Good morning Reception class,
Here are my activities for today.
Communication and Language
Memory Game – Shopping
This is a simple game that I’m sure some of you will be familiar with. Learning to remember more and more information is a key skill. As your child’s school life progresses, he or she will need to remember increasingly longer and more complicated information. This game develops memory skills.
What to do:
- You start the game by saying ‘I went to the shop and bought a banana’.
- Your child repeats what you have said and then adds another item ‘I went to the shop and bought a banana and some biscuits’.
- Now it could be a different family member or back to you. Repeat the sentence and add another item – and so on until you think it is time to stop!
Variations of this game could be packing for a holiday, tidying up the toys, tv programmes to watch, going on a walk etc.
If your child needs a little support, try using objects to look at first and then move the objects as a reminder of things to recall.
To challenge your child further, try initial sounds (everything begins with a certain sound) or using the letters of the alphabet in order as children choose their items. To help with this, use a letter chart (if you have one).
Literacy/Letters and Sounds
Listen to the story of The Gingerbread Man again (yesterday’s blog) and encourage your child to join in. Talk about the story and ask questions to make sure your child fully understands the story. Here are some example questions:
- Did you notice any patterns (repetition) in the story eg. ‘Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man’?
- Was there anything in the story that you’re not sure about?
- What would you have done if you were …. the little old woman, the fox etc?
- How would you have felt if you were …. the gingerbread man, the horse etc?
- What do you like best about the story?
- Was there anything you didn’t like about the story?
- If you could change one thing in the story, what would it be?
If you have a different version of The Gingerbread Man, talk about the differences – which ending does your child prefer?
Today’s new sound – ‘ng’ (digraph two letters but one sound)
Here’s Geraldine again!!! Watch the next video below for words your child may be able to read and write.
This video supports blending and reading words that include the ‘ng’ sound.
Below is the action for ‘ng’.
Show your child how to write ‘ng’ using the correct letter formation.
Letter formation for ‘n’ and ‘g’ can be found in your child’s letters and sounds book.
Encourage your child to ‘have a go’ at writing the ‘ng’ sound.
If your child is ready for a challenge, ask your child to write the following words:
For extra challenge, maybe your child could write a sentence and draw a picture to accompany the sentence.
Maths
We are now going to move onto another learning sequence, pattern recognition.
It’s important that your child explores and identifies the regularities, sequencing and repetition that characterise pattern in mathematics. By recognising pattern, your child is beginning to recognise mathematical relationships and algebraic structures that will deepen his or her mathematical understanding.
In this sequence, your child will begin to understand the elements of pattern that can be found in the world around them as a precursor to the exploration of numbers. This will build up your child’s vocabulary to explain and describe patterns as he or she is beginning to generalise, make predictions and draw conclusions from a breadth of experiences.
What to do:
- You can use any resources available eg. natural materials (twigs, leaves etc), kitchen items (knives, forks, spoons) or toys (duplo bricks of different colours).
- Create a pattern with the objects.
- Ask your child “Tell me about the pattern I have made”. You will probably need to model the language first. You will be looking for your child to be able to say something like “After each stick there is one leaf”.
- Emphasise the repeating aspect of the pattern. You may need to explain what ‘repeat’ means. You will be looking for your child to be able to say “I can see one yellow brick, one blue and one red then they repeat”.
Draw your child’s attention to repeated events in the daily routine, the natural environment, in songs or stories. What pattern can we hear in The Gingerbread Man story?
Go on a ‘pattern hunt’ around the house or when outside walking.
May I also recommend www.topmarks.co.uk. Look under ‘Learning Games’ age 3-5. In the category ‘Ordering and Sequencing’. Here is a link:
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/ordering-and-sequencing
There is an excellent shape game which draws children’s attention to patterns. You will see three levels to this game so you can adapt according to your child’s needs.
Look out for the Gingerbread Man game on this website. This game teaches counting, matching and ordering numbers.
Lastly, if you would like some extra activities, try BBC Bitesize for some fun activities aimed at younger children.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zks4kmn
Wishing you all a fantastic day.
Nicola Palmer