Category: Homeschooling

World Maths Day: 10 easy maths games to play at home

Posted on by Claire Hewson

World Maths Day on 3rd March aims to get children excited about maths. Here we share some easy, active maths games that you can do at home on World Maths Day – or at any time you have a couple of minutes to spare.

1. Beach ball sums

Cover a beach ball in sticky labels and write a sum on each. Sums could be addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fraction calculations – anything that’s appropriate for your child. For ideas use the internet by typing in your child’s key stage and ‘maths worksheets’ (for example: ‘key stage 3 maths worksheets’).

To play, throw the beach ball to your child and whichever sum their right thumb lands on they answer. Throw back and forth until they’ve answered most of the sums.

2. Calculator jump

Outside, chalk a grid (3 squares down and four across) that looks a bit like a calculator keypad. In the first row of squares write 7, 8, 9, -. In the second row write 4, 5, 6 +, and then 1, 2, 3, = in the last row. You could substitute the plus and minus signs for multiplication and division.

Children then make up their own sums (or you tell them a sum). They jump to the numbers, signs and answers. For example they might jump to 7, +, 1, =, 8.

3. Hopscotch

Play traditional hopscotch (if you’re not sure how to play look online for instructions). As your child lands on a number ask them to tell you the number that is one less/one more/two more/two less than that number.

Adapt the game to an appropriate level for your child. You might ask ‘What’s ten more?’ or ‘What number would you get if you added 21?’ As with the beach ball game, you could look on the internet to find ideas for sums.

4. Playing card calculations

To play this game you could either just use playing cards with numbers on them or include the picture cards and assign numbers to them (ace = 1, jack = 11, queen = 12, king = 12).

Divide the cards between two players. Each player lays two cards face up in front of them and then subtracts the lower number from the higher. The person who has the higher answer wins all four cards. If the total is the same, then the players turn over two more cards.

Make the game more challenging for older children by using the two cards to make a fraction. Whoever has the biggest fraction wins the cards.

5. Simon Says

Play the traditional game ‘Simon Says’ but with maths actions appropriate for your child. For younger children learning fractions and telling the time instructions could be: spin your body (or turn your head) clockwise, spin anti-clockwise, make a quarter turn, make a half turn, take two steps left (or hop two steps left), take two steps right.

Older children could make angles using their arms: acute, right, obtuse, 90 degree, 180 degree, parallel and perpendicular lines.

6. Skittles maths

Give your child a bag of Skittles. Before they eat them ask them to count each colour and record their results in a bar graph.

Older children could calculate the ratio of each colour to the total number of Skittles in the packet.

7. Times table catch

Throw a ball back and forth with your child, taking turns to say a times table. For example, you could count in 2s. When you have the ball you say ‘two’, when your child catches and throws the ball to you they say ‘four’, as you catch and throw the ball back you say ‘six’ and so on.

8. Twister recognition

For this game you need a Twister board. Place stickers over the circles. On the stickers draw different shapes (Google ‘shapes key stage 1’ or ‘shapes key stage 2’ to find appropriate shapes).

Play Twister in the ordinary way but call out ‘right foot triangle’ etc. You could ask your child to identify shapes by their corners and sides by saying, for example: ‘place your right foot on the shape that has three corners and three sides’.

Instead of shapes, children could identify fractions or money. You could write fractions on the stickers or use pictures of coins from the internet.

9. Weigh it

This activity supports your child to make predictions and to use scales.

Pick ten random items from your kitchen – a bunch of bananas, a tin of soup etc. Ask your child to predict the order of weight by placing the items in a line from lightest to heaviest. They then test their answers by weighing the items.

10. World probability

For this game you need an inflatable globe. Throw and catch an inflatable globe with your child fifty times. Each time you and your child catch the ball record whether your or their left thumb landed on water or land. 

When you’ve finished the game, record the ratio. As 70% of the world is covered in water, the result will probably be around 7:3. Based on this ratio ask your child to predict the probability that your or their thumb will land on any of the continents if you play again. Test it out!

