So my son who is 5, he starts kindergarten in 2 weeks and I’m kinda nervous. When he was 2 he could say the entire alphabet, count to 20, started the writing process, was very very excelled with it, caught on super fast. Fast forward to now, at 5, he knows how to count still but every single time he skips the number 7, every single time. I’ll remind him and he’ll laugh and say oops but keep doing it. And then with the alphabet, you can show him any letter and he can tell you what it is, he can write any letter and even certain words. But if you ask him to say the alphabet in order he blanks. He doesn’t remember. We’ve tried everything I can think of from the song, worksheets, abc mouse, activities. I’m at a loss here and I’m scared when he takes his kindergarten “test” they’re going to say he’s not ready because of this. Any advice or similar situations and what happened welcome.
Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. How to help my five year old with the alphabet?
He might have a learning disability
I swear my son was the same way. I still don’t know what it is but when he got to school he knew everything I knew he knew. Have faith momma he is going to be okay. Not to mention my son is going to 4th grade and has had straight As since kindergarten.
Give it time once there in school it will come back to him. Dont rush or worry he will be fine
Dont worry mama. He will pick it up in no time in school. He’s doing really well already from what you’ve said he is able to do. Every mom worries their kiddos may not be ready. You’re doing a great job!
Magnetic letters are great for letter recognition.
Knowing the alphabet song is fun but knowing the name of any given letter and it’s sound is much more important. Knowing the alphabet song isn’t going to help him read or write simple words. It’s the sound and name of letter that will help him. As for counting that comes from memory. As long as he practices and hears it over and over he will get it. I’ve had many students who have come into K not knowing much or anything at all. That’s what makes my job rewarding. Seeing the growth from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
He only has to be 5. Push for him to start and get tested. Early intervention is key. They might fight you on it, but remember you are his advocate and voice. Fight for your baby to get help.
Give him the letters mixed up and see if he can put them in order.
I use flashcards, educational games on a kids fire tablet, and just naming every day objects and saying what letter the object starts with and it’s sound.
Om lord they have kindergarten tests ?
Take 10 minutes out every so often during the day and sing the alphabet song and other number songs it makes it fun to learn. I am sure I read in school learning is repetition and it takes the kids average 10 times learning the fun way to take it in… Don’t pile too much pressure on… Make letter cards and throughout the day point to one and ask what it is keeping to the same 3 numbers on a daily basis. X
It’s fine they’ll teach him no worries
They didn’t “test” my son for Pre K or Kindergarten
I taught Kinder before and when we assessed our students in letter recognition the letters were not in order. Not sure how it is where you are but I wouldn’t worry too much. Kids usually skip teen numbers so if he misses 7 then I’m sure he will get it in no time with lots of repetition at school.
Maybe getting like a number line and alphabet line so that he has a visual of the numbers and letters and put it up somewhere he spends a lot of time, even if it makes the living room a little tacky at least it’s somewhere the visual will be available and more seen. And then as he counts have him point to the numbers as he goes so that when he’s able to see and recognize where 7 goes in the number line, and hopefully help him catch on the where it’s supposed to go as he counts. Being able to recognize the letters of the alphabet is WAY better then being able to sing the song. But if learning the song is something you want him good at then on car rides or around the house and things just sing it yourself not necessarily forcing him to sing along but encourage him to sing along with you and the repetitiveness of it will help it stick. Also if your okay with the technology route, blippi may be annoying but he definitely has some good videos tho are engaging and can help with the alphabet and counting. Don’t stress to much school will definitely help him pick it up, it’s kindergarten momma, usually their tests are just to gauge where their starting point is. You’ve got this, it’s absolutely normal to worry about these thing but its gonna be okay. Stay strong!!
Kindergarten teacher here. Breathe!! He will be fine. Kids often do things when they want to and even though that can be super frustrating…. Give him time. Even if they test him, they will quickly realize he is that kid who just needs a little extra push or time to get acclimated. 
