Damien is 13 months old and he loves the “sounds” of things. Animal sounds. Object sounds. Letter sounds. Yes, this little guy loves to learn his alphabet sounds.
The other day he was sitting next to me while I was on my computer, and started bouncing and excitedly saying “H! H! H!“ (the sound it makes, not the letter name). Then, he put his itty bitty finger on the “H” key on my keyboard and repeatedly pressed it while saying ”H! H! H!” like a panting dog in the heat of a southern summer.
He has done that several times. Then today, for about the third time, he went nuts when we passed a bright, shining “EXIT” sign in a store. “Eh! Eh! Eh!“ Yes, he knows the sound of “E” very well.
And you know what? I haven’t been very consistent in teaching him these letter sounds. We play with foam letters sometimes or look at alphabet books or cards, but not every day, and it’s not happened a great many times in his life. As in, I don’t sit down with him and force him to memorize cards for three hours a day to get him to learn stuff. I just show him a little something for two and a half seconds during playtime, and he gets it. He loves it. And that’s how all little ones are – if we only give them a chance and the right environment.
“The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.”
Psalm 29:9
Damien is currently 13 months, 2 weeks old
