Children age 5–6 will have a growing knowledge of phonics and will be building up a range of reading skills. Find out how you can support them at home.
Reading: Age 5–6 (Year 1)
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Blog posts for: Oxford Owl
Reading: Age 6–7 (Year 2)
Children age 6–7 will continue to build up a range of reading skills. Find out what you can do at home to support your child’s reading development.
Multiplication & division in Year 5 (age 9–10)
In Year 5, your child will find multiples and factors, and will solve more complex problems. Help your child learn at home with our advice and activities.
Reading: Age 10–11 (Year 6)
By Year 6, your child will hopefully be reading independently at home and school. Find out how to encourage a love of reading in your child.
Fractions in Year 5 (age 9–10)
In Year 5, your child will continue to learn about fractions as numbers, measures, and operators. They will learn about percentages and thousandths.
Reading: Age 9–10 (Year 5)
In Year 5, your child will be encouraged to read widely. Find out how to encourage them at home as they discover different types of language and writing.
Reading: Age 8–9 (Year 4)
In Year 4, your child will be developing into an increasingly fluent reader. The focus will now be on building comprehension. Find out how to help them at home.
Reading: Age 7–8 (Year 3)
Children in Year 3 will hopefully be on the way to becoming a confident, independent readers. Find out how you can support their reading development at home.
Fractions in Year 6 (age 10–11)
In Year 6, your child will solve lots of problems involving fractions, decimals, and percentages. They will simplify and multiply fractions.
Fractions in Year 3 (age 7–8)
In Year 3, your child will learn about tenths, unit fractions, and non-unit fractions, and will begin to understand equivalent fractions.
Addition & subtraction in Year 2 (age 6–7)
In Year 1, your child will solve problems using objects, diagrams, and symbols. Help your child learn at home with our activities, videos, and advice.
Multiplication & division in Year 2 (age 6–7)
In Year 2, your child will learn the 2, 5, and 10 multiplication tables and will solve more complex problems. Help at home with our activities and advice.
Children’s dictionaries – how to find the right dictionary for your child
Find the right dictionary for your child with these four useful tips.
Key Stage 1 SATs
The National Curriculum tests or SATs can seem like a daunting part of your child’s education but, if you know what to expect, they don’t need to be scary for you or your child!
Addition & subtraction in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, addition and subtraction are very important components of maths learning. Help your child learn at home with our activities, videos, and advice.
Calculation in Year 6 (age 10–11)
In Year 6, your child will use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in calculations. Help your child at home with our activities and advice.
500 Words: Black Lives Matter – how are British children responding to the emerging themes and issues in their writing?
Almost 6,000 children entered the writing competition in July 2020 and Oxford University Press’ analysis shines a light on children’s insight, empathy, and imagination when writing about race. Find out more.
Learn to read with phonics
What is phonics? Find out in our phonics guide for parents. Learn about Letters and Sounds, the phonics screening test, and how to practice phonics at home.
Multiplication & division
All you need to know about how multiplication and division are taught in primary school. Help your child learn at home with our activities and advice.
Number & place value in Year 5 (age 9–10)
In Year 5, your child will know numbers up to 1,000,000, and Roman numerals up to 1000 (M). Help your child at home with our activities and advice.
Addition & subtraction
Learn how addition and subtraction is taught at primary school and find out to support your child at home, with lots of fun ideas and free activities.
Book of the Month: Roald Dahl Words of Magical Mischief
Celebrate Roald Dahl Story Day with Roald Dahl Words of Magical Mischief, a brand-new, wickedly mischievous guide to the magical words!
Maths education glossary: A to L
Find helpful explanations of maths terms, as well as activities, downloadable sheets, and videos for further support. From arrays to long division.
Number & place value in Year 6 (age 10–11)
In Year 6, your child will know numbers up to 10,000,000 and will round integers to any degree of accuracy. Help at home with our advice and activities.
