Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 27th April–1st May.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 2
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Blog posts for: Age 4-5
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 1
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For the week 20th–24th April.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 8
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 15th–18th June.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 3
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 4th–8th May.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 5
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 18th–22nd May.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 9
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 22nd–25th June.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 7
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 8th–11th June.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 6
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 1st–4th June.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 4
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 11th–15th May.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 11
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 6th–9th July.
BBC Bitesize lesson support: Week 10
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 29th June–2nd July.
BBC Bitesize lesson support
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 13th–16th July.
Learning to read in Reception
Find out what sort of books to expect to come home in your child’s book bag, and get top tips on how best to support your child.
Children’s dictionaries – how to find the right dictionary for your child
Find the right dictionary for your child with these four useful tips.
Read Write Inc. guide for parents
Find out what Read Write Inc. Phonics is and find eBooks, videos, and kits to help your child as they learn to read with Read Write Inc. Phonics at home.
Free eBook library: 100s of eBooks to practise reading
Help your young child learn to read, and love to read, with our eBook library, containing hundreds of free eBooks. Developed for children aged 3–11.
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.
Books to inspire young scientists
Science and engineering provide fantastic career opportunities, but science is not just for scientists – it’s a huge part of everyday life. A good grounding in science will help every child to navigate their world and make good decisions. Isabel Thomas recommends books for ages 3–11 to inspire your young scientist.
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.
Choosing a primary school
Education expert James Clements gives his advice on how to choose the right school for your child.
Using storytelling to develop reading and writing skills
Early reading specialist Emily Guille-Marrett talks about how oral storytelling can lay the foundations for literacy skills – as well as being great fun.
Great books to get boys reading
John Dougherty shares his top picks for books to encourage and inspire your son to read.
Learning at home: Learning to read
Education expert James Clements runs through everything you need to keep your child’s reading skills developing during the school lockdown.
Read with Oxford Stage 2
Read with Oxford Stage 2 is for children who are able to read very simple stories. They will enjoy listening to stories while practising reading skills.
Learning at home: Reading to learn
Education expert James Clements talks about how children who are already confident readers can get the most out of their reading.
Struggling readers
Worried about your child’s reading? Help is at hand! Jean Gross CBE gives her expert advice on how to support children who struggle with reading.
What are reading schemes and why do they matter?
Educational publishing expert Andrea Quincey explains why reading schemes are important, and what the different colours, bands and levels actually mean.
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.
Start calculating with Numicon
It can be hard making the jump from counting numbers to calculating. Sheila O’Reilly shares activities to introduce your child to addition and subtraction.
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.
Reading: Age 4–5 (Reception)
Find out how your child’s reading skills will develop in Reception. Discover fun activities, ideas, and books to support your 4–5-year-old at home.
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.
Encouraging boys to read
Gary Wilson gives his expert advice on getting boys to read, including tips on motivating reading habits and encouraging independence.
How can I support my child with phonics?
There are so many easy things you can do to help support your child’s phonics learning. Here are a few ideas from phonics expert Laura Sharp.
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.
Reluctant readers
From ‘thinking outside the bookbag’ to reading for a purpose, children’s author and mum of three Isabel Thomas shares some great advice on helping reluctant readers get excited about books.
Brilliant picture books: 22 beautiful books for children under 5
Wendy Cooling MBE has selected her favourite illustrated books to help you introduce your child to the wonders of stories and storytelling.
Top 8 books about starting school
Starting school is a big milestone in a child’s life – not to mention a parent/carer’s too! Here are eight engaging stories and picture books about starting school to share with your child, to gently prepare them for their first day.
Learning at home: Organising the day
Education expert and writer James Clements offers up 4 different approaches to structuring your child’s day learning at home.
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)
Getting ready to start school
Read our top five tips for getting your child school-ready, download our Starting School checklist and print a certificate for your child.
The wonder of words: How learning new words can help your child
A rich vocabulary allows a child to enjoy their reading, to express themselves and to learn about the world. James Clements offers tips on how to help your child’s vocabulary develop.
Ordering and counting with Numicon
Early Years teacher and mother Sheila O’Reilly shows us how to use Numicon shapes to help your child learn to count and order numbers.
How to help your child with mental arithmetic
Building confidence in maths early on will pay back many times over. Get tips for developing your child’s mental arithmetic skills.
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.
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Flummoxed by fractions? Dismayed by decimals? Perplexed by percentages? Get tips for exploring these tricky concepts at home.
Teaching number bonds (without any screens)
Lots of schoolwork is being set online at the moment. Here is one example from education expert James Clements of teaching maths skills without a screen.
Building a strong vocabulary: How to help at home
Headteacher Tracey Smith shares her ideas for fun and easy games you can play to build your child’s vocabulary and boost their confidence with words.
Learning at home: What would they be learning at school?
