Hello Nairalanders. I need your views on certain issue bothering me.
My son is 3.5 years old, but he cannot count 1-20 neither can he write figure 1 he tends to confuse it with 2. The only number he can write is 2.
he does not talk about what he learns in school and he is complete opposite of his sister. who often share with you in discussion what she is doing in school.

he is very smart, relates well and discusses very intelligently. H does not watch cartoons like children his age, he cant remember many things he has learnt in school, but he likes doing things with his hands.

What do you think.

Maybe a little bit TOO YOUNG!

Really?

Yes,really.
He may have developed quickly physically but he's still very young.
What I'm trying to say is that give him time. 1-20 is simple,we are not talking about fractions here.
Hope you are not planning on beating him sha, its usually very effective but very dangerous to the little boy.
Note- I m not trying to teach you how to raise your son. Ignore my comment if you don't agree with it.

or he may have a learning disability. i hope its not though

Calm down, it is not yet a bad case.

Wait till about 6/7 years old when he can fully relate then you can test him and see if any limitation is a serious issue.

Don't stress the kid, don't stress yourself, you might just make it worse.

Don't feel you have to impress your peers that "my kid is smart". Not like if I am saying that is what you are doing now.

Make learning fun for him for now. Develop ways to make him enjoy learning what he needs to learn. When he does well, encourage with kisses and praises. When he does not, correct him gentle and sweetly. No stress!

See a child psychologist, also ask to check weda their is any neurological disorder associated with learning, which manifest at dat age.

Really, it's nothing, there's nothing new under the sun. So, I did a google search for you:

Here's what I found:

2years ago: http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100311014932AAs50Hw

Counting ability of Child at 3.5 years old?
My child is 3.5 years old. I noted that he still cannot count the objects correctly shown in the diagram. He can rattle 1 to 10 correctly but he seems to have a problem counting. Is there room for concern?
2 years ago Report Abuse

leslie b

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

This is normal for his age. Rote counting develops before meaningful counting of objects. I would suggest giving him real objects to count before expecting him to count objects on a diagram. Try something he is interested in. Have him count small plastic dinosaurs, or trucks, or blocks, or slices of apple, or friends, or socks. Start with just 3 objects and gradually increase the number of objects you are working with until he can count 10 correctly. You might find it helps to ask him to touch the objects one by one with his finger as he counts. If he has a hard time doing it himself, gently hold his hand as he points to the items one by one.
Source(s):
ECE teacher, mother of 3, grandmother of a whole bunch
2 years ago Report Abuse
Asker's Rating:Asker's Comment:
I have gave sweets to count but after a while he would get not count 1 at a time. He would grap 2 sweets and count as 1.


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4years ago.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080504175939AAAr8N2

My niece is 3.5 years old and can't count to 10 or recite any of the alphabet, shld I be worried?
She and her Mum live with me, there are many care issues and I am trying not to step over the line but her welfare and development seems to be getting ignored. When do you or do you let it go if you feel a child is at risk??
4 years ago Report Abuse

Izzy S
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

no. realx you can't expect all kids to be at the same rate. why not try to help her learn her number and letters you don't just expect her to learn them out of the blue? by care issues what do you mean?
4 years ago Report Abuse

Google dyslexia.

Early days yet.
Buy some colourful books for him to attract his interest in reading.

Don't stress him, read him stories and then encourage him to ask questions.
Have it at the back of your mind that not everybody will be Einstein.

Na by force?, seriously dis child is still small na. His brain is still developing

this poster most be sick forcing 3.5 yrs to read.

You dont have to worry yourself. Though i'm still single but i used to study kids. There are wonderful. My advice is that you should pay more attention to him. Show him more love and care. Treat him to have solid trust in you so that he can follow every of ur instructions.
Not everybody dat start very well will finish very well and nt everybody dat start poor will end poor.

presfedrep:

Google dyslexia.

I bet every 3 year old you know could solve matrices, else they must be dyslexic.  


@OP:

You need to spend a lot of time with him.  Dont attempt to push him beyond what may appear to be his limits at the moment.  Studying and brain development in kids goes way beyond teaching them mathematics.

Speak to him about anything and everything all the time--this will develop his language skills and will contribute gradually to his overall brain development.

Read concept books to him.  These are books where details are explained using shapes, colours, fruits or farm animals.

Develop maths skills gradually by counting 'his cute toes' together, break a cookie into two and show him how one can become half, look at funny elephant pictures and count how many legs they have. . .whatever you do, you must encourage fun/learning concepts.  Don't force abstract mathematics on him!