Multiplication & division in Year 3 (age 7–8)
In Year 3, your child will learn to multiply a two-digit number by a one-digit number. Help your child learn at home with our advice and activities.
Multiplication & division in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, your child will recall multiplication and division facts for times tables up to 12 × 12. Help your child at home with our advice and activities.
Phonics screening check
Everything you need to know about the phonics screening check, taken by 6-year-olds in Year 1. Phonics advice for parents and activities to try at home.
Number & place value
Understanding what numbers mean is essential for learning maths. Find out how your child will learn at primary school – and how you can help at home.
Your local library – a forgotten treasure trove
Guest blogger and primary school librarian Clare Turner gives her top five reasons why you should visit the library with your child.
Geometry & shapes in Year 2 (age 6–7)
In Year 2, your child will learn to describe 2D and 3D shapes using accurate mathematical vocabulary. They will also learn to find 2D shapes in 3D shapes, to arrange shapes into patterns, and to talk about rotation.
Early years
If your child is aged 3–4, the chances are that they are in some form of Early Years setting, whether at nursery, preschool, or with a childminder. Find out what they’ll be learning and how you can help.
Fractions in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, your child will explore the link between fractions and multiplication/division. They will also use numbers with up to two decimal places.
Multiplication & division in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, your child will learn to use ‘×’, ‘÷’, and ‘=’ signs, will use arrays, and will use grouping and sharing to divide. Find out how to help at home.
How to write your best story ever!
Christopher Edge, author of ‘How to Write your Best Story Ever!’, shares his top 10 tips to help your child write amazing stories.
Non-verbal reasoning
Parents with children in Year 6 will probably hear about non-verbal reasoning a lot. But what exactly is non-verbal reasoning?
Summer reading for kids: recommended books
From island adventures to stories about twin detectives, here’s our list of favourite children’s books to read this summer.
What is Letters and Sounds?
Find out about this popular approach to helping children learn to read with phonics. Discover which graphemes, phonemes, and tricky words are taught in each phase.
Language unlocks reading – easy ways to support your child’s early language skills
A recent report highlights the link between children’s early language skills and their life chances. We look at simple everyday activities to boost your child’s communication, language and reading skills.
Book of the Month: Progress with Oxford: Age 8–10 Activity Books
From cracking comprehension to tackling times tables, Progress with Oxford has been created to help your child practise essential numeracy and literacy skills at home.
Four top tips for getting the most out of non-fiction
There are lots of great reasons to share factual books with your child. Here are our top four tips for getting the most out of reading non-fiction.
2019 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year: Brexit
Brexit is the 2019 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year. Find out about children’s evolving use of language from analysis of stories from BBC 500 Words 2019.
Why does your child need a dictionary?
Dictionaries are great for developing your child’s vocabulary, but not just any will do. Publisher Sam Armstrong explains how Oxford Children’s Dictionaries can support your child.
Geometry & shapes in Year 3 (age 7–8)
In Year 3, your child will continue to learn the properties of shapes, will investigate right angles, and will understand perpendicular and parallel lines.
Book of the Month: Oxford Phonics Spelling Dictionary
The Oxford Phonics Spelling Dictionary is packed with words ordered by phonic sound to help young children learn how to spell. Enter our competition to win a free copy.
Addition & subtraction in Year 3 (age 7–8)
In Year 3, your child will use a mental and written strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems. Find out how to help your child learn at home.
Measurement in Year 5 (age 9–10)
In Year 5, your child will convert between metric and imperial units. They will find and use area and perimeter, capacity and volume, and units of time.
Addition & subtraction in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, your child will solve problems involving numbers up to four digits. Help your child learn at home with our activities, videos, and advice.
How to choose a book for ages 3–7
Children’s librarian Greta Paterson shares her 5 top tips for choosing books for 3–7 year olds.
Number & place value in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, your child will learn to count up to and slightly beyond 100 in multiples of 1, 2, 5, and 10. Help at home with our activities and advice.
