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Here are some hints and tips on how to help your child with reading, writing and maths.

 

 

 

Helping with reading

 

 

As a parent you are probably helping your child with reading much more than you may realise. If your home contains books, magazines and catalogues and your child sees you reading, if you read to your child and talk together about familiar stories and if you also use printed materials to find things out, then your child already has a head start in this area.

 

How to help with reading homework

 

 

·  Remember that talking about reading is very important, so if your child is sometimes reluctant to read aloud, discussing a book will also help to develop reading skills.

 

·  Concentrate on enjoyment and grasping the meaning rather than absolute accuracy.

 

·  Keep reading time relaxed, comfortable and pleasurable, in a quiet corner, with the television turned off.

 

·  Talk about the cover and read the title before rushing your child into the text, asking questions, such as: what do you think it will be about; what sort of book is it; have you read one like this before?

 

·  Look through the book, noticing interesting pictures and words, then read the opening together.

 

·  Don't correct too quickly. If your child makes an error suggest having another go, searching the pictures for a clue, sounding out the first letter or reading on before you 'tell' the problem word.

 

·  If your child is really struggling, take over the reading yourself and let the teacher know.

 

·  When your child brings home a book that has been read before ask for a summary before reading it again, then discuss the book at a deeper level than last time.

 

·  As your child progresses, talk about authors, characters and plots or what new information has been learnt.

 

·  If your child reads silently ask them to re-tell the part that has been read and encourage the 'pointing out' of relevant sections in the text.

 

·  Attend information sessions about reading run by the school and read any guidance that is sent home.

 

·  Join your local library together and use it regularly. Watch out for storytelling events, summer reads and reviews of new titles.

 

 

 

 

 

This information has been taken form the BBC website www.bbc.co.uk

 

Helping with writing

 

Writing and reading are a part of every subject your child will study at school, and they're vital for many aspects of everyday life. It's crucial to encourage your child's writing skills as much as possible right from the start.

 

Tips and ideas

 

·  Spend quality time each day talking with your child.

 

·  Read to your child - not just stories but a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts - and discuss the ways that authors use words to shape their ideas.

 

·  Be a writing model and encourage your child to write alongside you.

 

·  Create real opportunities for your child to write, such as letters, posters or invitations.

 

·  Have an exciting selection of writing materials readily available.

 

·  Talk to your child about their writing and read it through together.

 

·  Praise your child for trying.

 

·  Don't dwell on mistakes, focus on the content.

 

·  If your child brings a spelling list home to learn, try to make the practice fun by playing games that encourage careful listening to the sounds in words and looking for letter patterns. Your child may enjoy singing or reciting spellings, or writing them out and colouring letter patterns.

 

Most importantly remember that writing can be difficult, so be available, supply help if asked and marvel at how well your child is doing.

 

 

This information has been taken form the BBC website www.bbc.co.uk

 

Helping with maths

 

 

Why helping at home is important

 

 

Mathematics is one of the most important subjects that your child studies at school. Numbers are all around us and even if you don't feel yourself to be a mathematics genius, there is plenty that you can do. In fact, your child should enjoy most of the suggested activities so much that she won't even realise that they’re learning! Current teaching methods for maths and even the way that sums are recorded appear very different from those used twenty years ago. As a result, parents are sometimes reluctant to help their children with maths homework for fear of doing things in the wrong way. However, children do really benefit when parents take a keen interest in their mathematical learning. You can help your child to gain confidence and develop a positive attitude towards mathematics by talking about what has been taught at school and helping her to notice and use mathematics in an everyday context.

 

 

Ideas and tips

 

 

Try some of these to reinforce learning that has taken place at school:

 

·  A key part of maths in school is mental maths, so practise at home. Children must get used to solving problems in their heads. Play games with your child: throw two dice and add or multiply the numbers, then you could try adding three or four throws. Try to get some pace into the game!  Practise adding, taking away, multiplying and sharing objects or money. Shop using money and calculate change.

 

·  Play snakes and ladders, cribbage, darts, dominoes and other games that depend on numbers, counting, calculation and scoring. 'Battleships' is a fun way to use graphs. Invest in a range of maths puzzle books.

 

·    Cooking is great for helping your child get to know simple weights and measures. An old-fashioned set of balance scales is ideal. Count out spoonfuls of ingredients. Bear in mind that your child will be learning the metric system at school, so try to measure amounts in grams and kilograms.

 

·     Capitalise on hobbies. If your child is car-mad, talk about relative engine sizes, fuel economy, speed and performance. If they have a favourite pop group, get them to compile a list of statistics such as the number of weeks each single is in the charts. Watch and play sports that involve scoring, timing, counting, measuring.

 

·  Be creative! Ask your child to look out for patterns and shapes on floors, wallpaper, plants, animals, buildings - anything from the arrangement of tiles in the kitchen to the markings on the cat. Draw objects made entirely of triangles, rectangles or squares.

 

·  Think about time. Look at clocks, both digital and analogue. Estimate how long a certain activity will take to do and see if you are right! Work out how long it is until the next mealtime. Help children to understand bus or train timetables. Play games: how long is a minute, starting from now?

 

·  Think about calendars and dates too. Mark the birthdays of each member of the family on a calendar and work out how far apart each one is. Add other important events, such as a family holiday, and encourage your child to count down to the big day. Use different units: months, weeks and days, even hours, minutes and seconds.

 

·  Use learning games on educational websites: check out the BBC Schools Games Machine for lots of ideas.

 

This information has been adapted form the BBC website www.bbc.co.uk

 

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