- Encourage your child to pretend to 'read' a book before he or she can read words.

 - Schedule a regular time for reading - perhaps when you get home from school or just before bed.

 - Buy dual-language books if English isn’t your family’s first language - you can talk about books and stories, and develop a love for them, in any language.

 - Look for books on topics that you know your child is interested in - maybe dragons, insects, transport or a certain sport.

 - Make sure that children’s books are easily accessible at home.

 - As your child begins to recognise words, encourage him or her to point to each word as they read. Help them to sound-out any words they don’t know.

 - Ask your child questions about what they have read – who, what, where, when, why, how?

 - Keep it fun and if your child is tired or lacking confidence, read the book to them.

- You can begin when your child is very young by encouraging 'mark making' with scribbles and patterns. Experiment with different ways to make marks on the paper using crayons, coloured pencils, felt tip pens or paints.

 - Chalk on the drive or path outside also works really well and so does some paintbrushes with a pot of water to dip into. Children enjoy painting with the water on the path.

 - Why not try hand and foot prints, rolling toy cars through paint then taking them for a drive across the paper or making prints using natural objects such as leaves or fir cones?

 - As your child gains confidence, ask them to help you write a shopping list, to write a post card or letter to a friend or to send Christmas cards.

 - Encourage your child to keep a diary and to write in it as much as possible.

  - Think about your child’s favourite book or particular interest. Ask your child to write a short story about one of their favourite characters or to write an information sheet about something they are interested in.

 - Keep it fun! Show lots of interest in your child’s writing and celebrate what they do.

 - Help your child to find different shapes in your home.

 - Take your child shopping and talk about the quantities of anything you buy.

 - Let your child handle money and work out how much things cost and how much change they will get.

 - Look together for numbers on street signs and car registration plates.

 - Playing with Duplo and Lego are a fun way for children to investigate number, volume, symmetry, patterns, addition and subtraction.

 - Board Games are a great way to practise number skills. Try Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Frustration and Monopoly. Similar, Top Trumps are a good way to encourage children to work out more and less.

 - Baking encourages your child to think about quantities, amounts and measuring. Can he or she measure all the ingredients and talk about grams and kilograms or litres and millilitres?

 - Most craft activities involve Maths skills like measuring, calculating, understanding shapes and angles, multiplying, dividing, and so on. Model making, sewing and decorating are great for developing your child’s understanding and confidence. Perhaps your child would like to try making some simple clothes for a toy, or their own cardboard box rocket?

 - Keep it fun! And encourage a growth mind-set by praising your child when they spot an error that they’ve made and tried to fix it.

If you have any concerns around your child or wish to discuss child's needs we have a specific contact in school to support you and your child.

Mrs A. Williams - Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)

Please contact Mrs Williams via the school office on 0161 766 2852

Whitefield@bury.gov.uk