Welcome to Year 1
Holly Class- Mrs Miles
Willow Class – Miss Shaheen
How to help at home
Remember: learning at home should be fun!
Just 10–15 minutes of reading, a few minutes of phonics or spelling and some quick maths practice each day can make a big difference. Use everyday activities, games and conversations to help your child learn without it feeling like homework.
Raving Readers – Reading
Read with your child for 10–15 minutes each day.
Let your child read their school reading book to you.
Ask questions about the story: Who? What happened? Why? What might happen next?
Encourage your child to talk about pictures and unfamiliar words.
Read stories aloud to your child too — children benefit from hearing a wide range of vocabulary.
Phonics & spelling
Practise the Year 1 common exception words and your child’s weekly spellings.
Practise phonics sounds and blending words.
Play quick games such as “Can you spot a word with the ‘ee’ sound?”
Encourage children to use their phonics when writing unfamiliar words.
Practise writing sentences using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops.
The Little Wandle website
Maths
Practise counting forwards and backwards to 100.
Count objects around the house — toys, stairs, socks, cutlery etc.
Practise number bonds to 10 and 20.
Ask quick questions: “What is 1 more than 7?” / “What is 2 less than 15?”
Practise recognising and writing numbers.
Look for 2D and 3D shapes around the home.
Practise simple addition and subtraction using everyday objects.
Compare amounts using more, less, greater, fewer and equal.
Practise telling the time to the hour and half-hour.
Use everyday opportunities to talk about money, weighing, measuring and sharing.
Everyday learning
Encourage your child to help with simple tasks: sorting laundry, setting the table, tidying toys.
Cook together and talk about weighing, measuring and sequencing.
Go on a walk and look for plants, animals, signs, numbers and shapes.
Encourage children to ask questions about the world around them.
Talk together about what they have learned at school.
Talking & vocabulary
Have regular conversations with your child.
Introduce new words and explain what they mean.
Encourage your child to speak in full sentences.
Ask them to explain their thinking: “How do you know?” and “Why do you think that?”
