of the alphabet) to small children. I have a feeling that however my children (currently Annabelle) explore literacy, whether it be holistically, via instruction, or due to something of an innate passion (a friend’s daughter simply looks at letters and without observation (and thus no imitation) is able to copy the letters all on her own (does this child’s interest in letters indicate comprehension? No, not exactly. Though it does seem to indicate that the child has a passion for drawing and writing and that the child has the hand strength and mechanical skill to write letters)), the exploration must be signaled by the child herself. With our family’s current approach to “learning at home,” materials are introduced and techniques are shown, however, learning and passions are intended to unfold in a natural way and without force. (It seems that many unschoolers I know already have this approach in mind).
One activity that peaked my interest at Hallisy’s Write Start was one in which a child creates his own letter cards by using glue and sand. What Annabelle loved about making her sand letters was scooping and shaking sand over the glue written letters, which I freehanded (Hallisy’s original post contains wonderful tips on how to use the cards with your child . . . her son is 4). I wasn’t exactly sure what we’d do with the cards once we created them (which may make you wonder why we went through with the activity at all), though am I thinking it wouldn’t hurt any to have a basket full of alphabet cards for Annabelle to pick up when it interests her.
My husband tells me that Annabelle has already asked for him to play with the sand letters; she wanted to practice “writing.” He ran his finger over the letters, then she did, and they talked about the sound of the letter and words beginning with the letter (in Montessori schools, children will say the sound the letter makes while tracing the sand letter). Then, last night, when getting into the tub, Annabelle pointed at her shampoo bottle and identified several of the letters on the label . . . clearly she is curious . . .
Our materials included: cardstock, glue, and sand.
What are your thoughts on introducing letters, numbers, and more to your children? If you have older children, how did you find an approach that met your child’s needs? And if you’re currently exploring this question, how are you attempting to answer it? Last, do you think that your approach to parenting influences your stance on how ideas ought to be introduced, educationally speaking, to your children?
{ 18 comments }
I would second Shelly’s recommendation of John Holt’s books. I think you would like this one, Learning All The Time. I’ve also read a little about Montessori and love the idea of the sand letters. It looks like you are very aware of Annabelle’s interests and following her lead perfectly :)
Oooh, I need to give this some serious reading … I really like the Montessori approach here, providing rich materials but leaving it to the childs pace. Great links!
I look forward to looking at the links you have suggested Green Mama. I have 2 boys – my eldest (Hug who is almost 6) went been to a Montessori preschool & is now in Kindergarten at a Waldorf school. My husband is a children’s author & we are really big on books in our home & my son learnt all of his letters early (Montessori preschool) – but he’s still not very interested in writing.
I am learning to appreciate the gift of verbal story-telling (he creates elaborate puppet-shows for us to watch) & the other ways he chooses to articulate his thoughts. My youngest son is 3 1/2 & I have made sandpaper letters for him to start learning his letters at home even though he also attends a Waldorf preschool program. I think that if you offer them the materials & the knowledge then they will utilise them when it is right for them. If your daughter is curious about letters then I think you are doing something wonderful by introducing them in a playful way :)
With the path you seem to be on, I completely recommend books by John Holt. He gives an amazingly different look at children. I understood the ones I’ve read to say to follow your child’s lead. Provide the opportunities and let them choose and get out of it what they will on their own. Keeping thing light and fun without teaching or requiring anything is what is best.
Also, with your love of arts, I wasn’t sure if you’ve seen this sight: http://artfulparent.wordpress.com/ It is full of interesting projects and ideas.
After leaving my last comment, I went back to read Aisling’s and Abbie’s. I second everything they said!!! As parents, we try to do what we feel is best and that is usually what IS best for our children.
Abbie’s Dad did make Math so much fun for our kids with his stories and that’s the kind of thing I encourage with my students’ families. We don’t need any more generations of –especially little girls– to grow up Math-phobic. My younger students love Math because it feels like playtime with manipulatives, games, etc.
Aisling—You will be such a WONDERFUL teacher when you’ve completed your training. Being a parent first makes SUCH A DIFFERENCE, I believe! I learned so much from my own children and then can really identify with the parent perspective!
I just love hearing such positive comments and encouragement from all our bloggy friends!
