- Age:3+ years
- Time:30-45 min
- Difficulty:Easy
- Mess level:Low
- Supervision:Yes
Factors that Influence Learning Numbers and Letters
When talking about factors that influence the speed, and how easily children learn to recognize and use numbers and letters, we can talk about biological and environmental factors. Numerous studies have shown that genetics influences how easily children can learn to read, write, and calculate. There is also evidence that genetics plays a major role in learning disabilities like dyslexia or dyscalculia.
We can’t influence biological factors that much, but we can surely play a big role in environmental factors. Using activities that teach letter-sound relations and how to recognize written words helps children in mastering reading skills. And activities like reading stories aloud and discussing them with a child improve language and comprehension skills.
Early number play builds the foundation for later math skills.
And what are some signs that can show us if there is a potential of reading and counting difficulties through the child's life? Meta research shows that there are 3 factors that can predict the speed and ease at which the child could learn reading skills through early education: Letter Knowledge, Phoneme Awareness and Rapid automatized naming.
- Letter Knowledge: refers to knowledge that written letters or numbers correspond to specific phonemes in spoken words.
- Phoneme Awareness: refers to the ability to manipulate words or nonwords and recognize incomplete words. The best example would be the task: “Say the word “House” but without “H”. The answer should be “ouse”.
- Rapid automatized naming: refers to the ability of a child to rapidly name a list of letters, colors, numbers, and pictures.
These 3 skills are strong predictors of how the child will perform in activities that are connected with letters and numbers. If children are still struggling with those skills after starting school, that can even indicate some learning problems. But as with all “tests” for children, we should be careful with drawing conclusions since there can be big individual differences, especially at an early age.
When Is a Good Time to Start Learning Letters and Numbers?
There are big individual differences in certain developmental milestones and that’s especially pronounced at an early age. So, before starting any learning activity, think about your child’s current capabilities and interests. We want to provide activities that are just a little above his/her current capabilities so they are educational, but not frustrating. Unrealistic expectations can produce shame and frustration in your child and in the long run affect his/her confidence and willingness to try new activities.
A 2-year-old counts out loud to 10. Do they really understand numbers?
Make your prediction, then tap an answer to check!
So there are individual differences, but some general age when it's an appropriate time for most children to start exploring letters and numbers is around 3 years old. Some children can learn to count mechanically to 10 even earlier, at 2 years. However, they don’t understand the concept of counting and numbers in general and are just repeating what they learned by heart.
Around age 3, children can start to explore different concepts around letters and numbers, recognizing them, understanding how sound and symbol are connected, how they can be chained… Of course, never force them to sit and learn. Make it fun and engaging and they will be interested to continue on their own. The more we learn about a certain topic, the stronger the connection between neural pathways in our brain forms and it will be easier to build upon that knowledge in the future.
Around age 3, children start connecting sounds, symbols and meanings.
We will show you 7 activities which are both educational and fun and you can adapt their complexity to your child’s capabilities and interests. In the spirit of STEM Engineering, we will also show you how to prepare your own learning materials, so you can include your child in the preparation. That will be a good opportunity to work on some motor skills development as well as creativity.
Materials Needed for Letters and Numbers Activities
Homemade letter and number cards: cheap, quick and endlessly reusable.
All we need for these activities are some colored paper, rubber bands, pins, and a board.
- Colored paper (different colors if possible)
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Board (Styrofoam or regular cardboard to make your own)
- Pins
- Rubber bands
👨👧 Adult supervision needed
Pins are sharp, and scissors take skilled hands. Make cutting a joint activity under your supervision, and either push the pins into the board yourself or do it hand in hand with your child.
How to Make a Board We Will Use for the Activities
Watch the video at the beginning of the article for step-by-step instructions on how to create the letters and numbers activity, or read on for detailed explanations of each idea you can use.
If you want to make your own board, all you need to do is take a cardboard box (an empty shoebox or one from some gadget). You can tape decorative paper around it to make it prettier and more interesting. There should be empty space beneath the box so pins can go through it. Include your child in making it. They can cut paper or tape it, or even choose the decoration. STEM Engineering at work!
How to Make Letters and Numbers
Write the letters and numbers on colored papers of your choosing (you can use one color for numbers and one for letters for easier discrimination).
Cut them with the help of your child. Using scissors is great for fine motor skills and oculomotor coordination. If letters and numbers are not perfectly symmetrical, even better! That will help your child with generalization of shape. Letters and numbers have the same meaning even if there are differences in the way they are written.
Card-making tip
Make several copies of frequent letters (A, E, I, O, T, N...) so your child can also spell words with repeating letters, like MOM or NOON. A few spare vowels go a long way.
Activity 1: Recognizing Letters
Write some words or sentences on a piece of paper and tell your child to copy them on the board with paper letters. This activity is based on recognizing the shape of letters, so it can be used as a starter activity.
