This age can be very difficult to discipline a child to focus. I would suggest using alphabet soup when teaching her the alphabet. It's a fun, interactive appraoch. Also, you could use the big block letters that can be implemented on a wall or other hard surface. You have to make it more of a fun experience, indirectly being an educational one. Hope this helps.

She is ONLY a preschooler!Children don't really develop their fine moter skills for writing till they are in kindergarten. Most children can trace but still wont be completely staying on the inside of the lines when coloring till the end of their kindergarten year. I agree with hannamom the best thing you could get for your child is Leap Frog or Leapster anything. You want to make learning fun and rewarding in Preschool and Kindergarten because its the foundation for the rest of their learning years!If you make it a chore they will fight you on it and hate learning. I also agree with teacher/parent to do and get fun things that involve ABC's and 123's(shaving cream letters are a blast for a kid).

I had this problem with my daughter... ...she was excelling in everything, but when it came time to write letters. etc., it was like poulling teeth. We approached it with the "My First Leap Frog" (About $40 at WalMart.) This allowed her to have the "game" teeach at her pace. Within a month she was writing her letters, displaying letter recongnition and was able to recognize 3 letter sight words! In Kindergarten, we were approached about the methods we had used, as the teacher had noticed the acceleration. She is now in the third grade and has been in the Gifted Program for 2 years now. (She is pacing at a 6th Grade level in reading and math!) She is also fluently writing in cursive! I hop ethe Leap Frog System is as successful for your family as it was for mine.

I would ask your daughter's pediatrician if he/she can recommend a developmental optometrist, or find one through www.childrensvision.com/OD.htm
Separately, I would also contact the public school district to request a speech/language and occupational therapy evaluation.
Please also join us in the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554 to find out more about testing and your rights, and what the schools can do, versus doctors evaluations.

It helps to make games of the things that children must do but seem to fear to do - to suggest the best alphabet games for her, I'd need to know more about her. Can she say her alphabet? Can she sing the alphabet song? Can she count to 10?
If she can sing the alphabet song, and doesn't want to try to identify the letters in print - I'd suggest starting with shaving cream in the bathtub. Or put whipped cream in the shape of an A on her next ice cream sundae - better yet, put her initials in whipped cream on her next ice cream sundae.
And get alphabet cheerios - or alphabet letter cookies. Have a tea party and give her the cookie letters that spell her name.
The point is to find fun ways to intrigue her a bit about the letters. Don't make her write or try to write them - that comes last. Focus on getting her to be able to tell you what letters they are but make it all fun and take it very slow and start with the letter that her name starts with and the other letters of her name using shaving cream, whipped cream, alphabet soup, alphabet cookies and cereal.
The same can be done with numbers but I'd start with the alphabet letters of her name and the number that represents how old she is.
A-n-n-a - 5
Good luck.

Hello and thank you for your kind reply. Should I ask her teachers if she requires a comprehensive vision test because she does not stay within the lines when she colors and she seems to color really messy and as far as her spelling her name she can't. Where should I take her for this comprehensive vision test?
thanks

RELAX! Easy for a mom of 8 to say. But I do remember the days of my first one and each child is different. So, you know that school will probably bring that out of her. Then your job is to reinforce what the school environment has done. Make it all positive and don't tense out because she probably is feeling that from you. Since kids are very good at sensing their parents feelings. This could be why she is reacting this way now. One thing I learned as a mom is that kids respond better to other people's direction especially when their in a group and see other kids working and enjoying themselves. Just encourage her and let go a little and all should be fine.

This article might be helpful as well:
www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/3689

Take a look at this web site which promotes pre-reading skills in children:

www.getreadytoread.org/content/view/396

Try www.starfall.com
Has great literacy games for her age.

Hi. I wouldn't be worried about your daughter not reading yet, but I am concerned about her lack of interest in even learning letters of the alphabet. Can she spell her own name? When your daughter colors, does she stay within the lines fairly well? I'm wondering if you've ever taken her for a comprehensive vision test? There are developmental optometrists that should be able to tell you whether she's got any kinds of issues with tracking, for example. (Some kids can have good vision at a distance, but their eyes don't focus together up close, and things like letters on a worksheet or in a book can blur, and may even seem to "jump around.")

Try and be creative as possible-finger paint,play dough,paint for the bath, shaving cream,you can spray the letters on tile in the bath.Whatever gets her attention,my son is the same and I hope these hints help.