Jessica,
You are doing ALL THE RIGHT things for your little girl. Tracing and forming letters in artwork is perfectly developmentally appropriate for her and FUN!
As we know, each child is developmentally ready for different things at different times and I believe it’s fine to introduce the names and sounds of letters at this time, all in fun. Not to stereotype, but little girls (with nice fine motor control) such as Annabelle, may be ready for forming and writing letters before boys. (I speak from experience here as a mother of one girl and two boys—-vastly different, even though I was not willing to accept the stereotypes, but guess what—they did fit those stereotypes. Even though I offered Abbie trucks and backhoes and her two brothers dolls, etc., guess which they most enjoyed?)
I can remember my kids singing the ABC song along with me (and their grandmother, “Mema,”) before their second year and writing came soon after. I even consulted their baby books to find evidence of what age, but I guess I left that out. My first’s is pretty complete, but I’m afraid I slacked off a bit for our 3rd . . . just warning you!)
Just remember, everything you do as a parent is right as long as it feels right for you and your child. You are your children’s first and most important teacher. As a teacher, I see so many students in grades K-4, who got the most important start because their parents read to them and played games to them. READING is oh-so-important and should be an enjoyable activity for all. The other stuff will come, naturally.
I haven’t “talked” to you in so long, as it’s been an especially eventful summer. Please know that I’m wishing all the best—and praying for your family—as you get ready to welcome your new son very soon!
Hugs and kisses,
Ruth
Aisling, your words speak so much wisdom (to me): “And even if, as it later turns out, we didn’t do quite the thing that was best, the fact that their best interest was our goal is so important and meaningful.”
Your once and future students are lucky to have a teacher like you who recognizes that each of us has our own unique way of learning, that all we need (for the most part) is to be given the resources and guidance to make our dreams possible (whether that be learning to tie shoes or write a novel). I think we’ll continue to keep alphabet, writing, and reading materials around for Annabelle’s continued exploration . . . her learning, unless signaled to us otherwise, will continue on a play basis.
Well, I have four children, ages 19 down to 6, and let me tell you they are all different. Different about how they learn to when and when they were able or were interested. I think you intuitively sensed a great truth in this matter… it will be different in each home and for each child. Have the tools available… primarily lots of reading materials and things to write or draw on (which I know you do already!) and the child will let you know.
I homeschooled my children for 8 years, but am now active at their school and pursuing my degree as an elementary/middle school teacher. Life changes… but through all the years what we are seeking is what is best for our child. And even if, as it later turns out, we didn’t do quite the thing that was best, the fact that their best interest was our goal is so important and meaningful.
I came back looking for my mom’s comment… she must have gotten distracted with school work. She’s a math specialist now, but all elementary school teachers have a huge focus on reading and writing in their preparation. So feel free to ask her any math questions, too!
I remember playing math games with my dad before bed, kind of like story time. He’d give us problems to solve, or make up silly word problems, and it was so much fun. He’d incorporate people we knew or our animals, or our favorite foods. “If Abbie has 4 apples, and Jonathan eats 2, how many does she have left?” My brothers and I used to love that game! Perhaps that why we all grew up to love math.
Christina, thanks for the encouragement, :-) I think it’s amazing that both Abby and Annabelle are so young and already taking an interest in language. What concerns me is whether or not “teaching” children at such a young age “academic” skills may be counterproductive; while I was a traditional learner and can remember teaching my sister letters and words when I was just 4 years old (she was 2! :-) Wow, remarkable now that I think about it), I want to be sure that my children grow and learn in an organic way (which sounds like what you and Abby are doing together). We have letter magnets on our refrigerator and now the sand letters; I figure that if Annabelle wants to “play” with her letters, I’m all for it . . . though I doubt I will be the one to say, “Let’s practice our letters.” With our arts and crafts and nature explorations, Annabelle is often the one to ask to do an activity; this week I showed her clay, asked her whether she enjoyed working with it, and now, each morning, she runs over to her art shelf and pulls the clay down for more clay play . . . my approach is to supply the materials and then stand back and see what happens . . . we’ll see what happens.
