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 8-9
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 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 9
Additional support for BBC Bitesize daily lessons, including free activities. For week 22nd–25th 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.
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.
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.
Comprehension
Find out how reading comprehension is taught throughout primary school, and take a look at our books, advice, and free activities to help at home.
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.
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.
A case for non-fiction:
five reasons to read non-fiction with your child
Education expert James Clements outlines five benefits of reading non-fiction, and gives us his top non-fiction reads for ages 5–11.
Children’s dictionaries – how to find the right dictionary for your child
Find the right dictionary for your child with these four useful tips.
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.
Grammar & punctuation in Year 4 (age 8–9)
Learn how grammar and punctuation is taught in Year 4 and find out how 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!
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.
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.
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.
Oxford Levels: How to support your 7–11-year-old’s reading development
Find out how Oxford Levels and levelled readers can support and develop your child’s reading skills even after they’ve learned how to read.
The Year 4 multiplication tables check
Find out about the new times tables assessment for Year 4 students, starting in June 2020. Try our free activities and advice to support your child.
Progress with Oxford Age 9–10
Progress with Oxford activity books help develop essential English and Maths skills. Help your child practise times tables, grammar, handwriting and more.
Geometry & shapes in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, your child will learn about acute and obtuse angles. They will also be introduced to coordinates and will be able to describe translations, and will build upon their knowledge of shape properties.
Fun maths games and activities
Have fun practising your maths skills with these games, activity sheets, and videos.
Progress with Oxford Age 8–9
Progress with Oxford activity books help develop essential English and Maths skills. Help your child practise times tables, grammar, handwriting and more.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Book of the Month: Roald Dahl Scrumptious & Delumptious Words
Win copies of a Roald Dahl book bundle, to broaden vocabulary and have fun with language (September 2021)
Help with times tables
Learning times tables can be fun! Help your child learn their times tables with our free top tips, videos, quizzes and worksheets.
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.
Picture books for older readers
Who says we have to leave picture books behind in KS1? These wonderful books use spellbinding illustrations to introduce children to big ideas. Includes FArTHER and The Man Who Walked Between Towers.
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.
Not your typical books for boys
An alternative list of recommended books for boys. Perfect for boys who are looking to read about something other than football or jokes about bottoms!
2018 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year: Plastic
Plastic has been revealed as the Children’s Word of the Year by Oxford University Press for the BBC 500 Words Competition. British children have once again shown themselves to be fabulously inventive, funny and socially astute.
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.
Get number confident on National Numeracy Day
Get involved with National Numeracy Day 2021 and help your child’s confidence grow, with our top tips and free maths activities.
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.
Building kids’ resilience and confidence
How do you help build your child’s confidence and resilience? Teacher and child psychologist Jean Gross CBE shares her tips for helping children believe in themselves, and discusses how you can encourage them to be determined and enjoy challenges.
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.
Learning at home: The tricky business of screen time
Keeping your child’s screen time manageable can be tricky, especially at the moment. Education expert James Clements gives us his top tips.
Encouraging boys to read
Gary Wilson gives his expert advice on getting boys to read, including tips on motivating reading habits and encouraging independence.
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.
Times tables: Practice makes perfect
Maths teacher and education expert Louise Pennington shares her favourite activities and games to help your child learn their times tables.
Money skills in a digital age
How to develop an understanding of money and healthy money habits in our children when there are fewer opportunities for them to see the real and physical exchange of cash.
Science at primary school
Science at primary school is practical and exciting. Children love the chance to learn through being totally hands-on and finding things out for themselves — the perfect way to understand the world around them.
Using music for social and emotional development: Family activities from Amani Project
We’re working with Amani Project to help you make music and make change this summer! Get involved and complete the weekly activities to earn badges and find out more about Amani Project’s important work combining the power of music for children’s social and emotional development all around the world.
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Flummoxed by fractions? Dismayed by decimals? Perplexed by percentages? Get tips for exploring these tricky concepts at home.
