Supporting Your Child:
Parents often ask how they can support their children- as you can imagine there are many ways from simply being there and offering encouragement to buying resources such as books or tutors.
There is no wrong or right answer- each child is different- therefore the way they learn and study is different so like most things in education it is not a one size fits all!
Hopefully the pages included in thhis section will help and give you ideas of what is out there.
Helpful Resources
A2ZLearning: This site. Here you will find lots of information and resources that I have found helpful over 20 years of teaching and tutoring in the UK. Some are free, others you can get access to with Premium.
ICT Games: Maths and English games that your children can play on a tablet or computer. They cover a variety of learning objectives and are good fun.
Read, Write Inc: This scheme is written by Ruth Miskin- the Oxford Owl website has some resources to support your child’s learning. The site also has a collection of downloadable ebooks that you and your child can enjoy together. The site also has some great maths resources too.
Phonics Play: This site has different sections depending on whether you are a teacher or a parent and whether or not you have subscribed. Although there are not as many resources in the parent section they are still great resources to use to support your child’s learning.
Topmarks: This is full of games and resources on all subjects found in the primary curriculum. This has something for everyone.
TES: This page is mainly for teachers- it has resources made by teachers for teachers. Many of the resources you have to pay for but there are still some great free offerings on the site.
Twinkl: This site has various membership levels at different prices. The basic membership is free. The site is full of lesson plans, videos, and resources.
Storyline online: This is a great site for finding a story read by an author or famous personality. It is great reading stories to and with your children but sometimes it’s nice to be able to listen alongside each other. One of my favourites is a ‘Bad Case of Stripes’
White Rose Maths: This is a popular website with most schools. The site has information and resources on how maths is being taught in many UK schools. Some of the resources are free to download and use to support your child with their school work.
Success for all: this is an American phonics, reading, and writing scheme that some UK schools use. It has a series of phonetically coded reading books for the children to read. Many of these and other resources/support are on their website successforall.org.uk. If your child’s school uses this scheme this will allow you to access the books. If your child’s school does not use the scheme there is nothing stopping you from using them for extra practice!
PE sites- full of activity ideas to keep everyone fit and healthy!
Joe Wicks did many live PE sessions at 9am during the lockdowns. Many of these sessions can be found on youtube.
Or you could search youtube for Cosmic Kids, Yoga.
Curriculums
Here’s a list of some of the most popular curriculums. Many of these sites are American and therefore based on their education system- but they still contain many resources and ideas that are relevant to the UK system- and can be a good place to start whilst you become more confident.
Ambleside Online is a free home school curriculum designed closely to the curriculum Charlotte Mason used. The curriculum uses as many free online books as possible, and this is free to use this information and join the support group.
Mater Amabilis is a Charlotte Mason-style curriculum for Catholics, covering pre-Kindergarten to 8th Grade (ages 4-14).
This is a completely free Christian home school curriculum.
Most US states offer some type of online public school courses to resident students. Some states offer full online high school diploma programs, while others offer a limited number of virtual courses.
Here you can find online courses and resources for trade and academic subjects commonly found in the curriculum followed by traditional schools and universities (the site is being updated 1/2/21).
A K-5 curriculum with over 900 weekly topic units containing free educational resources found on the web.
One of the most popular virtual public school programs in the US for homeschooling grades K-12.
Another popular US public school free homeschooling curriculum programs.