More maths games to play at home

For more ideas to develop your child’s maths skills see our blog post, 10 of the best (free!) maths games websites for primary children.

Would your child benefit from one-to-one maths tuition?

TutorMyKids offers one-to-one maths tuition for children from primary age upwards. Our tutors boost children’s confidence in their ability which in turn raises achievement.

Whether your child is struggling with a particular aspect of maths or needs to master a greater range of skills, we can support them. To find out more talk to us today: 01223 858 421/hello@tutormykids.co.uk

How to keep teenagers busy on lockdown weekends

Posted on by Claire Hewson

Lockdown weekends can be boring for teenagers who are used to going out and about seeing their friends. Many parents worry that their children are miserable and spending too much time playing computer games.

Here we share some ideas to keep teenagers busy on lockdown weekends – hopefully one or two activities will really spark their interest.

Create an anime

An anime is a hand-drawn computer animation that comes from Japan. Creating an anime involves weaving stories and then building and illustrating a story world. Teenagers who are interested in art and design can acquire valuable new skills making these computer animations.

Escape Room challenge

Escape room games are fun for the whole family and teenagers can play with their friends. These games can be played virtually during the pandemic. See Durham Escape Rooms and Escape Live online challenges.

Go cycling

If your teenager needs an incentive to go cycling, try the Strava app. The app encourages cyclists to improve their distance over time.

Join a stage school

The Stage Academy provide online classes in singing, dancing and acting for children and teenagers. The classes are taught by industry professionals and students receive one-to-one feedback. Even before lockdown these classes were popular as they are interactive, engaging and excellent value for money.

Just Dance

The Just Dance computer game is a fun way for teenagers to exercise to the latest tracks. The game can be played on most platforms.

Learn a new language

Learning a new language is something you might enjoy doing as a whole family – see Duolingo.

If your child is learning a language for GCSE or A Level, TutorMyKids offers one-to-one language tuition online with fully qualified, expert tutors.

Learn coding for beginners

With a Code Academy online course, teenagers will learn to code computers and then apply their knowledge to real life scenarios. Coding skills are well sought after by employers and are worth the time investment for those interested.

Learn juggling

This can become quite competitive for the whole family. There are lots of instructional videos online. We like CBBC’s Learn to juggle with three balls.

Learn photography

Photography is a great incentive to go outside. If your teenager has an Iphone or Android they could take a course in smartphone photography to learn how to compose photographs by framing the subject and how to use the app to improve colour, contrast and brightness.

Alternatively, if they (or you) own a DSLR camera they could take an online course with The Institute of Photography.

Learn to sew

For free sewing classes to inspire your teenager, see the Crazy Little Projects website. If your teenager is really interested in sewing and wants to make their own clothes have a look at Bobbin and Ink’s nine week sewing lessons.

They could even make scrubs for the NHS!

Learn touch typing for kids

Touchtyping is an invaluable skill in the digital age. Learning to touchtype rather than jabbing keys with two fingers can prevent repetitive strain injury and speed up schoolwork.

Make a photobook

Most of us have got photos on our phones and computers that have been there for ages, but how often do we look at them? Your teenager could spend time usefully designing a photobook of treasured memories.

Make a podcast

Does your teenager enjoy listening to podcasts? If so, they could create their own. It’s very easy to start a podcast and many podcast hosting platforms have comprehensive, easy-to-follow guides for beginners.

Listen to podcasts

If your child is looking for something new to listen to here is a list of 20 of the best podcasts for teenagers.

Play Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is a world of stories, board games and digital games. If your child enjoys fantasy adventure then this immersive world could be for them!

Solve a Rubik’s Cube

Rubik’s Cubes are back. These fantastic puzzles develop problem solving skills and encourage perseverance. Have a look at the official Rubik’s website for tips and tricks.

Take piano our ukulele lessons

Get your earplugs ready – your teenager could learn to play the piano or the ukulele online! In fact, a quick Google search will reveal that your child can learn to play just about any musical instrument they like.

