Hands-On Learning Tips and Activities

As a teacher, you spend countless hours creating engaging lessons and activities for your classroom. What if you could turn those...

Teaching children how to tell the time can be a rewarding but sometimes frustrating experience! Focusing on o'clock and half past is a great way to start. Begin by introducing the clock face and explaining the numbers and their positions. Use a simple analogue clock, showing how the hour hand moves slowly while the minute hand moves more quickly. Start with the concept of the hour, illustrating how the minute hand points to the 12 when the hour changes. After the child has g

It's finally summer, even if the weather doesn't always quite catch on. It's time to bring some fun and excitement into your learning...

Phase 4 phonics is an exciting time for children as they begin to blend and segment longer words and become more confident readers. It is usually taught towards the end of Reception and/or at the beginning of Year 1. As a parent or teacher, you can help your child develop their phonics skills by continuing to incorporate fun and engaging activities into their learning. In this blog post, we look at what is taught in phase 4 phonics and share some exciting activities for home

These free coin flashcards will come in handy when you're teaching children to recognise coins! Print two sets for a game of pairs, or match the coin image and value. They're ideal for use with individuals or small groups of children. Download them now! Teaching children about money is an important life skill. Recognising and understanding the value of coins is an essential concept that they'll use throughout their lives. While it may seem like a simple topic, teaching child

With spring finally here, it's time to start thinking about how to incorporate the season into your classroom's continuous provision! ...

Fine motor skills refer to the small movements made by our fingers, hands and wrists. They allow us to perform all sorts of tasks, from...

When it comes to teaching 2D shapes, hands-on activities are a great way to engage young learners and the perfect way to help them learn the shape names and properties. Here are 10 fun and interactive activities that you can use to teach 2D shapes: 1. Shape Painting Children can paint their own pictures of 2D shapes on paper. Alternatively, they can just use water and large brushes to paint large shapes on the ground outside - less mess to tidy up! 2. Musical Shapes Place 2D

Phase 5 phonics is typically taught throughout Year 1 of primary school in the UK. It builds on the foundation laid in the earlier phonics phases and introduces a range of new phonemes and graphemes, as well as more complex spelling patterns. What is taught in phase 5 phonics? One of the key aspects of Phase 5 phonics is the introduction of alternative spellings for the sounds that children have already learned. For example, they might learn that the sound /ai/ can be spelt

While there are many resources available to teach phonics, hands-on resources can be particularly effective. One major advantage is that...

Winter is a magical time in the classroom, especially when it comes to continuous provision. This time of year provides endless opportunities for children to explore the natural world, learn about seasonal changes and to develop their creativity and imagination. These 10 inspiring activities will spark the curiosity of every child! 1. Winter Wonderland One way to incorporate winter into your continuous provision is to set up a winter wonderland small world area. You can use

These fun spelling activities for children in key stage one (school years one and two) are perfect for small groups, continuous provision or homeschooling. They're engaging, hands-on and varied, so hopefully, you'll find some strategies which work for your child(ren)! Spelling is a crucial skill that helps children to communicate. However, young children can usually read words more accurately than they can spell them. That's why providing plenty of practice is so importan

What is continuous provision? Traditionally, continuous provision has been associated with early years classrooms; however, more and more...

Have you ever thought about making extra money through a teacher side hustle? Imagine having an additional income each month or even...

What's so tricky about tricky words? Tricky words are also known as common exception or irregular words. They're used often in reading and writing but contain letter-sound correspondences which children have yet to learn. For example, in the tricky word ‘was’ the ‘a’ corresponds to the phoneme /o/, which children who are just beginning to learn to read would not be familiar with. Let's have a look at how we can make tricky words a little less tricky... Make tricky words us

Say hello to crisp cool days and autumn enhancements! Have you kitted out your continuous provision with all things autumn or are you in need of some inspiration? Check out these 10 continuous provision ideas for EYFS and KS1! If you're short on time and too busy to create resources for your continuous provision, download your free 8-page autumn roll and cover activity here! Image from Oldiefan at Pixabay English Activities for Autumn Continuous Provision Loose Part Letter

It has been the trend over the last few years to have a beige classroom. That's meant hessian-backed displays, natural resources and taupe-painted walls. A calming, peaceful and tranquil environment is definitely something that we teachers aim for but is there really anything wrong with a pop of colour? Research has shown that a monotone environment can cause anxiety, restlessness and irritation. As the new school year approaches and your thoughts turn to setting up your

The prospect of starting Reception can feel like a big step for children. Some may be leaving their parents for the first time; others...

Subitising in Maths Explained Subitising is recognising small numbers of things without actually having to count them. For example, when you roll a dice, you recognise that there are four dots without counting them. Subitising can help children understand what numbers are and help them to partition and develop number sense. In the early years (preschool and Reception), children look at small groups of objects, how many fingers are being held up or the dots on dice to help t

With the end of the school year fast approaching, it's a good excuse to break away from the usual routine and to shake things up a bit. ...