Tips for supporting your child's learning at home
At Bolton Brow we strongly encourage that you support your child’s education at home. The good news is that there are so many learning opportunities in the home! You don't need to know everything or understand the curriculum to provide some really good learning outcomes for your child. This page gives some tips on how you can help at home.
Each half term, every class sends out a newsletter, which provides an overview of all the learning that will take place that half term. It also provides a list of key vocabulary you can use at home and directs you to ways you can support your child’s learning at home.
Please remember we are always here to support you and offer advice. If you would like any paper copies of the resources below please contact school.
Getting ready to start Reception
Starting school is an important milestone in the life of a child and their parents. When children experience a smooth and happy transition from pre-school to primary school, they are more confident and successful through their primary school years and beyond. Planning, communication and collaboration helps to make this transition smoother. Here are some ideas to help you as a parent to plan and prepare for this important event.
Speaking and Listening
It might not look like learning, but conversation is one of the most powerful things you can do for your child's development. Talking together, asking questions, telling stories and really listening all build the foundations for reading and writing. Here are a few simple ideas to try.
“The way we communicate with others and ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”
Reading and phonics
Reading opens up worlds. And the good news is, you don't need to be a bookworm yourself to help your child fall in love with it. Whether your child devours stories or finds reading a bit of a battle, there are simple, enjoyable ways to make books (and words, and stories) part of everyday life at home. Here are some ideas and resources to support you.
Learning to read starts with phonics - the way letters and sounds work together. We’ve also got some resources about our phonics schole so that what you do at home joins up with what's happening in the classroom. You don't need to be an expert; even a few minutes of practice together can make a real difference.
Ten Tips
1. Encourage your child to read
Reading helps your child’s wellbeing, develops imagination and has educational benefits too. Just a few minutes a day can have a big impact on children of all ages.
2. Read aloud regularly
Try to read to your child every day. It’s a special time to snuggle up and enjoy a story. Stories matter and children love re-reading them and poring over the pictures. Try adding funny voices to bring characters to life.
3. Encourage reading choice
Give children lots of opportunities to read different things in their own time - it doesn’t just have to be books. There’s fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, magazines, recipes and much more. Try leaving interesting reading material in different places around the home and see who picks it up.
4. Read together
Choose a favourite time to read together as a family and enjoy it. This might be everyone reading the same book together, reading different things at the same time, or getting your children to read to each other. This time spent reading together can be relaxing for all.
5. Create a comfortable environment
Make a calm, comfortable place for your family to relax and read independently - or together.
6. Make use of your local library
Visit your local library to explore all sorts of reading ideas. Local libraries also offer brilliant online materials, including audiobooks and ebooks to borrow, and run family activity sessions.
7. Talk about books
This is a great way to make connections, develop understanding and make reading even more enjoyable. Start by discussing the front cover and talking about what it reveals and suggests the book could be about. Then talk about what you’ve been reading and share ideas. You could discuss something that happened that surprised you, or something new that you found out. You could talk about how the book makes you feel and whether it reminds you of anything.
8. Bring reading to life
You could try cooking a recipe you’ve read together. Would you recommend it to a friend? Alternatively, play a game where you pretend to be the characters in a book, or discuss an interesting article you’ve read.
9. Make reading active
Play games that involve making connections between pictures, objects and words, such as reading about an object and finding similar things in your home. You could organise treasure hunts related to what you’re reading. Try creating your child’s very own book by using photos from your day and adding captions.
10. Engage your child in reading in a way that suits them
You know your child best and you’ll know the best times for your child to read. If they have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) then short, creative activities may be the way to get them most interested. If English is an additional language, encourage reading in a child’s first language, as well as in English. What matters most is that they enjoy it.
Department for Education 2022
Times Tables
Knowing their times tables gives children a real confidence boost in maths. And the good news is that short, regular practice is far more effective than long sessions. Here are some resources to help, including ways to practise that don't feel much like work at all.