Q: My younger son aged 4 years 9 months is studying in Junior KG. He is a very active child at home as well as in the school. The problem what we identified is related to his studies. He is not able to recognise all the alphabets. But he identifies the alphabets by correlating them with words. If we ask him to identify C, he will not answer, but if we ask show the letter C as in cat, he will be able to identify. He is good in counting, identifying colours, reciting rhymes and all other activities. He was a premature baby by birth . Please suggest how to assist him in his studies.

A:Many schools teach reading only through small words. Starting with recognising the alphabets is considered an old fashioned way of teaching. Don't worry. If your child recognises words, he is already doing quite well. Give him lots of play material and picture books. Most children teach themselves - very few are taught. Be more relaxed in your monitoring of his development and treat his happiness as more important than his school performance.