Supporting learning

I am looking for a bit of advice on how to help my DS with all the things he is wanting to learn. He is 4 in a couple of months.

About a month ago DS decided he could write his name. It obviously wasn't perfect but a good attempt. Now he will write anything I spell out for him (makes writing the shopping list p.a.i.n.f.u.l.l.y slow!). Because he has suddenly became interested in words, he is sounding out everything he hears, telling me what letters things start with etc. I got some phonic readers books which we started reading at bedtime about 2.5 weeks ago. So he has probably read each book 3-4 times. If I pick the rhyme/repeat words he can tell me what it says, as well as some of the little words like the, on etc. I wasn't sure if it was just from memory, so yesterday I wrote out about 12 of the heavily repeated words onto strips of paper and he can actually either read them straight away or sound them out easily. I only picked words from a few of the books, so I assume that he can now recognise around 40-50 words.

Maths-wise, he has always been good at word equations but now he has started adding and subtracting straight numbers using his fingers. He is also asking me what x lots of x are - basic times tables?! I have never done any maths beyond basic counting because I don't know what to do. Any suggestions for teaching basic maths?

Is this sort of stuff normal at this age? It seems like he is learning things very quickly, but then he always has. This is on top of the current obsession about space/volcanos (his one track dedication to his current topic of interest even impresses his kindy teachers!).

Is there anything I should be doing beyond reading with him and answering his questions? Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up with him!

I was similar as a child - just keep on answering his questions! At this age, it's pretty hard to push them to learn more: they want to learn as much as they can.

WRT the times tables, start with the two times table and move onto the three times table when he's got the idea. (BTW, I absolutely hated teachers telling me to use blocks to do times tables/counting: I visualise numbers in my head, not blocks. I am a very abstract thinker.)

As for interests, just again go with the flow. Show an interest in them. Space and volcanoes are really cool anyway. Have you tried making a volcano with him (baking powder and vinegar)?

It isn't normal, not by a long shot. It is exceptional. However, there are down sides to being super-bright. First there may be a tendancy to give up when something's too hard as perseverance is not learnt. There are skills outside of the intellectual that need work on as well, so don't expect that because a child can reason as an adult they have the emotional maturity and empathic skillset they need for friendships.

Extreme intelligence at a young age and obsessions (even changing obsessions) can be a marker for Asperger's: this is something that I have been diagnosed with as an adult and been told that these were all clues that would (should?) be picked up these days. However, I am aware this is a label that is generally not wanted. It isn't a certainty, but is a possibility so may be worth asking his teachers about this. (FWIW we looked into DS maybe having autism due to his obsessions when he was younger, but he's less obsessional now and has always had strong social skills - so I know it can be a bit worrying to have to consider this. But the earlier the intervention, the easier it is for the child.)

Arte, I suspect W is tracking well ahead developmentally with this stuff. While many kids 'get' reading/sounding out words etc around this age, it's less usual for the more complex maths concepts to be emerging. To give you an idea, they don't really get onto times tables or multiplication until about grade 3 at school. That's not to say that kids aren't developing the foundation concepts, but they may not make the leap.

The only thing I can suggest is maybe get some early primary activity books (often sold near the colouring in things) and some educational software games. That will give you both some ideas.

Thanks ladies.

TFB, you are right on that his intellectual side and emotional side were miles apart in maturity - I think that has been the main reason for the mega tantrums that we have had over the last couple of years - he could understand but couldn't deal with his emotional response to things.
He has been slow socially, but we have made a lot of effort to take him to all the kid activities around here because I can see that he tends towards being socially retarded like me. He is doing really well now and is very social and chatty and engaging at kindy so I am not worried about that aspect any more.
We do indulge his obsessions, atm we read a few pages of a space reference book for bedtime stories along with the readers. He spied the recipe for making a volcano in a book at kindy and talked the teacher into letting him do it there - bless the mess they make at kindy that I don't have to clean up!

MD, those activity books are a good idea, I might see if I can get a couple of maths ones. I think he seems to be learning words organically through reading so we might just keep going that way. I am not keen on using the computer because he tends to zorb into the ipod etc so I try to limit his time with them. And DD has to be in on the action when he is near anything lol

I am thinking those little counter buttons might be a good idea for maths concepts? He is very visual and logical so I think that might be the way to go.

Maybe, Artechim, but as I said, I dealt with numbers abstractly (and was doing times tables at 5, don't have a clear memory of it beforehand but could have been) and hated counters. So try it, but it may not work. But it may, everyone has different brains.

I make volcanoes outside, you are right about the mess. Mints into a bottle of cola (outside!) also make an excellent space rocket.