Love learning with TutorMyKids one-to-one tuition

If your child’s enthusiasm for learning has waned since lockdown, they may benefit from tailored one-to-one tuition to get them back on track.

Our tutors are highly qualified and experienced. They know how to motivate teenagers and re-ignite their spark.

To find out more, email or phone us today: hello@tutormykids.co.uk/01223 858 421

How to homeschool and work (and stay sane)

Posted on by Claire Hewson

We all know that it is extremely challenging to homeschool children and work at the same time. Many parents are working early in the morning and late into the night so they can homeschool their children during the day. Some parents are managing babies and toddlers whilst supervising older children. These daily struggles on top of other worries mean most parents are physically and mentally exhausted.

Here we share some ideas to support you and your family to cope over the coming weeks. We also share some of the positives of homeschooling to keep you going!

How can I work from home with a young family?

The answer is, of course, with great difficulty. By now you have probably found a way to manage. You might be homeschooling in ‘shifts’ with your partner or working very early and/or late in the day.

The most important thing is to try not to overstretch yourself. For example, if you are working early in the morning do not regularly work late into the night. Looking after young children is hard work and nobody can maintain such a gruelling routine for long without becoming run down or unwell.

If you are struggling to juggle, speak to your employer about their family policies and discuss how you can work more flexibly. Most employers know that the health and wellbeing of their workforce is paramount to the success of their business.

If you have no choice but to work for an hour or two during the day then you cannot teach young children at the same time. Don’t feel guilty if your children are spending time on the tablet so you won’t be interrupted – at the end of the day, you have work to put food on the table. Equally, when your children need you do not feel guilty for stopping to put their needs first.

Why is it a good idea to follow a routine?

Establishing a daily routine can help us to feel a little more in control of our lives. It can also help us get through the day by breaking it into bitesize chunks. Your routine needs to work for you rather than against you by being flexible (what else can it be when you are caring for young children?).

Children learn better and feel more comfortable when there is some routine to their day. Whatever routine you establish it is best to make sure your child gets up and goes to bed at roughly the same time every day, that they have regular mealtimes and regular breaks where they are active outdoors.

Do live classes suit your family?

Like secondary schools, most primary schools are now providing ‘live’ classes online alongside links to online learning that can be completed at children’s own pace.

For some families live classes are helpful as their child will sit and listen to their teacher and work independently. However, live classes do not suit every family. The timing may be difficult due to the parent’s work routine or the child may not be benefitting from them.

If live classes are more of a nuisance than a benefit consider whether it is worth doing them. Make the choice that is right for your child and your family life and talk to your child’s teacher. Schools have a duty of care and will regularly ‘check-in’ to make sure everything is alright and to find out if they can offer any further help.

Are you feeling guilty about screen time?

Your child is probably spending more time in front of a screen than they usually would. Not only are they likely to be learning online but they may also be playing computer games. Screens are a saviour for many (if not most!) parents at the moment.

Children who are deprived of friends, clubs and their usual activities may seek more one-to-one attention from parents who are struggling to juggle work and daily chores. Screens can free parents to get things done and possibly have two minutes breathing space.

However, we can’t escape the fact that hours of screen time in a day is not healthy. Too much screen time may cause difficulty sleeping, behavioural issues and physical problems, but what can we do about it?

We need to accept that these are difficult times and children are going to spend more time on screens than we would like – this might just be a habit we have to break when school returns. What we can do is try our best to balance out the day with learning experiences that are not screen-based. Here are some ideas:

How does fresh air help?

Taking breaks to go outside during the day is important for the whole family.

Many people who are working from home are spending longer hours sitting at a desk than they would if they were in the office. With no health and safety department to do ‘desk checks’ bad backs and stiff necks are the order of the day!