Book of the Month: Read with Oxford comic books
Win two Read with Oxford comics, full of fun characters and engaging storylines – from sneaking past ticklish octopuses to getting cuddly bumbles home for tea.
7 ways to practise multiplication skills at home
Bring maths to life with these seven easy activities you can try at home to build and improve your child’s understanding of multiplication.
Fractions, decimals & percentages
Here are some simple things you can do at home to support your child’s developing understanding of fractions, decimals, and percentages.
4 fun ways to develop characters for a short story
Every story needs a star! These four fun activities will help any aspiring author dream up some page-turning protagonists.
‘Trump’ revealed as Children’s Word of the Year 2017
The team at Oxford Children’s Dictionaries have been poring through all 131,798 entries to identify the Children’s Word of the Year 2017 as ‘trump’.
Book of the Month: Big Words for Little People
To celebrate the publication of the brand-new Big Words for Little People series, we’ve got three pairs of books to give away! (November 2020)
Maths education glossary: M to Z
Find helpful explanations of maths terms, as well as activities, downloadable sheets, and videos for further support. From measurements to word problems.
Times tables tips
Our times tables top tips will provide some useful advice, ideas, and free activities to help you support your child in learning their times tables.
The curriculum for maths in Year 5 (age 9–10)
Find out what will be expected of your child in maths in Year 5 at primary school, as they continue to develop their mental arithmetic skills.
What to expect in Year 1 (age 5–6)
Find out what your child will learn in the year 1 primary curriculum for literacy and maths and ways to support home learning. Learn more about the phonics screening test.
What to do if you’re worried about your child’s mental health
Advice from the NSPCC about how you can support your child to cope with stress and anxiety, and information about children’s mental health.
Addition & subtraction in Year 5 (age 9–10)
In Year 5, your child will mentally solve problems involving large numbers, and will tackle longer multi-step calculations. Help your child learn at home.
The curriculum for maths in Year 2 (age 6–7)
By the end of Year 2, pupils should know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using place value. Leanr more about the curriculum in Year 2.
What to expect in Year 6 (age 10–11)
Find out what to expect in Year 6 at primary school as your child prepares for their Key Stage 2 SATs and the transition to secondary school.
2020 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year: Coronavirus
Coronavirus is the 2020 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year. Find out about children’s evolving use of language from analysis of stories from BBC 500 Words 2020.
Geometry & shapes in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, your child will recognise 2D and 3D shapes and will explain simple turns (for example, a half-turn). They will use some basic geometry words, like sides and edges.
Early numeracy skills: 6 fun ways to encourage counting
It’s never too early to explore numbers and counting with your child. Encourage early numeracy skills with these 6 great activities.
What to expect in Year 3 (age 7–8)
Find out what your child will learn in Year 3 as they enter Key Stage 2, and how you can support their learning at home.
Developing reading skills as your child gets older
Once your child has mastered phonics and word-reading, where do they go next? Here are our ideas to keep your 7–11-year-old’s reading skills developing.
Number & place value in Year 2 (age 6–7)
In Year 2, your child will order numbers from 1 to 100, and will know the place value of two-digit numbers. Help at home with our activities and advice.
Measurement in Year 6 (age 10–11)
In Year 6, your child will use formulae to calculate area and volume, will convert between units of measurement, and will solve tricky measurement problems.
Storyteller videos: Winnie and Wilbur
Join Winnie the Witch and her cat Wilbur on their madcap adventures in these stories from the Read with Oxford range of early readers.
What to expect in Year 2 (age 6–7)
Find out what your child will learn in Year 2, what to expect in their end of year tests, and how you can support their learning at home.
Number & place value in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, your child will use negative numbers, will round numbers, and will learn Roman numerals. Help at home with our advice and activities.
How to find the perfect words for your story
Every writer wants to find the perfect words to tell their story. These activities will guide your child through four ways to make language sparkle in their creative writing, from creating striking similes to wielding unusual words.
