Ways you can help your children with their English and writing at home.

There are a whole host of resources on line that are currently free to download at home to help with English and writing support. Educators have made this possible because they know parents will be feeling the strain of having their children at home when they’re supposed to be at school, and being unsure what to do about it.

As a parent myself, I can understand this is a daunting time.

Sometimes, being given more choice actually makes it more difficult. Where do you start? I’ve been writing about this over on my writer blog today. As difficult as it might sound, the important thing is not to panic. Ultimately, our children’s education will not suffer. There is a lot they will learn during this whole experience that, for once, isn’t academic, but at the same time, useful in life itself.

Our children are used to structure and routine.

Your new routine might not be the one you’re all used to, but it can be something you all agree upon. Coming up with ideas for how to fill the school day at home can be an activity in itself and will give some responsibility to your child, which most children love.

Finding some semblance of normality at home.

If you look into it, you’ll find lots of businesses are getting creative with how they continue what they currently offer. This includes the Storymakers Writing Club, which offers English and writing support. On Saturday, my groups went ahead as normal, but on Skype. It worked really well, the children coped with it no problem whatsoever. The only problem I had was having an emoji instead of a face, which we didn’t know how to remove!

I personally feel it is important to carry on with these things, if you possibly can, if not for your children’s sakes, but for your own sanity. Whereas you were used to dropping them off somewhere for an hour or two, you’re now putting them in front of a screen at home, but don’t feel bad about that. At the Storymakers Club this weekend, the children worked on sentence improving, making their writing more interesting and writing around the topic of homelessness. The parents were able to set the kids up and then leave them to it, knowing I was on the other end. And believe me, the kids worked really well and I was so proud of them.

English and writing support. Remember, you’re not alone.

This is one of the most important things to remember at this time. No one expects you to take over the education of your child as if you’ve been doing this for years. Yes, there are educational resources out there you can use for home learning, but if you don’t know where to start, check in with your school. They should be the first port of call.

At Storymakers, I will be offering workshops in what would have been the Easter holidays. If you’ve never considered extra English and writing support outside of school before, now could be just the time to try it out. Here’s what we will be doing:

Thursday 2nd April, 9.30-11.30 a.m. – Vocabulary and SPAG, 1.30-3.30 p.m. Creative Writing.
Friday 3rd April, 9.30-11.30 a.m. – Comprehension, 1.30-3.30 p.m. Creative Writing.
Monday 6th April, 9.30-11.30 a.m. – Vocabulary and SPAG (the afternoon workshop is fully booked).
Tuesday 7th April, 9.30-11.30 a.m. – Comprehension, 1.30-3.30 p.m. Creative Writing.

The morning sessions are suitable for Years 4-6. The afternoon ones are open to Years 4-6 and also older children (including Years 7-9).

The content will differ for each session, so if you wanted to book more than one, you can do so. Please go to the Workshop page to book.

For others ideas, please check out the other blogs on here.

Remember to read

Reading is one of the most enjoyable pasttimes out there. If anything, we could all do with a few moments to escape into another world and forget about everything else that’s going on. It can also help with English and writing development.

Reading also gives you an opportunity for discussion and this will help your child with comprehension, as well as developing their own ideas.

Join me on Friday afternoons for a free storytime session.

I will be reading from my own books, starting with The Mystery of the Disappearing Underpants (suitable for ages 8 and above), every Friday afternoon. This will be on the Storymakers Facebook page at 2.30 p.m. starting this week.

Just as the children might sit down on the mat and have the teacher read a story to them, I will be doing the same. If they would like to read along, you can get the book in both paperback and Ebook format: https://amzn.to/2wyGHrZ.

Please get in touch with me if you would like to book any virutal sessions for you child/children. Between us, we can work out a plan of action that will suit you and your child’s needs.