Activity 2: Connecting Sound with a Shape
Tell your child a letter, a word or a sentence (depending on age and how hard you want it to be, but always start with simpler tasks) and ask him/her to use paper letters to write down what you said. This activity is more complex because the child must already know letters to do it, so present it only after you practiced recognizing letters.
Activity 3: Connect Letters to a Word
Prepare a board by putting scrambled letters on it and use a pin to secure them. Ask your child questions, such as “Where do you live?” or “What is your name?” and her/his task is to connect the letters in the right order with the rubber bands.
Make sure all the letters your child needs are on the board, with some extra to make it more difficult.
This activity combines testing your child’s knowledge about the world, practicing motor skills and understanding letters. You can, of course, make it simpler, by providing a word that your child needs to connect by telling it or even writing it.
Activity 4: Connecting Numbers
Prepare a board by putting scrambled numbers on it and use a pin to secure them. Ask your child to connect numbers in order. Depending on your child’s age and knowledge, you can start with only a few numbers (like connect 1, 2, 3) and go from there.
Activity 5: Connecting Numbers Backward
Same as in the previous activity, prepare a board by putting scrambled numbers on it and use a pin to secure them. This time ask your child to connect numbers but backward, starting from a number of your choosing. This is a more complex activity since counting backward is a more abstract process for your child.
Activity 6: Connecting Even Numbers
When you are certain a child understands how to count numbers, suggest this activity. First, prepare a board by putting scrambled numbers on it and use a pin to secure them. Ask the child to connect even numbers in order.
Understanding even and odd numbers is important for further development of math skills. Even numbers are easier to understand so it’s advisable to practice them first.
Activity 7: Connecting Odd Numbers
When your child understands concepts of counting, counting backward and even numbers, you can start with this activity where the task is to connect odd numbers. As always, prepare a board by putting scrambled numbers on it and use a pin to secure them. Ask the child to connect odd numbers in order.
After practicing this activity, your child will have a solid base to understand all kinds of arithmetic sequences.
These are only suggestions for activities you can do with your child. You can make them as simple or complex as you wish, but remember to always take into consideration the current developmental stage of your child and his/her interests!
Adapt every activity to your child's developmental stage and interests.
If it’s too simple, the child will be bored and won’t be engaged in the activity. If it’s too hard, it will lead to frustration for both you and your child. Fun and play are the best catalysts for learning, so make sure there are a lot of those. Happy learning!
If all of these activities are too easy for your child, we recommend you check the How to learn Fractions fun and easy way activity. If you are interested in Number Pi (π), read the comprehensive article and learn all about that mysterious number. How about making your own cipher wheel? And for those “lost in time”, be sure to check how to make a cardboard clock and learn to tell time.
Key takeaways
- We can't change biological factors, but a stimulating environment from an early age lays the foundation for all later skills.
- Around age 3, most children are ready to explore letters and numbers - through play, never through sitting and memorizing.
- Counting by heart is not the same as understanding numbers; counting backward and tasks like "give me three blocks" are the real test.
- Making the materials (cutting, taping, pinning) trains fine motor skills - it's part of the activity, not just preparation.
- Imperfectly cut letters are an advantage: they help your child generalize letter shapes.
- Adapt the difficulty to your child: too easy is boring, too hard is frustrating. Even numbers come before odd ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should a child know the alphabet?
There is no strict deadline. Most children start recognizing individual letters between ages three and four, and know a good part of the alphabet before starting school. Systematic reading and writing instruction belongs to first grade, so before school it matters more that your child likes letters and books than that they know everything. Big individual differences are normal.
Should kids learn uppercase or lowercase letters first?
Most families start with uppercase letters: they are made of simpler lines, are easier to tell apart, and are easier to recognize and cut out. Add lowercase letters once your child handles uppercase confidently, and leave cursive to school.
Should children learn letters or numbers first?
There is no rule - letters and numbers can be learned in parallel, and the best guide is your child's interest. Some children go crazy for numbers, others for letters. That's why this activity uses both: cards in two colors let you switch between letter and number tasks within the same game.
How long should learning activities last?
Short and sweet: for preschoolers, 5 to 15 minutes of focused play is plenty. End while it's still fun - it's better to hear "again!" than to finish in frustration. Several short games through the week are worth more than one long session.
How do I know if my child understands numbers or just counts by heart?
Counting out loud can be memorized like a song. Check understanding with tasks: "Give me three blocks" (connecting a number to a quantity), counting backward (Activity 5), or "Which is more: 5 or 2?". A child who can solve these understands the concept of number, not just the sequence.
My child writes letters backward. Is it dyslexia?
Mirror writing (a backward E or S, for example) is completely normal up to around age seven and is not by itself a sign of dyslexia. Possible difficulties are better signaled by weak letter recognition, trouble breaking words into sounds, and slow naming of familiar symbols - and only if these persist after school starts. When in doubt, consult a speech-language professional.
