Helping Your Children With Their Learning

There are many ways to help your children with their learning.  Here are some ideas:

READING

Read to your child regularly and take the time to enjoy it!

Visit the library with your children.

Encourage children to talk about what they are reading.

 Lead by example – READ YOURSELF – so your children can see you.

 Encourage children to read a variety of material – magazines, comics, cards, newspapers and websites – these
are all great things to read!

 Read product packaging, such as a cereal packet.

 Read recipes with your children.

 Read signs while you are out and about.

 Ask your children to read the mail to you.

 Listen to story C.D’s in the car.

 Ask older children to read with your younger children every day.

 Make reading fun!

MATHS

Read and add numbers on letterboxes.

 Use toys to count and group.

 Count in your own language and in English.

 Use dice – add, subtract, double and multiply!

Identify geometric shapes in the house and the supermarket – squares, triangles, rectangles, etc.

 Use recipes for counting and measuring.

 Practise fractions by sharing, e.g. cutting ½, ¼.

 Double numbers you see on road signs.

Play board games, e.g. monopoly.

 Teach children about money – prices, change, pocket money and the tooth fairy!

 Use phone numbers, e.g. how many 2’s?  What is the biggest number?

 Play card games – snap, last card, make 10.

Read timetables together – how much longer before the bus comes?

WRITING

Have your children keep a diary.

 Write letters or emails to family members.

 Write a shopping list together.

 Write a story for a younger brother or sister.

 Make birthday or thank you cards.

 Write a family job roster.

 Write a family phone and email list.

 Get children to start their own recipe book.

 Write a movie, T.V. or book review.

 Write outside on the paths with chalk.

 Write short notes to put in each others’ lunchboxes.

 Write a message to a family member, friend or teacher saying what you like about them.

 Have a suggestion box where children can write and ‘post’ ideas, then once a week ask them to read
out all of the suggestions to the family. 

I can do it, you can do it and together we can achieve our goals!