A,B,C,D...

Drew has begun repeating just about everything. It's really amazing - and it seems a wonderful time to teach him new words, sounds, and letters! A few weeks ago he demonstrated that he really understood the concept of counting. This thrilled me endlessly; and convinced me he would be a mathematical genuis. While he can't actually say all the numbers, he tries to say them as we count stairs, fingers, blocks, animals, balls... I don't know if it's the "teacher" in me or if all moms do this, but I do see everything as a learning opportunity. Anyway, I've recently begun teaching Drew the alphabet. Of course there is the alphabet song...the letter of the day on Sesame...the alphabet books...the letters that stick to the side of the tub...and the magnetic letters on the fridge. But I've begun speaking the alphabet and having him repeat each letter (to the best of his ability). He is able to say the following letters clearly: a,b,c,d,e,h,i,n,o,p,s,t, and y. Impressive, right? I'm focusing on A-B-C-D for now but we still practice them all daily. I'm trying to help him make the connection between the actual letter (in written form) with the spoken letter. At the moment, he'll hold up a few letters and say "A" or "P" for all of them. What excites me is that I believe he understands the concept of letters, even if he can't yet speak or identify them all. To me, the concept is more important at this stage. I'm not trying to pressure him to learn, nor am I upset when he says "A,B,C, P,P,P,P." And while some think it's "too early" for this kind of teaching/learning, we've decided that if he's interested, he's ready. And he seems to enjoy the game of the alphabet!