Homework

Spring

It's the Spring term and the children are learning 3D shapes and measuring.  We are learning to count, read, order and write numbers to 15 in class.  

Please help your child to practise their sight words as often as possible - try and do this every day, it really does make a difference.  If you need extra sets of words then please just ask.  You could use them for playing snap, pairs and lotto.  Try putting tricky words around the house - going up the stairs, by the bathroom mirror - anywhere your child will see and read them regularly.

Learning to read is one of the most important things your child will ever learn.  Every day we go through all the sounds we’ve learnt so far and work on blending out loud and reading sight words.

Your child is now bringing home 3 books a week.

Please hear your child read every day – it makes a real difference 

Aim to write in their reading log at least 4 times a week – your child can work towards the reading challenge. 

How you can help your child to read:

Ask them to point to each word as they read – you can do it together.

If they are stuck – don’t just tell them the next word –

• Wait 5 seconds
• Ask them to look at the picture
• Ask what’s the first sound
• Reread the bit before.

Make reading fun - cuddle up and make it a nice time.  If they are tired and struggling then do it together – when you are sharing a book the children are still learning important skills such as using repetition. 

You can really help your child with maths by doing the following things:

• Count aloud together as you go up and downstairs. 
• Count to 20 as you come to school.
• Sing number rhymes.
• Play games like Snakes and ladders – your child will have to recognise the dice – don’t jump in and say the number – if they don’t recognise it – ask them how many it is.
• Encourage your child to count out pennies for you.
• Look for shapes at home and out and about!  Make sure your child calls them by their correct name.
• Ask your child – what makes it a circle / square  / rectangle / triangle? 
• Or what do you notice about that shape?  E.g. It’s big, it has no corner, it has 4 sides

This half term we have been concentrating on counting, reading and ordering numbers to 5.

We focus on one number each week and have said rhymes for our Number zoo.  Every week we do cooking and this is part of our maths curriculum.  Look what we say to form the numbers…

Penguin 1

Smudge from head to toe

Making Ticklish 2 the swan.

Stroke down his neck, glide across his back.

Butterfly 3

Round, Round

Feathery 4

Down, across, off and down.

Frisky 5

Down his head, round his tummy and give him a nose.

Next week your child will start to bring home 2 books along with their rhyme card, and this will quickly increase to 3 books a week as they progress.  Please go through these as often as possible - a little bit every day is best.  Write in their reading record regularly - the more the better as it helps us build up a picture of how your child is getting on with their reading at home.  We have a reading challenge in the Infants for the children to win prizes throughout the year - you will be receiving a letter about this.  Each time you write in your child's reading record it counts towards the challenge as it shows they have been reading at home.  Reading regularly makes a huge difference for your child's confidence and progress with reading and writing throughout the year.  

At this stage it really helps children to be singing nursery rhymes and you can simply be singing these on the way to school. Nursery rhymes help build up your child's language, and give them lots of experience of rhythm and rhyming words.  You can help them to make up alternative endings to lines.  The children find this very funny but it's actually helping them to think about what might fit, and to use their imagination and understanding of rhyming words. Writing about this in your child's reading log is important too.  

Soon we will be starting to send homework for literacy and maths.  We will send it home on a Monday and it must be returned every Friday.  Watch this space...