Education expert and writer James Clements explains what your child would be learning at school, and how we can use (or not use) the curriculum at home.
What to expect in Reception (age 4–5)
Find out what literacy and maths skills your child will learn in Reception, and discover ways you can support their learning at home.
Time flies: helping your child learn to tell the time
Learning to tell the time using both analogue and digital clocks is still an important skill, but it’s something that children can find tricky to master. Louise Pennington shares ideas to support your child’s growing understanding of time.
Learning at home: What can we learn from teachers?
Education expert James Clements talks about the lessons we can learn from teachers about helping your child to learn at home.
What is phonics?
Education expert Laura Sharp breaks down what phonics is, how phonics is taught in schools, and why phonics is important and useful.
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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Book of the Month: All Aboard …
To celebrate the publication of the brand-new All Aboard series, we’ve got three pairs of books to give away! (January 2020)
Progress with Oxford Age 4–5
Progress with Oxford activity books help develop essential English and Maths skills. Help your child practise phonics, numbers, handwriting and more.
Overcoming maths anxiety and being #PositiveAboutNumbers
Derry Richardson talks about combating maths anxiety and becoming #PositiveAboutNumbers, with helpful practical tips for parents.
Big Words for Little People
A series of picture books created by the language experts at Oxford University Press to introduce young children to the words they need to make sense of their feelings.
How to build a girl – books to inspire, encourage, or just reassure your daughter
Books to inspire, encourage, or just reassure your daughter, selected by the award-winning children’s author Joanna Nadin.
How Numicon can help develop maths skills at home
Early Years teacher and mother Sheila O’Reilly shows us how the 1st Steps with Numicon at Home kit can support your child’s early maths development.
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.
Mindfulness and mental health in children: five top tips for parents
How can you encourage mindfulness at home with your child, to support positive wellbeing and mental health? Liz Lord shares her tips for parents.
Summer games and activities
Find activity ideas and book recommendations to keep the kids busy this summer.
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.
Building reading dens
Isabel Thomas explains how making reading dens with your child can turn reading a book into a special shared adventure with these simple ideas.
Harriet Muncaster’s creative writing challenge
Harriet Muncaster gives her top tips on how to write a story, from developing the characters to designing the plot.
10 top tips to help your toddler go to sleep
Discover how to help your child get a good night’s sleep with these tips inspired by our new book for toddlers, Goodnight, Sleep Tight.
Five ways to improve maths home-learning
Maths expert Andrew Jeffrey shares five easy-to-implement strategies that can make a positive difference to our children’s maths learning at home.
WIN a Christmas book bundle!
It’s the season of giving, so we’re celebrating with not just one book of the month, but a whole bundle of festive treats!
Spooky books for children to read this Halloween
From seriously spine-tingling stories to tales about the silliest of spooks, our collection of Halloween reading recommendations is packed full of books to entertain 2–12 year-olds on long, dark autumn nights.
Matty Long’s top 10 fantasy books for under 5s
Matty Long, author of Super Magic Happy Forest, chooses his favourite fantasy picture books for children under five years old.
Oxford Owl height chart
Measure and record your child’s height as they grow with this height chart.
Christmas activities for children
Get into the festive spirit with our Christmas activities, including lots of crafty ideas for making decorations!
The gender gap: how to encourage boys to learn
An important factor in boys’ success at school is what they learn at home. Here are 6 simple ways you can help your child do well in reading and writing.
Cerrie Burnell’s top tips for reading bedtime stories
Sharing a book at bedtime helps develop your child’s vocabulary, gets them used to the idea of regular reading, and gives you both a great opportunity to bond. Children’s author Cerrie Burnell gives us her top tips for getting the most out of bedtime reading.
How gardening can cultivate your child’s maths skills
Science writer Isabel Thomas shares her top five tips for cultivating maths skills in the garden, no matter how big or small your green space and green fingers.
Common reading issues
Tackle common reading problems with our expert advice on supporting struggling readers, engaging reluctant readers, and encouraging boys to pick up a book.
Project X Alien Adventures
An award-winning reading series for children ages 4–11. Follow the action-packed adventures of Max, Cat, Ant, and Tiger as they journey through space!
Learning at home: Buying yourself some time
Education expert James Clements shares his ideas for keeping the children busy – in a constructive way – when you need to be getting on with something.
Reception at primary school
Reception means most children’s very first step into formal schooling, and can be both exciting and nervewracking! Find out what to expect and what your child will be learning.
Learning at home: lockdown tips for parents
With UK schools closed again, we’ve pulled together some of our most popular blog posts from the first lockdown to help you support your children’s learning at home.
World Book Day costume ideas
Make this year’s celebration of books and reading extra special with our no-sew World Book Day costume ideas, inlcluding Winnie the Witch and Isadora Moon.
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