Learning at Home

Homework
When your child begins school you buy a Homework folder to keep at home. This means there is always something you can do with your child to help their learning move forward. 

Reading
Children will bring home reading books on most days. If a child reads one book a night, that is good. But if a child reads several books a night, that is even better.  Children learn by reading, and it doesn't matter if they have read the book before, it still helps them to familiarize themselves with new words.

Sometimes you can read the book to them.
-you can ask them to point under the words while you read. 
-you can ask them to read with you.
-always try to make the story sound interesting.


Make HOMEWORK a fun time.


Other Reading Tips
  • Talk about how a sentence begins with a CAPITAL letter.
  • Discuss how sentences end with full stops.
  • Talk about "speech marks" and how their job is to show that someone is talking
  • Ask what a question mark is and why it is there. 
  • (Good luck with explaining the difference between a question and a statement!)
  • Talk to your child about how an exclamation mark can make the word sound louder in your head.
  • Ask your child to point out words they know in their reading books.
  • Use the set of flash cards to learn basic reading words. That's why they are there. (And remember, there is a handout giving you lots of ideas on how to use them.)
  • Above all help your child make sense of what they read.

Spelling
Alphabet Knowledge.
Before a child can begin to spell they need to know individual alphabet letters and sounds.
It is no use trying to spell the word 'to' and knowing that it begins with 't' if they don't know what a 't' looks like.
Help your child learn individual letter names and sounds by playing games at home with them. Bingo is an easy game to play. Check out alphabet games and activities on line.
Work through the alphabet songs in their homework folder.


Learning Words
The Homework folder has lists of spelling words for your child to learn. Start with one or two a week. The first, most useful word for them to spell is their name. Start with a capital letter and then use lower case letters. Mum,  Dad and I are also useful words for them to learn. Tell them that an I by itself is always a capital.
The, we, went, a, A, to, is, am, going are the next words they can learn. You can write  a lot of stories with these basic words.
Teach them to write their brother and sisters names. Then continue with the basic spelling 
words. 


But remember, make it a FUN time, not a chore.


Writing
Printing
It is very important that your child learns correct letter formations from the beginning as it is quite hard to break an established habit.
If you are not sure of the correct way to form letters, it is probably the way that you learnt when you were a child. If you are not sure, check in the Homework folder.  
Let children have the opportunity to hold pencils to draw and colour in.  


Writing Stories
Write postcards, letters and cards to grandparents, and other friends and family.
Keep a scrapbook at home and write about important events that happen. 




Mathematics
Numerals 
There are many ways you can help your child(ren) learn Maths at home. Teach them to count, first to 10, then 20, 50, and a 100. 

Teach them to count backwards......they can be a rocket blasting off into space.
           10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,......BLAST OFF!!!
Make counting fun and count objects and actions.
eg: How many steps to the front door?
     How many flowers in the garden?
     How many apples in a bowl?
Help them learn numeral names.  Cut up an old calendar and let them sort numerals. Help them to put the numbers in order.


Teach them that the teen numbers end in teen, not ty.
eg:  eleven, twelve, thirteen. fourteen. fifteen


Teach them what numbers come before and after other numbers.
eg: What number comes before 4? After 4.


Talk about the numbers that come before and after the decade numbers. 
    20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100,
(Many children can count to 100 but haven't a clue what the next number is.)


Addition and Subtraction
Help your child learn simple facts.
eg: 1+1=2    2-1=1
      1+2=3    3-2=1
      1+3=4    4-3=1
      1+4=5    5-4=1




Geometry
Teach your child the names of shapes you see around you.
Circle, Square, Rectangle, Square, Oval, Diamond, Hexagon.


Ask them questions.
eg: What shape is a door? a ball? a rugby ball?


Fractions
Talk about halves and quarters when cutting an apple into pieces, or a pie, a pizza, or a piece of toast.


Money
Talk about the names of coins, and which coins are worth the most and the least.


Make your child's learning fun, turn learning into a game. Make homework a quality time with your child.