Learning at Home
Routine
Whist you do not need to re-create the exact routine your child would have in nursery or school, it is important to have some kind of predictable routine when children are not in an education setting. This will not only help your child feel more comfortable but it will help you feel more in control. Ensuring consistency and structure helps children feel safe and reduces anxiety. Maintaining good habits such as healthy eating, sleeping and daily exercise routines is also beneficial for our health and well-being. Try to:
Get up and go to bed at a similar time each day
Maintain self-care routines such as showering, dressing and teeth brushing
Have regularly scheduled meal and snack times throughout the day
Turn off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime
Develop a consistent and relaxing bedtime routine
Schedule time to keep active – young children need to keep active to be healthy and we have some indoor and outdoor activity ideas below.
Remember, home isn't school. Don't feel pressured to provide a school day of learning at home. Lots of everyday activities and games provide your child with great learning and development opportunities (more on this below). If you feel overwhelmed, speak with school staff for advice.
Example Checklists:
Play
Your child is learning so much through every single interaction they have. These interactions promote healthy development and help new connections be created in the brain! Play is the basis of all early learning. If you are playing with your child and they are having fun, then you are doing a good job! And there are lots of simple activities you can do together in the home. And remember, while some screen time is okay and there are good apps and videos to support your child, it’s really good for both you and your child to have time away from the tablet or laptop and engaging in face-to-face play and interactions, including:
Everyday conversations
Pretend and make-believe play
Games with numbers or letters
Mark-making and drawing
Reading stories
Doing household chores together and talking with you child about what you are doing
Hungry little minds have simple activity ideas split by age (0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, 2-3 years and 3-5 years).
We also have a page with ideas for Developing Early Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills in younger children, with simple activity ideas.
Play isn't just for younger children! All children learn vital developmental and life skills through lots of different types of play. Games and fun activities be a great way to spend time together and take the pressure off. From active play to board games, or arts and crafts to make believe play, children can develop their social skills, motor skills, stay healthy and active and learn thinking skills as well as develop their emotional and behavioural self-regulation skills. Please see this handout for more information on different types of play and how they can support your child regardless of age.
Literacy and Numeracy
Reading together
Reading stories is a great way to spend quality time with your child . Reading together supports their early literacy development, their communication, their imagination, and their social and emotional development. This video has some great tips for engaging younger children with story telling:
Education Scotland have a section for parents/carers with videos and tips to support literacy across all age levels.
Supporting numeracy development
There are many opportunities to support your child's numeracy development through everyday activities and experiences. You can encourage counting of everyday items such as clothing items, toys or stairs. When playing or tidying you can order items by size or colour. Talk about shapes and patterns with your child - you could play simple games involving finding as many red items or things shaped like a square or circle.
Education Scotland have a section for parents/carers with videos and tips to support numeracy across all age levels.
The Education Endowment Foundation have lots of resources to support learning at home. Reading stories together is a great activity for a wide age range and you can follow their simple TRUST framework to deepen your child's learning.
The TRUST framework can also be used to ensure everyday activities such as cooking, going for a walk or tidying the house can be a learning experience for you child.
ACC Parent Learning Hub
Aberdeen City Council's Parent Hub has lots of further information and signposting for supporting learning at home split by Early Years, Primary Years and Teenage Years
Emotional Development
Children at this stage are beginning to label feelings that they recognise in themselves and others. Controlling emotion is difficult, so frustration may trigger emotional meltdowns. At this stage the ability to regulate their emotions and behaviour is very challenging - for some this might never be a skill they fully master. Adults play a key role here in providing comfort and supporting the development of regulation skills. Please see our page on Emotion Coaching for some advice and information about how to support your child's emotional development and behaviour.
The Parent Club website also has some advice and guidance around emotional development and positive behaviour for parents.
We have a separate page on Supporting Communication Development using the Words Up approach.