HOME LEARNING SUPPORT FOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN
This week's rhyme of the week:
Welcome to the pre-school home learning page
On this page you will find links to websites that offer activities for you to do with your child which encourage and support thier learning. There are lots of fun and interesting websites to explore. There are songs and games with CBeebies, facts and videos about wild animals with National Geographic Kids, while Cosmic Kids Yoga helps the body and mind stay in great shape!
In addition to this, there are some activity ideas which support your child's development in language, literacy and mathematics.
Online safety
When looking for interactive content for your child, you may like to use YouTube Kids as it filters out more inappropriate content. Or, on regular YouTube, you can select 'restricted mode' (found in settings) and this will help to hide potentially mature videos.
No filter is 100% accurate so, as with all online content, we advise parental supervision.
Class email
If you would like to share any of your child's home learning please use our class email: caterpillars@shirley.cambs.sch.uk
Activities to support communication and language development
Listening -
Simon Says. Ready, steady... go!
Sound discrimination with everyday sounds (eg. opening a tin, running water, closing a door)
Listening for sounds in the environment, and talk about/describe the sounds you hear.
Understanding -
Support your child to order events correctly and model the language of, for example, first, next, then, finally.
During playtimes, demonstrate talking in full sentences to anticipate and initiate what your child is doing. "We need to use a red pencil now. Let's see if we can find one in the pencil case."
Encourage your child to ask and respond to questions.
Look at and talk about the pictures in books to help reinforce the text being read.
Speaking -
Have fun retelling and role playing familiar stories.
Stories are such an important part of your child's language developmet. Sharing a variety of stories will enrich their vocabulary, and their imagination.
Practice rhythm and rhyme.
Activities to support literacy development
Reading -
Provide fiction and non-fiction books for your child to look at. Also, nursery rhyme, song and poetry books are great to share as they expose the children to various sounds and rhythms in speech.
Use books accross different areas of experience and play. For example, keep a fiction or non-fiction book about bugs close to the door so they can take it outside with them.
Model using books and print which give instructions; something like a shopping list or cookery book.
Let your child make their own books and you can scribe the story in it for them.
Writing -
Model writing for a purpose. A birthday card, letter, diary etc.
Provide activities and opportunities for you child to experiment with writing.
Write down things your child says to support their developing understanding that what we say can be written down and then read and understood by someone else.
Activities to support mathematic development
Numbers -
Practice counting by rote, making sure that your child is saying numbers in the correct order.
Practice counting 1 to 1. Use a wide variety of things like sweets, buttons, plates, leaves, cars, claps and jumps.
equal groups
Look at numbers in the environment; buses, front doors, post boxes, on shop shelves. Model writing numerals when you have been counting together.
Shape, space and measure -
Practice comparing and describing size by, for example, holding the soles of two different shoes togther or standing the shoes side by side. Support your child to use the correct vicabulary to be able to compare them and describe their size, length, width, height etc.
Allow your child to play with construction toys such as Lego, Duplo and wooden blocks.
Play games which involve your child positioning themselves inside, behind, next to, under, on top etc.
Look at pictures which have symmetry or pattern and talk to your child about them.
Encourage your child to use the language of capacity (full, empty, half full, nearly empty etc) when playing at bath time.
Measure things. Look at whether, for example, a rolling pin fits in a sauspan or if a teddy fits in a bed. Also, demonstrate how units of measure are used when cooking, telling the time etc.
Online resources
50 Things to do before you're 5. Low/no-cost activity ideas for having fun and learning. Download the app - https://cambspboro.50thingstodo.org/app/os#!50thingstodobefore5/welcome
Early Years Resources. Simple home-school activities to make learning fun - https://www.earlyyearsresources.co.uk/blog/2020/05/simple-homeschool-activities-to-make-learning-fun/
Famly. 5 fun and educational early years maths activities (YouTube video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4LNlkU67IM