Sometimes, the problem is with us the parents and not the child. Compareism they say is odious so don't go comparing your child with others because a child's immediate physical and social environment impacts a great deal on a child's developmental trajectory. This is why I believe that the "problem" is sometimes us (parents).

Please kindly answer sincerely the following question:

When was the last time you read to your boy, and what kind of book was it?

Do you read him bedtime stories?

When was the last time you took him (family) on a fun-educational trip (not fast-food outlets), museum, libraries, children plays and presentation?

When was the last time if ever, did you sit down with your boy to watch educational cartoons and kids programme and explaining and singing along? I mean really engaging your boy in his world?

What was the last present you bought your boy? (aeroplane, toy gun and robot? Wrong!) Books on the different types of colours, animals, counting etc is where you want to go.

At what age did you buy your boy his first book and what was the book all about? Is it on "my first word", "my first colours", "my first animals" you catch my drift

Do you have at home a colourful kid writing desk and a blackboard to boot? Do you spend quality time to engage your boy in the use of these materials?

Do you have at home a rhyme book as in "Nursery Treasury" complete with collection of best-loved nursery rhymes, fairytales and first poems for kids? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, , One Two buckle my shoes; Three Four, ; The Wheels on the bus go , ? Do you recite these with your boy and dance around the living-room waving your hands like you don't just care?

Do you often do quality music at home (not oleku, wahala dey, akuna baby, otarikpokpo) jazz, slow-jamz, religious rock will do.

We parents first need to invest in our kids and go with the confident that the child will grow up well instead of working ourselves into frenzy for nothing. Kids are different. So relax and invest quality time.

You could also help him by dancing to songs like this with him.  Play it loud in your sitting room and dance like it's your birthday. Your kid will eventually see the fun in this and may be encouraged to sing/dance along with you, which will eventually make teaching him these things easier.



[flash=300,300]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk9Yt1PqQiw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="[/flash]

No 1 : Please donot compare him with his sister ( i know you donot mean to be cruel but, you will make mistakes comparing)

Please check nutrition. ,

1. His brain is developing, if you are outside NIG , get a filter and make sure no chlorine gets into his cooking, bathing, drinking water.
2. Where possible cut out salt and replace with kelp , just a little, and use for 2 weeks then cut for 2 weeks
3. Goats donot eat chinchin and colour additives n co , cut this out gently and replace with efo riro, carrots, broccolli, anything made by good in colour green especially Organic too.
4. Make sure his food is balanced.

Please understand the 2 sides of the brain.

See attachment , The school teaches the left brain and the piano classes, art class, creative lessons are of the right brain and if the right brain is the intuition the left brain is logic , then it's easy to see why the white man who encourages the right brain more have more inventors than the african schools or homes which encourage more of the left brain and we have lots of certificates and intelligence but no invention, Think about it, and develop the two.

Parents are teachers too.

My dad is the best maths teacher in the world , looooool, very patient , very understanding, he never spoke to me like i was backward in maths yet i was well behind my mates and he believed in me and that year i went in for a maths competition across FGC and came 2nd for my school, Unbelievable. Maths is still not my first subject but my self esteem jumped a few notches. I think the most important thing my dad thot me about maths was that I was up to the task. I can do it and that still serves me now after lacome text book is forgotten

My story here is you are at the risk of showing your son that his worth is his fast ability to read 1 - 20 or any other school work but in the real world its not. If you unknowingly kill his self  esteem no matter he good he is gets in school , Low self esteem causes mousy, lacking of courage people who are intelligent but do nothing about it they do not invent a pin, too many of them about. ( I still sometimes muddle my words up e.g life laugh but i read it again and i see the mistake yet I have quite an IQ if i may say so myself)

I think you are a great dad for wanting to help your son , but his worth is simple he has GOD's breath within him so he is a creator, a problem solver, an intelligent boy , who has qualities of his Creator within him, simply see where his interest and support that.

I hope i have not sounded like i am telling you of because no child comes with a manual , parents only do their very best like you are doing . May God grant us more wisdom.

well guess other posters have said and given all the necessary advice all i can say is don't use fear as a way of getting him to count numbers

Attachment again and Nairaland let it upload i beg

The text for the left brain reads:

“I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.”

And for the right brain:

“I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.”

From poster's narration, it appears a genetic problem. (just joking)

diordaves:

Sometimes, the problem is with us the parents and not the child. Compareism they say is odious so don't go comparing your child with others because a child's immediate physical and social environment impacts a great deal on a child's developmental trajectory. This is why I believe that the "problem" is sometimes us (parents).

