How you can help your child at home

You can help your child to learn by playing together at home by:

Encouraging them to be independent, for example, in getting dressed, washing their hands before meals and encouraging them to develop healthy habits in diet, exercise and hygiene.
Providing opportunities to share and join in with other children.
Reading with them every day. Talk about books with them, spot letters in books and read familiar words to them, such as the labels on their favourite foods, restaurants, shops, street signs etc.
Talking with them and answering questions. Play remembering games and guessing games like ‘I Spy….’.
Helping them to match and sort things, for example, putting together forks and knives or cups and saucers, pairing up socks, sorting out big tins and little tins, putting packets in order of size.
Encouraging them to count and use numbers in everyday situations.
Encouraging them to listen to music, songs, stories and rhymes. Sing and share nursery rhymes together.
Encouraging them to express their ideas and feelings, for example, using crayons, pens, pencils, paint, music and play.
Giving them a chance to use their fingers and hands, for example, building with bricks, cutting out with scissors, helping with baking, fastening zips and buttons and using a pencil to ‘write’.