Here are education expert James Clements’ favourite ways to teach your child on the sly, supporting their learning while having fun!
Ideas to sneak learning into everyday activities
read more
Blog posts for: Age 9-10
2021 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year: Anxiety
Anxiety is the 2021 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year. Find out about children’s evolving use of language and analysis from Oxford University Press.
Talking about Climate Change at home
Advice and guidance on how to start talking to your child or children about climate change at home, with practical ideas and suggestions.
Book of the Month: The 12 Books of Christmas
Win copies of 12 books this Christmas in our festive give away (December 2021)
Half-term and Halloween activities for kids this Autumn
Looking for fun things to do with the kids this half-term? We’ve created a list of easy crafts, Halloween games and more.
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)
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)
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.
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.
Using the Bond 10 Minute Tests
11+ tutor and writer Michellejoy Hughes explains how using the short Bond 10 Minute Tests can really help with structuring summer revision for the 11+
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: 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)
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.
Book of the Month: Amber Undercover
Win a copy of Amber Undercover, a novel which sets out to challenge the way that adventure and intrigue are too often reserved for the boys. (April 2021)
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!
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.
Brushing up on mental arithmetic in Key Stage 2
Louise Pennington shares ideas to help your child work maths problems out in their head without having to write anything down.
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.
Fun Christmas activities for 9–11 year olds
For older children, why not encourage them to use the events of the festive as inspiration for some Christmas creative writing? Or challenge their crafting skills with a range of paper craft activities? Alternatively, they could always knit their own polar pug…
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.
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.
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.
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!
Book of the Month: The Island That Didn’t Exist
Set out on an island adventure where you’ll meet wild children, uncover scientific secrets, and join a battle to protect the future of the planet!
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.
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.
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.
Learning at home during lockdown: Almost over the finish line
If, like us, finding the enthusiasm to keep going with home learning is tricky, here are a few ideas for making it over the finish line.
Inspire the author in your child with the new 500 Words: Black Lives Matter Competition!
Oxford University Press is proud to be partnering with the 500Words: Black Lives Matter story-writing competition. Our language experts collect and analyze every story received to better understand children’s language and inform learning, so get your pens at the ready!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Author videos: Storytelling, draw-alongs, and challenges
Over the coming weeks, we are bringing you exciting new challenges, drawalongs and storytimes direct from the very best authors and illustrators. Find out more.
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.
Learning at home: How to prioritise sharing a book
Education expert and writer James Clements talks about the importance of reading to your child to boost their educational success in all sorts of ways.
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.
Learning at home: Things to get ready for next week
Education expert and writer James Clements suggests 6 practical things you get get ready over the weekend for next week’s learning at home.
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: Making a start
Educational expert and writer James Clements gives his 3 top tips of how to get started with teaching your child at home.
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 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.
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.
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Flummoxed by fractions? Dismayed by decimals? Perplexed by percentages? Get tips for exploring these tricky concepts at home.
Great books to get boys reading
John Dougherty shares his top picks for books to encourage and inspire your son to read.
11+ and entrance exams explained
11+ tutor and writer Michellejoy Hughes explains what the exam involves, how marking works, and what you can do to help your child prepare.
Carry on reading aloud: the benefits of sharing books with older children
Few things are more important than reading aloud to our children. James Clements gives his advice on how to keep your child reading aloud, even after they are reading independently.
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.
What do the KS2 SATs scores mean?
Education expert James Clements explains what the KS2 SATs are, how scaled scores work, and what you can expect to hear from your child’s school.
Developing your child’s confidence with martial arts
Mary Stevens discusses how martial arts can help children develop their confidence, their resilience and their self-control, and tells us what inspired her new Warrior Monkeys series.
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.
Overcoming maths anxiety and being #PositiveAboutNumbers
Derry Richardson talks about combating maths anxiety and becoming #PositiveAboutNumbers, with helpful practical tips for parents.
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.
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.
Get messy with measuring
Fiona Lazenby tells us her four top tips for learning about volume, area and capacity at home, and having messy fun in the process!
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 to write your 500 Words story
So you’ve got your idea, and you’ve planned the plot. Now comes the hardest (but most rewarding) part – actually writing your story. Here are Christopher Edge’s top tips on how to get started.
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.
How to plan your 500 Words story
Author Christopher Edge shares his top tips on for planning a top-tier tale for the BBC 500 Words short story competition.
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.
Stories from the road less travelled – children’s books that celebrate diversity
Every child deserves to see lives like their own represented in powerful stories. Cerrie Burnell shares her favourite children’s books that celebrate diversity.
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.
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.
Spooky reads for 9+ year olds
Embrace Halloween with our recommended spooky reads for 9–11 year olds, including Flood and Fang, The Dark is Rising and Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror.
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?
Coding for children: problem-solving, precision, and going unplugged
Guest blogger Claire Lotriet discusses the benefits of encouraging children to code, and explains the place of computing in the curriculum.
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.
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.
Countdown to the KS2 SATs: week four
James Clements offers some last-minute advice for the KS2 SATs, as well as tips on how you can best support your child during exam week and beyond.
Countdown to the KS2 SATs: week three
James Clements takes us through how you can help make your child’s KS2 SATs revision fun (yes, really).
Countdown to the KS2 SATs: week two
Advice from James Clements on how your child can best prepare for KS2 SATs, including lots of revision tips and ideas.
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.
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.
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.
Tom McLaughlin’s top 10 hilarious books
Children’s author Tom McLaughlin picks his 10 favourite funny books for children and teenagers, from classic stories to non-fiction to comic books.
Ben Davis’ top 10 funny books
Children’s author Ben Davis chooses his top 10 favourite funny books for children and teenagers, from old classics to brand new series.
6 top tips for finishing your 500 Words story
It’s easy to start a story, and it’s hard to finish one. Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry series, shares her top tips for finishing a story.
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.
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.
4 top tips for writing great plots
Top tips for helping children develop great plots in their creative writing.
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.
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.
Writing non-fiction for fun
As writing for pleasure becomes less popular with children, Isabel Thomas emphasises the importance of writing non-fiction for fun.
Choosing a secondary school
Author and teacher Jill Carter runs through what to consider when choosing a secondary school.
Back to school BINGO
Frustrated by single-word answers from your child about the first few weeks at school? Get the conversation started with our Back to school BINGO card.
Children’s dictionaries – how to find the right dictionary for your child
Find the right dictionary for your child with these four useful tips.
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.
‘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’.
Copyright Oxford University Press 2022