And if he’s not ready, he’s not ready. Boys aren’t as ready as girls it’s different than it used to be
And maybe he’s tired of preforming
Following I know how you feel my son is also 5 and starts kindergarten in a few weeks and he knows his numbers up to 20 (but tends to skip over a couple) he doesn’t know his alphabet unless u say them first. I have no idea what to do either. Ive tried everything and it’s like he isn’t interested
He will learn everything in kindergarten don’t stress over it and plus a lot of kids will already be behind due to covid which the school has told me personally don’t stress it he’s on track!
Sing it! It’s easier to remember a song
Leapfrog movies Netflix, Hulu and HBO max has them of buy them from Walmart
They didn’t teach my granddaughter in order She already new them but I saw the work that was sent home
Flashcards. When you have him count don’t point out he forgot 7, he’s wanting you to do that now" ignore it or say " good job" see of he says noooooo I didn’t say 7
Pre-k teacher here. He’ll be fine! Kindergarten is for learning basics. The kindergarten test is just to see where everyone is.
No preschool? (Retired teacher)
This is for math! Children learn through songs a lot faster! I pray this helps. It’s been successful for the past 5 years in my class! https://youtu.be/D0Ajq682yrA
Dont worry he will catch on if they ever sing the song but i have volunteer in head start and did my observation hours in elementary. They dont learn them in order. He sounds like he is already on the right path and his teachers will be happy that you help him this far. Good job Mom.
Pre k teachers here and don’t worry 9 out of 10 kids go to kindergarten not knowing anything so he isn’t behind
Leap Frog videos - recently were free on Roku Channel 
Don’t stress over it, he’ll be taught all that in school. What I would suggest you start is teaching him how to use the bathroom ( and clean himself) on his own. How to wash and dry his hands. Being able to open everything in his lunch box if he will be taking his own lunch. If not then, how to open ketchup packets and how to open milk / chocolate milk cartons, how to insert straw into juice boxes. Yes the teachers will help but they can’t get to everyone who needs help at once.
Jack Hartman YouTube or YouTube kids … my sons kindergarten teacher had them listen to him for 5-10 min each day
My son learned through repetition. I bought flash cards for the alphabet and numbers. I would make him memorize in sets of 5. Once he memorized 5 letters and 5 numbers I moved on to the rest, still in sets of 5 until we we went through everything. He couldn’t memorize any other way, at first I tried making him remember 1 through 10 all at once and it just didn’t work for him that’s when I came up with remembering 1 to 5 first then 6 to 10 and so on. Every kid is different though. But repetition is a big factor. And I don’t think the school will say he’s not ready. They will most likely put him in ELL/ELD classes for the extra help.
He’s just starting kindergarten. I’m sure there will be kids in the class who don’t even know this yet. It’s not time to panic. Let him go to school and worry less about what the teacher might think of you.
Could be dyslexic, it’s not a bad thing and if you teach him early he could learn how to deal with it. My brother’s were like that and they’re both dyslexic
I am going threw this with my 4 year old son hes all of a sudden forgotten his age too but I just keep working on it and being repetitive, he’s getting better with his alphabet already.
If he can already tell you what the letters are. Don’t worry he’s going to do fine in K
My eldest was the same turned out she has a learning disorder she was dismissed after getting a psych evaluation done to determine if she needed antidepressants. I don’t remember the name of the disorder but it had to do with being ankle to pull out learned information. For example you ask 7 plus 7 and she could not remember but if you ask if 7 plus 7 equals 13, 14, 15 she would know it was 14.
They will teach him everything that he needs to know. Testing is to see what he knows already. It has nothing to do with him being ready for kindergarten or not. Relax momma. He’s already ahead of most kids his age.
The test just sees what level they are. He will score higher than others I promise. My son barely spoke when he started VPK and I was scared to death. It was like he was jealous of other kids and became a chatter box. Other kids enthusiasm will peak his and he will want to know them and the song.