Going for a quick daily walk or playing a ten-minute game of football or swingball can be PE for the whole family. Children who might be reluctant to go out in the cold might be encouraged to do so if they can take their favourite toys outside. They could search for minibeasts under stones, dig holes ‘to Australia’, chalk out roads, or just stomp about in the frost. There are plenty of studies highlighting all the ways fresh air is good for us. Time outdoors lifts our mood improving our blood pressure and heart rate and strengthening our immune system. It gives us breathing space to think (especially if children are busily engaged) and it wakes us up and sharpens our minds.

Are there any positives to homeschooling in a pandemic?

Homeschooling is not for everybody. Those who homeschooled their children before the pandemic will tell you that this is a very different experience. Pre-pandemic their children regularly met with other children, they attended groups, they might have gone ice-skating or learnt in a museum.

Even so, there are still some positives parents might take from this experience, and some may resonate with you:

  • Your child’s reading may improve. Teachers rarely hear individual children read more than once a week because the curriculum is so packed. Reading is the cornerstone of children’s education so if you are reading with (and to) your child every day this is a significant benefit.
  • You can pace learning to suit your child. If they are finding something difficult you can stop to explain further, and if something is easy you can skip forward and move on. With around thirty children in a class personalised learning is hard to achieve at school.
  • Your child can spend more time doing the things they love. For example, if your child is interested in birds they could find out and write about birds and engage in a whole project about them.
  • You can learn with your child. Children might be learning about subjects you find interesting too. You could even go out of your way to learn a new skill together. For example, you might learn a language with BBC Muzzy, research a period in history, or learn a craft.
  • Although it won’t always feel that way, being at home can bring you and your children closer together and strengthen the bond between you.

Top tip for staying sane

On the weekends play games together with willing members of the family. Whether it’s Monopoly, a chasing game in the garden, watching a funny YouTube video or a silly film – it doesn’t matter as long as it makes everybody smile.

Try to make time to do something you want to do; this could be taking exercise, learning a new skill, arts and crafts or lying in a bubble bath. If you have a partner you could manage childcare in ‘shifts’. 

We all need enjoyment and laughter to help the daily load feel a little bit lighter.

TutorMyKids – Support with homeschooling

If you think your child would benefit from extra one-to-one support during this time, TutorMyKids can help you. We offer private tuition to children and young people of ages and all our tutors are currently working online. Our tutors specialise in maths, English, science, humanities and languages.

Every tutor is highly qualified and experienced. They know how to motivate children to perform to the best of their ability, even during these difficult times.

If you are juggling homeschool and work and would like extra support for your child contact us today: hello@tutormykids.co.uk /01223 858 421

How to incorporate maths into your child’s everyday life

Posted on by Claire Hewson

It’s Maths Week from 9-14th November this year. The purpose is to promote the message that maths is enjoyable and that it’s embedded in every single person’s life.

Some people believe (perhaps due to negative experiences at school) that maths is difficult and boring, but the truth is the very opposite. Maths is everywhere and we use it all the time – we can’t escape it.

Here we look at how you can use everyday opportunities to extend your child’s maths skills and have some fun!

Board Games

Most board games involve counting and other maths skills. Traditional games like Snakes & Ladders, Ludo and Monopoly all involve maths. Some games are designed specifically with maths skills in mind. Orchard Toys make several games: Magic Maths, Mammoth Maths, and Times Table Heroes.

Building

If your child likes building with blocks or Lego maths can easily be incorporated. They can count out blocks as they build. Lego blocks have different numbers of studs and these are great for times tables practice. For example, blocks with two studs can be used for counting in twos etc. 

Children can use rulers or tape measures to measure the heights and widths of their models. You could ask, ‘Which part is taller/shorter?’ and ‘What’s the difference between the two measurements?’

Maths is all about patterns. Children can make Lego models with repeating patterns, e.g. two red blocks, one blue block, three green blocks, two red blocks, one blue block, three green blocks…

For more ideas read, Questions in block play can support mathematical learning.

Cooking

Cooking and baking provide plenty of maths opportunities. Children can weigh, measure and count out ingredients and use an oven timer. They will begin to understand how long 25 minutes is, if that’s how long their cake takes to bake.

