It's easy to be concerned when you feel as though your child doesn't or can't remember things you worked on the day before, such as to recognize letter A. Below are a few tips for helping your child to retain letter recognition, letter sounds, numbers, and counting skills:
Remember that this is brand new, and looks like a foreign language to them - if you saw a word written in a different language that uses different symbols than the English alphabet, you might not remember it the next day either!
Acknowledge their feelings that "it's hard!" while reminding them to add "but I'm going to get it!" and talk about other things they've learned to do that were hard at first.
Bring relevance to anything you can - does a sibling's name start with a certain letter? What letter does their favorite food begin with? How old are they?
Consistency over quantity! A few minutes a day will get you much further than 30 frustrating minutes twice a week with children this age.
Repeat!!! Repetition gives your child an opportunity to truly engage with, learn, bring meaning to, and retain a skill. Spending a week on a skill such as a new letter or number, and going back to review is key to helping your child learn and remember new skills! P.S. Our Pre-K Curriculum Program spends an entire week on each new skill with review weeks for exactly this reason :)
Have patience and grace with yourself - your investment in your child is priceless and should be enjoyed and celebrated! And if you still have concerns, as always, reach out to your pediatrician.
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