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Learning at Home

Every moment is a learning opportunity.

Help us personalise your child’s learning by:

  • Liaising with school, using the home school diaries, email, meetings and phone calls, letting school know about your child’s range of experiences, new interests or developments in their learning.
  • Working on the same learning intentions in school and at home.
  • Looking at the things your child is learning at school and helping your child to experience it in a different way e.g. if they are learning about numbers at school – then at home, looking at the numbers on doors, cars, price labels, costs, etc.
  • Provide activities that will contextualise learning at home and school and will enable learners to develop lifelong skills, e.g. writing the shopping list, (or arranging/choosing the symbols or pictures) going to the shops, finding the items, carrying them home and putting them away and later using them to help cook dinner.

Informal Curriculum Level Learners

  • Encourage language and communication through play; talk about what you and your child are doing, “putting the man in the car, taking the man out of the car, finding the blue car,” etc. Extending what they are communicating e.g. “Car” “Blue car” “Big blue car” “Big blue car with a man in.” etc. adding a word/sign/symbol onto the sentence.
  • Encourage the use of their imagination in play.
  • Play simple board or card games to encourage turn taking.
  • Provide access to sensory and messy play activities.
  • Talk to your child about the surrounding environment; and help them to experience it e.g. moving through the long grass, letting them investigate things around them.
  • Read to your child as often as you can.
  • Develop independence through: doing jobs, allowing time to do things for themselves, helping with cooking and shopping, having a responsibility on trips and outings.
  • Encourage the development of self-care skills; brushing teeth, dressing, undressing, swimming, washing hands, using the toilet.
  • Get them to think by asking them questions; e.g. ‘What do you think might happen?’ ‘Which way do you think we should go?’ ‘Why do you think that happened?’ ‘What is happening?’ Getting them to work things out, think how things fit together, ‘what goes with what?
  • Our home learning can consist of a range of activities such as:
    • Reading books on a weekly basis.
    • Completing learning and development tasks in the homework book.
    • To share ‘good news’ in the home communication book.

Semi-Formal Level learners

  • Encourage independence and life skills through: shopping, telling the time, handling money, developing home life skills, making snacks and drink.
  • Take time to share your child’s interests and allowing them to communicate about them.
  • Encourage learners to take responsibility for their belongings.
  • Read with your child and ask questions like what is happening? What is going to happen next?
  • Encourage learners to read words, signs and information when out and about.
  • Get them to think by asking them questions; e.g. What do you think might happen? Which way do you think we should go? Why do you think that happened? What is happening? Getting them to work things out, think how things fit together, what goes with what?
  • Support their understanding of situations and characters in films, stories or soap operas to enable them to ‘read’ things which they may misinterpret.
  • Support their communication through social networking and helping them to understand difficult situations which could occur.
  • Talk to your child about the technologies they use and the benefits and dangers of them. There is a supportive website at: www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents
  • Our home learning can consist of a range of activities such as:
    • Reading books on a weekly basis.
    • Completing tasks from the homework grid to promote independence.
    • Additional English and Maths Homework.

Formal Curriculum Level learners

  • Encourage independence and life skills through: shopping, independent travel, telling the time, money management, developing home life skills, cooking.
  • Take time to share your child’s interests and allowing them to communicate about them.
  • Encourage learners to take responsibility for their belongings.
  • Read with your child and promote reading for pleasure.
  • Get them to think by asking them questions; e.g. What do you think might happen? Which way do you think we should go? Why do you think that happened? What is happening? Getting them to work things out, think how things fit together, what goes with what?
  • Support their understanding of situations and characters in films, stories or soap operas to enable them to ‘read’ things which they may misinterpret. Encourage them to explore their community and read about local news.
  • Support their communication through social networking and helping them to understand difficult situations which could occur.
  • Talk to your child about the technologies they use and the benefits and dangers of them. There is a supportive website at: www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents
  • Our home learning can consist of a range of activities such as:
    • Reading a book on a weekly basis.
    • Weekly homework for English, Maths and Science.
    • Able to recall evidence to support their ECHP targets.

Websites to support your child’s learning