In preparation for Year 1 24-25

Reading

• Listen to an adult read as many different picture books as you can. You could borrow some from Foleshill library. Children should then talk about the story in their own words to show they understand.
• Practise saying a sound for each letter in the alphabet and digraphs; sh, th, ch, qu, ng, nk, ck
• Read words and simple sentences using the sounds above by segmenting and blending
• Read out loud to practise speaking clearly and fluently.

Writing

• Write the alphabet in order both in capital letters and pre-cursive lower-case letters.
• Learn to spell the 100 High Frequency Words and write first names and surnames.

https://www.broadheath.coventry.sch.uk/broad-heath-media/broad-heath-spellings

• Write simple sentences that can be read by others. They could write about anything that interests them!

• Verbally count beyond 20.
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts. You could compare amounts of sweets or toys, for example. Can they recognise when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity?
• Recognise odd and even numbers to 10.
• Double numbers to 10
• Recall bonds to 5 (0+5, 1+4, 2+3) and some bonds to 10 (10+0, 9+1, 8+2, 7+3, 6+4, 5+5).
• Identify 2D shapes e.g. rectangles, squares, circles and triangles
• Talk about where different objects are in the house using positional language e.g. top, middle and bottom, on top of, in front of, above, between, around, near.

• Have some fun outdoors and move about energetically. Think about running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.
• If you can, try to go swimming with your family. This will help build confidence prior to lessons in Year 1.
• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge!

• Sing lots of nursery rhymes!
• Make a postcard for your new teacher – think about the things you have been doing over the holidays.
• Make a 3D sculpture using junk modelling. Can you make an animal or dinosaur?
• Draw or paint some pictures of things you love. Perhaps you could draw animals or plants you have seen. You can show your new teacher in September.

Group work

• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others in the family. You could play board games like Snakes and Ladders.
• Bake a cake with people in your house or use LEGO to build something together.

Independence

• Ensure your child can put on their coat and do the zip or buttons up by themselves.
• Ensure your child can put on their school uniform independently. This is especially important when preparing for swimming lessons in Year 1.
• Use cutlery correctly when eating.

Communication skills

• Develop communication skills by talking with each other at dinner time and exploring the meaning of new words together. Can they offer explanations for why things happen? Can they express their ideas and feelings using full sentences? Can they join sentences using ‘and’?