I have a 3- year-old son. I am trying to teach him how to say his ABC’s, but we are having a major problem. He just doesn’t seem to grasp the concept. He has told me on numerous occasions that he doesn’t want to learn, and he can’t say his ABC’s. I am afraid that he may have a learning disability. What techniques could I use to improve his phonics? I am having a hard time teaching him. Please help!!

Three years old is a bit young to diagnose a learning disability. Most pediatricians don’t look for learning disabilities until a child is a little older; usually in beginning school age children around 5 to 7 years old.

In my 3-year-old classes, I hear quite a bit that they don’t want to learn the ABC’s, or how to write their name, or several other things that we’re doing that day. I like to start by simply singing the ABC song. I love phonics music because it also teaches the sound as well as the name of each letter. We sing it when we play with toys, we sing it while we’re painting, we sing it while we’re looking at flashcards of each letter, and I recommend to parents that they play it in their homes and in the car while driving. I try and have it be as much a part of their everyday lives as it can be so that it becomes automatic. Knowing the letters and sounds is the first step to reading.

Every year I have several children who can sing me the song at the end of the school year, but still have trouble identifying every letter and sound. That’s OK. Remember that 3 years old is still very young. Every year I see tremendous learning growth in the 4-5 age group, where suddenly they do want to learn how these letters all fit together. Keep in mind that every child develops language skills at a different rate, and we need to allow for the difference in growth.

The first step to reading success is learning the letters and sounds and singing them is an excellent way to teach these concepts. Most children love to sing (or at least don’t mind listening to you sing), and really don’t recognize that they’re being taught at same time. Hope that helps. Good luck and enjoy the process of working with your child.