Looking forward to the summer term: tips to help boost your child’s learning
What can we do to help our children to make progress over the term ahead? James Clements shares his tips to help boost skills and knowledge.
Maths is everywhere!
Maths expert Louise Pennington shares her advice for developing your child’s maths skills during school closures by exploring maths in the real world.
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.
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.
Creative writing
Are you a budding David Walliams or the next J. K. Rowling? Find top tips, videos, activities, and books to help unleash your inner author.
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.
Money, money, money
Money isn’t everything, but being ‘good with money’ is undoubtedly a useful life skill. Read Fiona Lazenby’s top tips for practising using money with your child.
Top five tips for creative writing at Christmas
From storytelling games to alternative Christmas stories, encourage your child’s creative writing during with our top tips for creative writing at Christmas.
Geometry & shapes
Understanding geometry is essential to be able to understand and describe the world around us. Discover what your child will learn at school and how you can help at home.
Bond SATs Skills
Prepare your children for the Key Stage 2 SATs with Bond SATs Skills workbooks, developing core maths, comprehension and English skills.
Bond Brain Training for Kids
Fun puzzle books to develop children’s vocabulary, maths, and problem-solving skills. Find out more about the books and try some free logic puzzles.
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.
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!
How a dictionary and thesaurus can help your child discover the world of words
Find out how using dictionaries and thesauruses can expand your child’s vocabulary and help them enjoy learning.
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.
Science at home: How to extract DNA from a banana
Try this fun science activity to help children create a mental image of DNA and give them a taste of what being a scientist is like!
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.
Story sparks: find inspiration for your short story
When you look down at a blank piece of paper, inspiration can seem a long way away. Here are Christopher Edge’s top tips for coming up with story ideas.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Summer games and activities
Find activity ideas and book recommendations to keep the kids busy this summer.
Book of the Month: Mickey and the Trouble with Moles
Win a copy of Mickey and the Trouble with Moles, a perfect read for budding spies and sure to stretch their problem-solving skills! (May 2021)
How to edit your 500 Words story
Finished a first draft of your short story and not sure what to do next? Read Christopher Edge’s top tips for polishing your story to perfection.
How reading programmes can help junior readers
Once your child has mastered decoding, it can be liberating to choose whatever books they like – but there are still benefits to structured reading schemes.
Establishing a reading habit for the summer holidays and beyond
There are so many reasons to read with your children, this summer holiday and beyond. Read Mary Hamley’s tips on how to encourage a daily reading habit.
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.
Teaching maths at home
Mathemagician Andrew Jeffrey suggests ways you can support your child’s maths development at home without needing to be an expert.
Christmas activities for 7–9 year olds
Looking for homemade gifts to make with your child? Try making your own Christmas cards or a swirling, glittery snow globe with our activity ideas for 7–9 year olds!
How to choose a book for ages 7–11
Literacy adviser and ex-librarian Beverley Humphrey offers her expert advice on how you can help choose the right book for your 7–11 year old.
Statistics in Year 4 (age 8–9)
In Year 4, your child will learn to use time graphs. They will also solve problems by interpreting and analysing graphs, and will be able to answer more complex questions based on statistics.
Writing a thank you letter
Practise handwriting by writing a thank you letter to someone who has helped you during lockdown – like a teacher, a family member, or a healthcare worker.
Book of the Month: Pippi Longstocking
Win a copy of Pippi Longstocking (gift edition) for you and a friend, and enjoy this beautifully illustrated story (October 2021)
Reading for pleasure
Not only does reading for pleasure improve children’s well-being, but it can be directly linked to children’s success at school and beyond. Get tips and book recommendations to encourage your child to read more.
Book of the Month: Willow Wildthing and the Swamp Monster
Win this brand new book, perfect for children age 7+ interested in the natural world and the environment. When Willow crosses the boundary to the patch of woodland behind her house, something amazing happens: she enters The Wilderness, where magic and nature collide…
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.
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