2021 has brought fresh lockdown restrictions and, with most children being educated at home once again, many parents are worried about how best to support them. We’ve come up with some very simple (and totally FREE) solutions to prop up basic skills in maths and English. These activities are fun and fuss-free so they won’t take up hours of your own valuable time.

How worried should I be?

A key difference between this and previous lockdowns is that schools are offering live lessons. This will make a big difference. Moreover, we teachers have learned a lot about online education since March 2020, meaning that your child will doubtless be better supported by school this time around.

Yes, children have missed out on a lot of school learning, but let’s consider what they have learned. Many have learned to work (more) independently – an important life skill which will stay with them forever. As holidays, play dates, birthday parties and day trips have been postponed, they have learned to defer gratification. The pandemic has been nightmarish and concerns about our children’s wellbeing are real, but hardship can have its positive aspects.

Maths Activities

If your child enjoys games, there are some really good maths games here. We also like www.timestables.co.uk, and would suggest that you start by practising 2, 5 and 10 times tables.

Games help children learn in a way that feels less pressurised than formal learning. These short activities give children a sense of achievement which boosts confidence. Games are also repetitive, which enhances retention of number facts.

English

For literacy, there are some very comprehensive activities here. , covering reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Children should read aloud, once a day if possible, and read silently as often as possible. Allow choice in reading wherever possible but don’t let them get ‘stuck’ with a book they really love.  Buy your child a nice notebook or a simple exercise book and have them start a diary. It’s essential that you make it clear that you will not be reading the diary. Knowing that no one will read their words gives children renewed confidence and enthusiasm for getting their words down on paper. Keeping a diary is also helpful for wellbeing.

BBC

The BBC has excelled itself with its lockdown offering. They will include three hours of primary school programming every weekday on CBBC, and at least two hours for secondary pupils on BBC Two. You can read more about this here. This will be most helpful for those who have limited access to computers or who, for one reason or another, are not able to access support from school. You can read more about the BBC initiative here.

Better Tuition

We are here to help in or out of Lockdown restrictions, as we have been since 2008. You can access FREE resources and exam papers here in our lockdown store. We can support your child with online tuition. With over 1,000 hours of online tuition behind us, we think we are pretty expert in this field. During January we are offering a FREE assessment PLUS a FREE trial session for prospective students, so please get in touch to book.