EYFS - How to help at Home

How to help at home

• Practise phonics with your child, supporting them to –

read and write sounds, blend sounds in words to read, segment sounds in words to spell.

• Getting dressed and undressed independently including –

Put on and take off their coat, gloves and hat.

Zip up their coat, fasten trousers and shoes.

Turn clothes the right way round eg jumpers, coats.

• Encourage your child to care for their personal needs independently:

Going to the toilet independently, washing their hands.

Using a knife and fork at meal times.

• Play games together including:

Counting games, sharing and turn taking, board games, I spy, (look out for our Dinnertime games on Dojo)

• Get those fingers moving! Play with playdough, use scissors, build with Lego, thread beads, paint and draw.

Phonics is a major part of teaching in EYFS. There is lots of information about this on our Phonics page.

Reading at home - parents' role:

• We teach the children to decode, and then have 3 Reading Practice sessions in groups every week, where children read the same 'matched-decodable' book as a group each session, and discuss it with an adult.
• We then send this book home. Your child should be at least 90% fluent with this book. Let them read it to you and build up to 100% fluency. Praise them, encourage them, it's them 'showing off' to you how well they can read, so the book should appear to be 'easy' to read for them. Read it to mum, dad, sister, nan, and whoever else they can!
• We will also send home a book for sharing. This is a book they have chosen that interests them - they might not be able to read all the words, so help them, read it to them, talk about it, explain what any unfamiliar words mean, and build up a love of reading with them. 
• These two very separate approaches will hugely help them - decoding on their own with the Big Cat decodable book, and Reading for Pleasure with the book for sharing - 5 minutes a day, little and often, or more if you have time - thank you!