Don’t worry he will also get tested at the very end of the year. They will teach him his abc and how to count. I use to be a teacher and they test the smaller kids numerous times throughout the year to make sure they are progressing. Some kids don’t even know how to count or their abcs yet and that is fine
Don’t stress. If he can identify every single letter of the alphabet in random order AND write them then he is already ahead of the game! He sounds super smart. He will be fine.
I bought balloons to teach how to count and learn colors. Cheap and they have fun.
Besides all the apps, computer stuff, etc. Every night before bed we counted to 20 and sang the ABC Song.
Your child will learn a lot in kindergarten and get the child needs. also just reinforce what they are learning at home.
Every child is different,my daughter learned all her letters and sounds with flash cards numbers 1-20 as well and shapes at age 3.She is now 4 and she can read and my older daughter learned everything in kindergarten.Its okay all children are different,he will learn everything in kindergarten 
Start playing it on youtube. Even if it’s just in the background. I did that with my son. I also taped pieces of paper around my house with his name written on it, along with my phone number. He’d randomly spell his name or say my phone number. By the time he started school, he knew how to spell ot out loud as well as write it.
My daughter skips 13 and 17 every single time without fail! I just kindly remind her when we practice. And with her letters she gets some letters mixed up but will get the letter correct when I give her the sound of the letter. He will get it, and being in Kindergarden will help him and hopefully see if he has any learning disorder. I’m in the same exact boat.
When it comes to the alphabet, I think that the order of the alphabet does not matter at this point. What really matters is that he be able to recognize the letters and also sound out each one of them. My son is 7, and I don’t think he knows to say the alphabet in alphabetical order. Quite frankly, I havent even checked because I don’t see any importance on knowing the order. However, he learnt to identify each letter and to sound out each since he was 5, and that helped him to learn to read. He is 7 now, and he knows to read but learning the sounds of each letter was the foundation.
The test is just to see what level they are at so they know where each child needs practice! My daughter took the same test in pre-K last yr and will likely take it again when school starts in September! She’s also 5 and smart. The alphabet is where she struggles though, she can sing the abcs no problem. And she knows what each letter is, but can’t always seem to identify them every time. Watching abc songs, playing alphabet games on my tablet and even helping her little sister learn is what’s helped her. Every kid is different though!
He
Will grow out of it teacher got it every year it is all good
Show him Sign Language video’s on YouTube and have him learn the practice the alphabet that way, that is how I got my now 18 year old how to remember the alphapet.
It’s fine my son was the same and excelled as school once he was in the classroom. Kids forget things when promoted all the time sounds like you have done a great job at home with your little one 
This is perfectly normal, including skipping numbers. This is what programmes like Sesame Street were made for! Also look up Alphablocks, Numberblocks and Numberjacks. Use a dictionary together to start thinking about alphabet order. We also liked alphabet jigsaws. He sounds very bright to me.
Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. How to help my five year old with the alphabet?
My son just turned two and can do the alphabet and count to ten. We got him an amazon kids tablet and there’s a ton of abc games that helped him learn. Maybe try that or if youre comfortable with it, down load some on your phone for him to play to learn. Try playing the abc song all the time so it gets stuck in this head. Flash cards in order etc
I understand at the moment you feel its important but he is already very smart for going into kindergarten and being able to say them in order is not at all important. But it sounds to me like he has gotten bored with it if he could do it but now he skips numbers or acts that he does not know the abc song could be because it’s funner to ( play dumb) and get a response than to say it right again and again. Knowing what the letters are written and what they say is far more beneficial.
My son just finished kindergarten and he always use to get it mixed up. They played the good bye song on YouTube. And taught him the abc. It’s amazing
Breathe mama!
(Former teacher here)
I too had concerns for my kid when she went to get evaluated for kindergarten. She is smart, but would get silly, miss a number or letter. Teachers know when something is known but the kid is being silly vs when there’s an actual concern and they’ll k kw how to help them. Many kids go into kindergarten not knowing ABC, numbers, sight words, etc. And they learn it during the school year.
