3 Year old not interested in letters or learning

My 3.5-year-old only remembers five letters and shows no real interest in learning more—and now I’m wondering if I should be worried or just chill out.

I’m trying not to overthink it, but lately I’ve been feeling a little unsure about where my daughter is developmentally when it comes to learning things like letters. She’s 3.5 now and still only remembers R, I, E, O, and B. Those are the same ones she knew back when she was 2. No new letters have really stuck since then, even though we casually point them out in books or signs. I never push hard—just a gentle “Hey, do you know what letter this is?” kind of thing. But even when I repeat it a few times, it doesn’t seem to register long-term.

Today we tried a simple game sorting plastic letters, and within a minute she got super hyper and couldn’t focus. It felt like she was more frustrated than interested, so we moved on pretty quickly.

To be fair, she’s way more into physical stuff. She’s been riding a pedal bike for months now, climbs everything, jumps off furniture, runs everywhere, and isn’t afraid of much. Outdoors, she thrives. It’s like she’s in her element when she’s outside climbing on rocks or splashing in puddles.

She has normal language for her age, and she’s constantly role-playing or joking around—a lot. But it’s hard to have a serious conversation with her because she’s usually being silly or speaking in made-up “baby talk.” Ironically, the best conversations I do get with her are when we’re walking through the woods or at the park. Sitting at the dinner table? Forget it. She’s wiggling, bouncing, and interrupting with goofy noises. Crafts like drawing or bead threading don’t hold her attention either.

I think part of this comes from comparing her to how I was as a kid. I was super calm, loved books, and was reading by the time I was 4 or 5. So now I’m wondering—am I expecting too much, too soon? Or is it okay that she’s just a different kind of learner?

Has anyone else had a kid like this—very active, not into letters or sitting still? Did it all click later? Would love to hear how it played out for others.