The summer holidays provide the perfect opportunity for children to develop their interest and enthusiasm for reading. However, time away from the classroom can also cause children’s reading skills to slide before their return to school. But how do you keep children on track with their reading amidst all the distractions the holidays may bring?
Intuitively, parents and teachers understand that attention is important to learning. If you cannot pay attention in class or while reading a book, you are not going to learn much. However, attention is much more foundational than just ‘paying attention’. Attention skills impact self-control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, which are known collectively as executive function skills…
• Parents, School Leaders, Teachers, Technology
To investigate the impact that COVID has had on children’s learning and literacy, The BBC One Show sent poet, writer, and musician Benjamin Zephaniah to a primary school in Farnham. Having experienced disruption to his own education, due to moving around a lot as a child, he was able to share his own personal experiences of struggling when it comes to reading…
The development of working memory is crucial to pupil engagement and academic success. In order to retain what they are learning; pupils need to develop strategies which support their memory and ultimately improve their ability to retain information and ultimately learn. The following blog post will look at the various areas of memory and suggest strategies and resources which may help.
• Parents, School Leaders, Teachers
Reading is a life skill which children need in order to thrive in their education and throughout their lives. According to Andrea Welter, assistant head teacher from Pheasey Park Primary School and Early Years Centre, there’s an urgent need to support children in literacy so their life chances are not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic…
• Parents, School Leaders, Teachers
As the foundation for accessing the curriculum and engaging with learning, there is no doubt that reading will be an important part of the recovery curriculum over the coming months. But, how can you ensure you have effective resources and routines in place in your classroom to support children returning to learning.
• Parents, School Leaders, Teachers
This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, it is important to recognise that we actually have a powerful wellbeing tool readily available within our classrooms and homes in the form of books! Books provide a world of opportunity for children to escape from their worries and learn to deal with complicated situations and emotions; in uncertain times they can also help children feel less alone.
The announcement of lockdown 3 has seen huge numbers of parents and carers once again challenged with the task of home-schooling their children. Many will feel anxious and have concerns about their child’s mental health, or the impact that the another lockdown and unpredictable periods of self-isolation will have on their progress. We have put together some of our favourite tips to help parents support children from home in these challenging times.
Christmas provides a perfect opportunity for children to develop their enthusiasm for reading. Our top tips can help families keep on track with reading over the holidays, spread the festive cheer and spend some quality time together with some fantastic stories!