What is more important is working on social manners and independence. Give me a kid who can zip up their own coat, open up lunch box and any baggies/containers on their own (especially those apple sauce pouches) can clean up toys after themselves, uses the bathroom and wipe by themselves. That helps in the long run.
To be pro active try looking into ABC games. Use shaving cream, sand, etc to spell letters and numbers in. Look into different style songs and rhythm for counting, sight words, or ABCs to sing. Play oral rhyming games, ex A my name is (name starts with A) or how many rhymes you can make with “-at” words (ex cat, hat, fat, mat, etc)
READ and READ often! Just exposure to books helps with counting (count pages, number recognition) letter recognition, increases vocabulary knowledge, teaches that letters form words to form sentences which gives print meaning and holds meaning.
If you’re concerned after the kindergarten evaluation, talk with the teacher then to see how to help at home.
Interestingly enough, my eldest son was just like that at 18 months-2 years. So ahead of the game. Fast forward to junior kindergarten and it appeared that he had regressed and forgotten some of what he knew and I thought it was my fault for not maintaining it I guess. BUT in school he did just fine and there were no concerns, he picked it right back up. All the kids in kindergarten are at different levels and they do really well at learning in the group settings. Bottom line is, don’t worry about a thing. Your little guy will do just fine and is ready ahead of the game! Don’t stress mama
As a veteran early childhood educator, I would much prefer students be able to identify letters in isolation and out of order. Saying/singing the alphabet is just rote memorization and not an indicator of reading success. Relax! If you’ve taught your child to listen and follow directions, be kind to others, played with him and read stories with him, he will be just fine!
My 4 year old struggles with 7 for some reason too
Why are you pushing a five year old let him do school dont rush him. Tell him he will do great and build his confidence.
get him tested for dyslexia
If you go on YouTube look up Jack Hartman. My daughters kindergarten teacher always had his videos for things. He has an upbeat and fun way of doing everything. My daughter had confusion with the alphabet but she learned alot from these songs. I also noticed in 1st grade the teacher used the same guy.
read with him and sing songs with him. there are a heap of age appropriate educational songs and shows for 5 yr olds. Make it fun and don’t stress yourself or him out about it.
My 2nd oldest son did this. He went to school and BAM he knew it all still. When I asked him why he kept pretending he didn’t know anything. He said, because I’m suppose to do it in school.
Relax. Thats what school is for!
Sounds like he is developmentally appropriate. Chill mom. He will do fine and a good teacher will help him to correctly use the knowledge he has. Often children learn best by the mistakes they make.
Before going to sleep sing songs to him! Like the alphabet and numbers or multiplication! That’s what I did for my kids, it was a way to stay connected and also helps them remember because that is the last thing they are thinking about at night before falling asleep!
In the same boat, they’ll learn!
I will tell you a secret in Kindergarten first grade and second grade they are mostly concern with them following directions, not interrupting, listen be quite be respectful. That they need to do things by themselves. He will be fine it will come back to him while the whole class sings it.
My son did the same thing but with number 15. His Kinder teacher said that was actually pretty common. I started off by “show me how you can to count to 10” in your case 5. He’d do that a few times then I’d have him go to 15. Then 20, and 30 and so on. If he missed the number 15, I’d have him start over. It took a few days of this and then he got it. He was proud of himself and it wasn’t a big thing. We’d practice in the car way home from school. Maybe if we had approached it differently he wouldn’t have been so receptive, who knows… every kid and one is different. Good luck mama, he’ll be just fine.
Make flash cards. I did so with my daughter and she knew/could identify every letter at 2
TRUST & BELIEVE, When he goes to School HIS MEMORY will snap in!! ESPECIALLY WHEN THE OTHER CHILDREN CAN DO WHAT HE(pretends) HE CAN’T DO!!( he likes the ATTENTION YOU give him when he skips numbers/letters) DON’T WORRY!! HE’LL BE FINE!! GOOD LUCK!
Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. How to help my five year old with the alphabet?
Look into auditory processing disorder. It’s very common n irlen syndrome. His eyes may play up on him in ways we would never understand. Please address these 2 as they r so often pushed aside. Good luck mumma:heart:
It is not that important that they know how to recite the alphabet. They do need to know the letter names and sound. But it is best to break them down into groups. Also the best way to learn math is through the quantity. Ask them to give you _ many cookies( or any other items). Great to count as often as you can. You May have 4 _. All that said I would wait and see how he does and rely on his teacher’s experience.
Rock n’ Learn DVD’s! They are AMAZING!!! 
Im going through something similar with my 4 almost 5 year old- he recently started kindergarten but did not go to pre k due to covid.
For 6 months solid this kid knew every letter-and its sound and could count to 20- piece of cake
ff to today-
Its like pig latin to him and is pitifully uncertain about every letter and its sound and skips to 11 after number 7🤦♀️
Good news is his teacher thinks he is going to catch on and seems to be okay with him.
Im hoping his school environment is what he needs for it to click.
Your child will do fine when “you” aren’t the teacher. Kids respond differently to different people in different settings. It will all come back when he gets in a classroom/structured setting. No offense to you as a parent. You did your job and he’s more than ready to start school.
My daughter was the same way and its because we’re their parents. Once she was in school she was amazing no issue at all. Completely different child. I wouldn’t force it too much they will work with him in school and im sure he will be fine.
Isn’t that is what Kindergarten is for is for kids to learn?. They don’t have to know everything perfect the first day. Relax Mama, everything will be ok. Don’t put too much stress on these precious little ones.
Talk to the teacher and dr. Both could have an idea of what needs to be done to get your child back on track.
I had them as a boarder around my son’s room and we sang it every morning.
Girl once hes in school he learn it like flying colors.My daughter was lazy when it came to learning numbers and alphabet but once she got in school it came to her like something shes known her whole life.Its OK mama you’re doing great.He will do fine excel more than you know.
I thought my kid was so smart. Knew alphabet and numbers. Later found out she didn’t know a C from a P, etc.
I downloaded an app on my child’s tablet. Its called endless abc. And they have endless 123. Its helped my daughter so much. When she went into preschool she was way ahead and still is… she is now in 3rd grade and can read at a 6th grade lol. 187 words a min. She can read a 23 page chapter of a book in 11 mins…
Leap frog and YouTube videos has a lot of songs. It is a funny way to learn and practice letter sounds and names.
I run a daycare and we play bingo with our colors which also teaches shapes and alphabet bingo and to make it fun we will play for a sucker
Make it into a song, much easier.
I’m on the same situation 
Just chill out(in the nicest possible way) he’s 5!
They put my daughter in speech therapy!
Simply because when showing pictures to her she called……
A safety pin a diaper pin,
A tomato she thought it was a apple,
a bowl of blueberries snd called grapes, and a cup and saucer she referred to as a hot chocolate mug and a plate!
Her speech was perfect!
Tomato was red like a apple,
She heard diaper pin when her sister was a baby,
Her grandfather grew grapes and they made jelly and wine,
We always referred to a mug of hot chocolate even though it was in a coffee cup!
All understandable miss references however they thought she a slow learner or memory issues!
The girl graduated
high school with a 4.0!!!
I was a stay at home mom so we could not afford preschool and were over budget for assistance for her to go!
They told me without preschool she is considered not ready for kindergarten!
I told them what is kindergarten for and the state should make it part of public school funding and bus routes!
When your son sees and hears every day he will pick it up fast and easy!
Singing it makes great progress along with a DANCE…
He will be fine. Don’t put pressure on him or on yourself.
When I was going to school in the early 60’s we learned all that in the 1st grade.
Walmart has workbooks