Abbie, I was hoping your mom would chime in too. She is a public school reading expert, yes?
emma, I read a number of excellent family blogs; you can find them here on my links page: http://www.greenmamma.org/blog/links/
I read these blogs several times each week, make notes for activities that I’d like to try with Annabelle and keep a binder (that way we can repeat them together or I can redo them with other kids that arrive into our family). I found the sand in the kids’ craft section of that M-craft store (the A-craft store has it too). Perhaps I ought to put together a post about what craft supplies we keep handy at all time, though it’s pretty basic: different kinds of papers, glue, scissors, markers, water colors, tempera paints, paint brushes (of all sizes), clay (air dry), and yarns. I stock our supplies on a large bookshelf in our rec room (my hubby’s man room) and have designated one shelf in Annabelle’s play area for art supplies (like our art-on-the-go bag, which I learned about while reading Amanda Soule’s The Creative Family).
I hope that helps!
dumb? Q – where did you pick up sand – and are you a few days ahead of yourself on some of these activities – or do you magically have lots of these materials knocking about?
I have no advice here… Check with me when she’s about 15-18 and I’ll be all over it!
I’ve told my mom to come comment on it, since she’s much more of an expert (from the mom and educator perspective) than I am.
By the way…love love love these letter cards! Totally putting that on our crafting to-do list!
Jessica–We all know Annabelle’s a pretty smart cookie…and the activities you do with her and the effort you put into her education is sure to capitalize on that. But I think you’re underestimating your daughter on this one. At not-quite-two years old, Abby recognizes all the letters of the alphabet, knows all of their sounds, can tell you what letters many words begin when asked (by sounding out the first part of the word), and recognizes (is able to read) quite a few basic words (her name included). She’s even written a letter or two, and asked me to write the word “Hi” the other day, then proceeded to instruct me “mommy draw ‘H’…mommy draw ‘i.’” Most of this has happened organically, as we play with letter magnets, color letter worksheets and point out and sound out letters and words in books. Challenge Annabelle, and she’ll amaze you…with you for a mamma, she’ll be an avid reader in no time.
At 4 1/2 my daughter can print her name and recognize most letters. She can copy short words that I write out for her – like printing ‘DADDY’ on the front of a card. She also knows that each letter is associated with a sound, and knows what some of them are. All of this has happened pretty organically.
When she asked, I taught her to spell her name. When she talks about the sounds words make I will point out other words that start with the same letter. It’s a little game we play – how many words with an ‘m’ sound can you think of? And when she started ‘reading’ books (mostly looking at the pictures) I started pointing out certain words to her.
I’m sure that if we pushed it she would be more ‘advanced’, maybe even doing basic reading. But she won’t even be starting kindergarten for a year, and so I’m keeping it fun. For us, following our daughter’s cues has been effective, and she’s learning without it becoming a chore. I would rather that she appreciate and enjoy reading and writing, particularly at this stage of the game.
Dcan, it seems that the reading/writing approaches all begin with the teaching of writing (which I suppose has to do with many folks’ learning style of learning via doing, yes?). I like the idea of early writing via writing letters (a lost art and communication in this day and age . . . though I suppose e-mail is a modern day substitute). We’ll see how Annabelle’s interest leads her (and us) in showing her the letters of the alphabet and how to proceed with writing them.
robin, lol, forgive the misleading title of this post; I am finding, right now pre-2kids and pre-2 kids with different naps, that it is easiest to write during naptime or in the evening when Annabelle is busy with daddy (playing, cooking, racking pool). This project was pretty simple . . . it took us about 30 minutes to an hour to work on . . . and believe me that I am not an advanced crafter or artist by any means . . . which is why I share the projects we do: they’re straight forward. Just try and see what works, :-)
oh man, i totally thought this post was going to tell me when i should be finding the time for my writing. LOL.
the letter cards look beautiful. as always, i hope to someday pull off even one of the many wonderful projects you do with your girl!
Impressive! OK, I did zero research, but my girls are 8 and 5. From past experience I can tell you that a lot depends on the child and what they are interested in. I don’t think 2 1/2 is too early. My oldest loved to write and started out with the squiggle writing. Then I taught her to write her name. By the time she was 3, she new how to write several words and was producing mass amounts of mail to her best friend, Elmo! To: Elmo (squiggle, squiggle, squiggle) Love, Kyla My only piece of advice and it looks like your already doing it, is to teach lower case at the same time as upper case. Also, in my daughters public Kindergarden they teach reading through writing first. Have fun writing!