What does/did your 3 year old know?

Not bragging, just trying to find out where my 3 year old (as of August 21) fits as far as development.





Skills:


Write alphabet, full name, basic words


Write spelled words


Read basic books (Dick and Jane, etc)


Knows colors and shapes


Knows how to mix primary colors to get secondary colors


Turns on/off computer and plays his computer games


Knows numbers 1-100 by sight


Does his chores (loads washer, washes himself, brushes teeth, etc.)





Things he doesn't do:


Refuses to use the bathroom (still in diapers)


Dresses himself (will undress under protest)


Drink from a cup (he thinks it is great fun to pour it every where)





Is he doing everything he should be doing right now? I am a bit concerned that he doesn't dress himself yet.

What does/did your 3 year old know?
I wouldn't worry about the dressing himself stage. My 3 year old learned how to do it last month but his brother was 4 before he did it himself. But you really need to potty train him. Even though his skills look great he won't be allowed to go to kinder garden until he is out of diapers. Other than that I wouldn't be worried.
Reply:my kids were all so different. i've got 4, but the youngest isn't 3 yet:





one was potty trained well before 3, one right at 3, one was closer to 4





one was reading chapter books at 3, the other two couldn't read at all at three (though they all could identify letter sounds).





two could count to well over a hundred, do simple addition and subtraction, and even simple fractions. one could count to 20, and didn't figure out the numbers up to one hundred or simple addition until after turning 4.





all of them were computer whizzes





two could write their names and other words using phonetic spelling. one was hard pressed to write his name or draw a simple picture (and still has trouble with writing in first grade).





all could dress themselves but only some could do zippers. they varied greatly in other self-help skills from my super-independent third child who can do everything to my overcoddled first (I did too much for her -- too much time on my hands back then, i guess ;-) ).





all were amazing at physical feats like climbing, monkey bars, etc.





one could put together 60-piece puzzes ... one struggled with simple 10-piece ones....





all knew colors, shapes, color mixing, body parts, all of that stuff





all loved being read to





... and all are doing great now. :-)
Reply:Children learn things at different paces so I would not worry too much if I were you. Just keep encouraging him to do the things he's not able to do yet. Judging from your list of skills, he sounds like a bright kid and I think you should be very proud!
Reply:I have 3 kids (2) girls (1) boy





Oldest daughter skills @ 3 years old:





Knew her body parts (she knew that at 13 months)


Knew how to dress herself


Knew how to feed herself


knew shapes


knew numbers 1-5


Knew her name ( first , middle, and last)


Drinks from a cup





Youngest daughter who is 3 years old.


Skills:


Knows name (first, middle, last)


Knows body parts


Knows how to put sneakers, shoes on


Knows how to make the letter "A", "C",and "O"


Knows how to feed herself


Uses the potty (50/50)


Knows her shapes


Know her numbers 1-12


Knows the alphabet


Drinks from a cup





My son is only 2
Reply:There is no way that your 3 year old loads the damn dishwasher. What is he? a robot?
Reply:all sounds great, but WAY WAY WAY TOO OLD FOR DIAPERS, should be in underwear, my 2 year old does your list for the most part , what else would a three year old drink from? my one year old uses a cup, sounds like you are spending a lot of time on the academics when the basics are being left out, it should be the opposite
Reply:My son knows the alphabet/phonics, can read Dick and Jane/Hop On Pop - type books, knows numbers 0 - 50 by heart and is pretty good with numbers up to 100, can do basic addition/subtraction, knows his full name, age, address, phone number, and parents' names, knows the days of the week and most months, is a whiz with puzzles and anything electronic, helps around the house (especially with his little broom and mopping up spills), knows shapes, and colors inside and out, is a pretty good drummer (Hubby is a professionally - trained musician), has been fully potty trained for over a year, dresses himself but has trouble with shoes, remembers songs really well (but sometimes likes to make up his own lyrics), is very social but also understands stranger danger, uses a cup, fork, and spoon skillfully, enjoys doing art projects, can use a paintbrush properly (rinsing it off before choosing a new color), holds a pencil properly and can write letters/words (although his handwriting definitely looks like a three - year - old's), can use child scissors to cut paper, draws shapes and basic drawings, pedals a tricycle, enjoys playing preschool board games such as Fishin' Around, Hi Ho Cherrio and Cootie, and has a great imagination. However, we're having a bit of a struggle with his stubbornness. He's going through his "my way or the highway" phase, which we do not allow. He really didn't go through a Terrible Two's stage (in part because he has always a really verbal child), but I think the Terrible Three's are worse! He's also dead set on tying his own shoes, but he can only do the first step. Then, when I try to help or get him to wear Velcro shoes, he becomes really upset.


Here comes the broken record: All kids do things when they are developmentally ready. I really wouldn't worry about your son just yet. It sounds like he's ahead in some areas, and taking a little longer in others. In other words, he's a perfectly healthy toddler.
Reply:That's awesome! My 3-year-old doesn't do all that. She recognizes the letters and her name and knows the sounds of the letters. She knows colors and shapes and mixing colors. She counts to 20. She uses the bathroom and dresses herself and drinks from a cup. Your son probably is lacking in the other things b/c he's concentrated his energy on the other things he's learned so you shouldn't worry about it. It's also probably a rebellious thing, he doesn't want to do it b/c you want him to do it.
Reply:He sounds a lot like my daughter. My daughter recognizes all letters, and numbers. Her vocabulary is huge. She knows how to operate the dvd player, the phone, the microwave (though she's not allowed). She is reallly imaginative. She does 25 piece puzzles by herself. She knows her colors. She has good hygiene (brushes teeth, washes self). She's a super bright child, as is yours. The problem with her is that we've have serious trouble getting her potty trained. She's been doing great this month, and we almost got it down. My daughter doesn't always dress herself either, but she knows how. She does drink from a cup.


Bottom line is that all kids are different. My nephew is 4 and won't feed himself, doesn't know any colors, numbers or letters yet. My friend's kids are the same way. They are perfectly normal, but I feel like they don't know as much as my kid. You have obviously put in a lot of time to teaching your son and raising him to learn and explore. So what if he's not drinking from a cup... he's fine. And honestly, the reason why he doesn't do these things is becasue he doesn't WANT to. I would almost garuntee that he CAN do them... but he's just being three!
Reply:My daughter is 3. She can do most of those things. She also dresses herself and have been potty trained since she has been 1 1/2. I think I would be working on that more than worrying if he can dress himself or count to 100. She loves to sit down and color and do crafts and sing songs. She loves doing dishes in her kitchen and just playing around.