Supporting Learning at Home

We believe that strong school-home partnerships are a key component in ensuring that every learner meets their full potential. While we do not have a policy of sending formal learning (homework) home, there are many ways that you can ensure that your child is embedding and extending the learning that they are taking part in at school. 

There may be times that your child brings tasks home to complete. This may be due to poor time management in class, or activities that are designed to be done with whānau. 

Outside of this we strongly encourage you to set up your own routines, especially around Reading and Mathematics, to add mileage and authenticity to the learning taking place at school. 

Reading and Language Development

In order for reading skills to become embedded and fluent, learners should be reading everyday at home. 

Your child may have books that they bring home from school, your classroom teacher will let you know what to expect. Outside of these books you can foster and encourage a love of reading in many ways, reading with your child, hearing them read and modelling your own enjoyment of reading. 

Aim to have time set aside everyday for reading. 10-15 minutes is a great goal for younger learners, through to at least 30 minutes for children in Year 4 and above. 

Showing your children where strong language skills add value in authentic and meaningful contexts will help them to make connections with their learning. You could try:

• Following instructions or recipes (kitset furniture anyone?)

• Creating your own instructions or recipes

• Reading magazines, articles, comics, emails, letters, cards etc

• Writing letters, cards, emails, lists etc

• Read a traditional story or fairytale and discuss how the themes relate to today 

• Listening to podcasts - there are some wonderful family friendly ones (great for in the car!)

• Listening to audiobooks

• Play board games together

• Do some internet research together

• Make puppets (or use toys) and put on a show

• Sing songs, read rhymes or make up your own

• Make a photo book (family, event, holiday) and write the captions together

• Read a book together as a family, then watch the film to compare 

Hook into your child’s passions and use these as a starting point for reading, talking and listening to anything that relates! 

Mathematics

Everyday Mathematics

Find opportunities to talk about maths in your home life. So many of us have a belief that we are ‘bad at maths’, but really we aren’t! Maybe you were just ‘bad’ at the way you were taught maths! Fostering a positive attitude towards mathematics with you, will really help your child to become a confident mathematician! 

• Point out numbers in all different context - clocks, timers, quantities, road signs, 

• Find patterns in nature, music, art etc

• Sorting items into categories, buttons, washing, things cupboards

• Make up maths number stories

• Cook and change the quantities! 

• Shopping and budgeting (esp when there are sales - 25%, 50% off etc)

• Find different shapes around the house - are they 2D or 3D?

Online Resources Across the Curriculum

There are many great learning tools online to support and reinforce learning. 

These are a few that we believe add value: