Home learning

Home learning in Early Years is not about formal worksheets or recreating school at home (although you may well find that they want to play schools and be the teacher!). It is about helping children develop the everyday skills, confidence and independence they need to take part fully in school life.

Talk, talk, talk! Talking with your child is one of the most valuable things you can do. Chat about what you are doing, ask questions, share stories and encourage your child to explain their ideas, experiences and feelings. This helps children develop their vocabulary, organise their thoughts, listen to others and communicate what they need.

Everyday routines can also help your child practise how to:

put on and take off their coat, jumper and shoes;
manage their lunchbox, water bottle and cutlery;
use the toilet and wash their hands independently;
listen to and follow simple instructions;
take turns and share;
ask for help; and
name how they are feeling and explain why.

Give your child time to try things for themselves, even when it would be quicker to help. Children do not need to manage everything perfectly. Having a go, persevering, talking through difficulties and knowing when to ask for support are all important steps towards becoming confident and independent learners.

Reading

In September 2026, we introduced Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to support the teaching of phonics and early reading in Early Years and Key Stage 1. Children take part in daily phonics lessons, where they are taught the sounds and skills they need to begin reading independently, and your support with this when reading at home is so appreciated by us.

Children will bring home two different types of book. Each has an important, but different, purpose.

Sharing Book: Developing the Will to Read

Children will choose a sharing book to enjoy at home with an adult. This book is about developing the will to read by building children’s enjoyment of stories, books and shared reading.

The sharing book may contain words that your child cannot yet read independently. We do not expect children to read this book themselves. Instead, we ask parents and carers to read it to their child, enjoy the pictures together and talk about the story, characters and events. Children may enjoy joining in with repeated phrases, predicting what might happen next or retelling parts of the story in their own words.

The most important thing is that sharing this book is an enjoyable experience that helps your child develop a love of reading.

Reading Book: Developing the Skill to Read

Children will also have a Collins Big Cat reading book that is carefully matched to the sounds and words they have already been taught through Little Wandle.

The purpose of this book is to develop the skill of reading. It gives children an opportunity to practise applying their phonics knowledge, build fluency and develop confidence.

Please do not be concerned if this book appears familiar or does not introduce lots of new words. It is not intended to teach new sounds or unfamiliar words. The book has been selected so that your child can practise and reinforce the sounds taught in phonics lessons that week. This careful matching allows children to experience success and gradually become more accurate, fluent and confident readers.

When reading at home, encourage your child to sound out unfamiliar words, blend the sounds together and reread sentences so that their reading becomes smoother.

Do take a look at the Little Wandle guide below for how we pronounce 'pure sounds' or have a look at the parent pages on their website.

Accessing Books Online

During Autumn 1, we are trialling the Collins Big Cat e-library as part of our move to Little Wandle. This will allow children and families to access their carefully matched reading books electronically.

We will review how well the e-library works for our children and families during the half term. We will then consult parents and carers before making a longer-term decision about how these reading books will be accessed in the future.

Our aim is to find an approach that supports children’s reading effectively while also being straightforward and manageable for families.

Writing

The best way to support writing at home is to help your child want to write and see that writing has a purpose. Drawing, painting and mark making are all important stages. Encourage enjoyable activities such as writing a shopping list, making a card or labelling a picture, and praise your child for having a go.

Children also need strength and control before writing becomes comfortable. Climbing, throwing and catching, playing with dough, threading, building, cutting and using paintbrushes all develop the gross and fine motor skills needed for writing.

In school, we will teach children how to hold a pencil effectively and form letters correctly. You can support this by using the same "handwriting mantras" that your child learns in class. Most importantly, keep writing purposeful, enjoyable and pressure-free.

The resource below will show you how we say letter sounds and teach lower case letter formation.

Grapheme Information sheet Autumn 1.pdf

PDF File

Maths

We teach Maths through the White Rose Scheme which uses a play based approach linked to key texts. We are passionate about giving our children a secure understanding of number, pattern and shape which are the building blocks for being confident mathematicians. See https://whiterosemaths.com/resources/early-years-resources/ for further information.

Extra Learning

If your child needs some additional support, we will provide you with the resources to support this at home. There are also some useful links to support home learning on the Tapestry website. If there is anything you feel could help though, please feel free to meet with us and we can support this.

Useful Websites

ICT games

http://www.ictgames.com/resources.html

http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html

IXL

https://uk.ixl.com/math/reception

https://uk.ixl.com/ela/reception

Phonics Play

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/freeIndex.htm

Top Marks

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=37

Number Blocks