Please kindly answer sincerely the following question:

When was the last time you read to your boy, and what kind of book was it?

Do you read him bedtime stories?

When was the last time you took him (family) on a fun-educational trip (not fast-food outlets), museum, libraries, children plays and presentation?

When was the last time if ever, did you sit down with your boy to watch educational cartoons and kids programme and explaining and singing along? I mean really engaging your boy in his world?

What was the last present you bought your boy? (aeroplane, toy gun and robot? Wrong!) Books on the different types of colours, animals, counting etc is where you want to go.

At what age did you buy your boy his first book and what was the book all about? Is it on "my first word", "my first colours", "my first animals" you catch my drift

Do you have at home a colourful kid writing desk and a blackboard to boot? Do you spend quality time to engage your boy in the use of these materials?

Do you have at home a rhyme book as in "Nursery Treasury" complete with collection of best-loved nursery rhymes, fairytales and first poems for kids? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, , One Two buckle my shoes; Three Four, ; The Wheels on the bus go , ? Do you recite these with your boy and dance around the living-room waving your hands like you don't just care?

Do you often do quality music at home (not oleku, wahala dey, akuna baby, otarikpokpo) jazz, slow-jamz, religious rock will do.

We parents first need to invest in our kids and go with the confident that the child will grow up well instead of working ourselves into frenzy for nothing. Kids are different. So relax and invest quality time.

Wow !!!!
I have learnt so much that I know and forgotten and new stuff too.
Thanks

You may eed to take your baby to see a paediatric neurologist. Can you tell us about your child developmental milestone-age @ which the baby started controlling his neck, sat without support, crawling , walking and speech ?

Y'knw, some kids are born with a learning disability coupled with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which most kids have!

Just give him a bit more tym nd try tutoring him urself after skool!

hi @poster

i guess you find what or the things he likes 1st and create study around that

e.g if he likes indomine, you can buy a carton of that and count with it

again use local object around the house to count with e.g
kids video for his age and get a spoon, a cup, a plate a shoe and other things he can identify easily and count and name it as well.

he will get over that easily and develop a sharp mind God willing. but kids normally learn faster with object around.
then practice all the time, sing with it, rap it,  rhyme and dance with him.

just have fun cus at that age he don't need much education he need infotainment. remember that's when nature really allows him to be foolish, so don't push him hard put fun in all you do with him? stop when he is not in the mood.

The boy is still too young but get medical advice to know if he is dyslexic. Seriously, ℓ̊  don't think its anything to worry over.

why are you worrying yourself. Kids are all different. My son did not say a single clear word till he was 4, they did hearing test, neurological test and all, and said nothing is wrong. He never wrote anything either, but from when he was 2, he would take one of my novels and look at the pages for an hour sometimes without saying anything. When he started talking at 4.5, it was all at once, long intelligent sentences, and complex words. Now he is 7, his reading is 2 classes above his grade. All I am saying, when kids are ready, they will do what they do when they get ready.

@casket

Not necessary to see a specialist at this stage, doctor!! Poster just follow advice of the others who recommended a conservative approach. What ur son needs at this satge is TLC and gentle encouragement and fun teaching. Best wishes.

He is a late starter. Don't fret, and don't give up.

Could you believe Gail Devers (double 100m Olympic Champion) almost never walked because they wanted to amputate her legs due to a medical condition?

Then of course, pay attention to his talent, he may be a world class sculptor, artist, or drummer in the making, if he excels in handiworks alone.

He's different, but not untalented or useless

Oh, I forgot to mention; he might also be the next Usain Bolt, Messi or Ronaldo.

If he's good with his hands, he might as well be with his feet!

Cheers!

Op am trying to figure some thing out to give you an advise and support you did your son? have a any kind of behavior problem like

Olumide,there is absolutely TONS you can do with him, but pls bear in mind every child learns differently and he may just not be developmentally ready for this concept yet. Counting is pretty tricky when you think about it, I don't mean just knowing the sequence of numbers off by heart I mean understanding the correlation between objects in the real world and number names.children learn by repetition,everything u can, make him count things get him to help lay the table with you count how many people are eating,
count how many plates to put out how many yams he has on his plate etc
get him involved in the kitchen,count the amounts of things you use ask him try to incorporate him into lots of things you do, he will soon pick it up, all children learns at a different rate and each child learns what is most
important to him or her, enjoy the differences in your child.
I have 3 children here and they all had different areas the were most anxious to learn more about.

just encourage him every time you can.