Fractions in Year 2 (age 6–7)
In Year 2, your child will continue to learn about halves and quarters. They will also begin to think about how to make and recognise thirds.
4 tips to inspire children’s creative writing
Coming up with a great story idea can be tricky, which is why we’ve gathered together four fun activities to inspire your child’s creative writing.
How to make time for homework and home learning – tips for creating the right space and schedule in busy households
There are lots of simple things you can do to make doing homework a positive and rewarding experience for your child and to support their learning at home. Isabel Thomas gives us her tips for creating the right space and schedule in busy households.
Reading for pleasure: Ten ideas to inspire your child to read more
Reading for pleasure is so important in developing vocabulary. Use these ideas to inspire your child to keep on reading as they get older.
The curriculum for maths in Year 6 (age 10–11)
Find out what will be expected of your child in maths in Year 6 at primary school, as they prepare for their Key Stage 2 SATs.
The word gap: How to build your child’s vocabulary at home
Oxford University Press surveyed over 1,300 teachers who reported that the word gap is not only affecting children’s achievement at school but also that it can have a damaging impact on self-esteem and children’s ability to make friends. Find out what you can do to encourage language development at home.
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SATs skills: Preparing your child for KS2 SATs
Everything you need to know to prepare your child for the key stage 2 SATs, including expert advice and example questions.
Inspire the author in your child with the BBC 500 Words Competition 2020!
Oxford Dictionaries for Children has teamed up with BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words – the nationwide competition to find the most talented young writers in the UK!
8 fun ways to learn about shapes
Shapes are all around us and there are many ways you can start exploring them with your child. Get ideas on how to help familiarise your child with different shapes in all sorts of contexts.
The curriculum for Maths in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, children will develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting, and place value. Learn more about the maths curriculum in Year 1.
The curriculum for maths in Year 4 (age 8–9)
Find out what your child will be expected to learn in maths in Year 4 at primary school. They will be doing more work with fractions and decimals.
Book of the Month: Super Happy Magic Forest and the Humongous Fungus
Five brave heroes, one epic quest… It’s time to head back into the Super Happy Magic Forest! Enter our competition to win your free copy.
4 top tips for writing great plots
Top tips for helping children develop great plots in their creative writing.
Learning to tell the time
Telling the time is an important skill in everyday life, but it can be tricky to learn. You can start to increase your child’s awareness of time from a young age with simple activities and games.
What to expect in Year 5 (age 9–10)
Find out what to expect in Year 5 at primary school as your child starts to embed the knowledge needed for the tests at the end of Year 6.
What to expect in Year 4 (age 8–9)
Find out what your child will learn in Year 4, and how you can support their learning at home.
Fun Christmas activities for 0–4 year olds
From hand-print Christmas wreaths to games to develop shape recognition skills, discover lots of toddler-friendly crafts and activity ideas to try with your little ones this Christmas!
Everyday activities to practise subtraction
Subtraction is a key concept in the primary maths curriculum. Here are some easy activities you can try at home to build your child’s skills and confidence.
Measurement in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, your child will have explored measurement in relation to length, height, weight, volume, and time. They will also start to learn about money.
Measurement in Year 3 (age 7–8)
In Year 3, your child will add and subtract measurements, will calculate with money, and will be able to very accurately talk about and tell the time.
Measurement in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, children will convert between different standard measures. They will also find perimeters and areas of shapes, use money, and explore time.
Christmas activities for 4–5 year olds
Practise early maths and letter recognition skills with some Christmas colouring in and get lots of car game ideas to keep everyone occupied on long journeys this Christmas.
Five creative ways to help with spelling homework
Looking for some fun spelling ideas? Look no further. These games will help your child to learn those spelling words and enjoy it in the process.
Primary statistics
Statistics and data are essential for understanding the world. Find out the data skills your child will learn at school and how you can help at home.
Five easy ways to explore fractions with your child
Here are five easy ways you can relate fractions to everyday life, including ideas for using food, fun activities, and a free ‘Fractions in School’ booklet.
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