CONTENTSOn this page
Oral language#
With your child, you could:
- play with language by using made up words, silly voices, or changing tone or volume
- ask questions, talk about your thoughts, describe what is happening and ask them to do the same
- tell them stories of your genealogy and the places you come from
- play word games
- make up stories, rhymes and songs
- give simple instructions and ask them to give instructions to you
- ask them to explain how something works.
The teacher will focus on expanding your child's oral language skills. For example, by the end of the year your child will be able to:
- to talk about their life and things around them
- compare things by saying how things are different and group similar things
- to practice speaking in front of others
- to listen well and join conversations appropriately
- to use words to describe themselves and everyday things
- to ask for help and share their needs and likes.
Reading #
Reading can be enjoyable for you and your child if it:
- lasts for 10 minutes at least without interruption
- is an interesting and special time.
With your child, you could:
- look for letters and words and talk about them
- sound out letters and words – find things that begin with that letter or word
- help your child to link stories to their life.
The teacher will focus on expanding your child’s reading skills, including:
- the alphabet – your child will learn the letters and their sounds
- simple words – they will read simple words by putting sounds together
- how to fix mistakes – they will learn to correct their reading mistakes
- understanding – they will read simple sentences and ask about new words
- guessing – they will guess what happens next in stories
- connecting – they will relate to characters and events in stories.
Texts for the first 6 months at school#
Books used during the first 6 months at school are likely to be decodable texts that contain sounds and letters that children have already learned. This will help your child practise reading words with sounds and letters in a story.
The books they bring home will give them extra practise with the reading skills they have been taught. There is an example book on the page below.
Writing#
With your child, you could:
- make letters of the alphabet out of things such as stones, blocks, buttons, shells or playdough
- bake biscuits in the shape of the letters
- spell words with magnetic letters
- email, text or write to relatives or friends
- draw pictures and write their name, letters and numbers
- write words using their knowledge of sounds and letters.
The teacher will focus on expanding your child’s writing skills. For example, your child will be taught:
- to write letters and numbers correctly
- to spell words by breaking them into sounds
- common words like 'I', 'the', and "a"
- to think about who will read their writing.