Develop maths skills and language by giving instructions and asking questions such as:

How much more flour do we need to measure out?

Please put four tablespoons of golden syrup into the bowl.

Can you put in a little bit more/less sugar?

Can you measure out 50ml of milk?

Can you count out five chocolate buttons for each cake?

Can you put the oven timer on for 25 minutes?

How many minutes are left on the oven timer?

Crafts

Crafts usually involve maths, whether it’s measuring, counting, fractions (halving, quartering) or playing with shapes. As an example see this Christmas tree card craft.

For practicing measuring and problem solving, sewing is brilliant. See 10 best sewing projects to make with kids for ideas.

Shopping

Children can pay for items in a real shop (or play ‘shops’) so they learn the value of different coins. For example, if something costs 10p they can pay with 2 x 5p, 1 x 10p, 10 x 1p and so on. They can add different shop items together and calculate change.

Older children can work out discounts. For example, how much money will they pay for an item with 10% or 50% off?

Singing

Young children learn counting, addition and subtraction through nursery rhymes, especially those with actions. Think about 5 Current Buns and 10 Green Bottles. The BBC schools website has plenty of ideas.

Older children can learn times tables through songs. You can purchase songs or listen to free versions on YouTube.

Time

For young children the first step is to understand the concept of time – how long is a minute? Five minutes? An hour? Say, ‘It’s ten minutes until we go to the park’ (you could set an oven timer or turn a sand timer to show ten minutes). Play games – ‘How many times can you jump on the trampoline in one minute?’ and time your child or count the seconds, ‘One potato…two potato…etc’.

If you are going to school at nine o’clock draw their attention to the hour and minute hand on the clock. Read stories about telling the time such as What Time Is It, Mr Crocodile? by Judy Sierra.  Play board games like ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf’ and ‘Telling the Time’ by Orchard Toys.

Weather

Children can record temperatures and make graphs or bar charts to record different temperatures each week or each day. You might ask ‘What was the warmest/coolest day?’ and ‘How much warmer/cooler was it?’

You could make a rain gauge together so children can measure the amount of rain that falls and compare different days. Ask, ‘How many centimetres of rain fell today?’ ‘What’s the difference in centimetres between the wettest and the driest day?’ ‘How much rain has fallen in total so far?’

Would your child benefit from extra maths support?

TutorMyKids maths tutors have the ability to make maths applicable to children’s lives by drawing upon real life situations. They also help children to make connections by building on skills previously learnt, and by checking that children have understood concepts rather than simply memorised.

Our tutors adjust their teaching strategies to suit each individual child’s needs and learning styles. Their aim is for children to feel motivated and to have the confidence they need to succeed.

To talk about how we can help your child email hello@tutormykids.co.uk or telephone 01223 858 421.

Fun ways to teach your child where their food comes from

Posted on by Claire Hewson

World Food Day is celebrated on 16th October every year, even in these unprecedented times. The aim is to raise awareness that everybody – food producers and consumers alike – have an important role to play to ensure nutritious food is available to everyone across the world.

As consumers we can influence what food is produced by making healthy, sustainable choices. To learn about how our daily choices can have a positive impact visit the United Nation’s World Food Day website.

For children, the first step in making the best choices is understanding where their food comes from. Advances in technology mean that with every generation we become further and further removed from the source of our food.

Here we share some enjoyable ways to teach your child how food gets from farm to fork.

Grow your own fruit and vegetables

Children love sowing seeds, looking after plants and eating what they have grown themselves.

To begin with choose food that is quick and easy to grow such as herbs see ‘How to make a herb garden’. Once interest is sparked your child could grow courgettes (these are very easy to grow), tomatoes, mange tout, green beans, butternut squash, strawberries and raspberries. Even in autumn and winter there is plenty to grow!

Involve your child in picking and preparing their fruit and vegetables. They could make a pizza from home grown tomatoes and basil, or pies and smoothies from strawberries and raspberries. Your child might eat some of their produce straight from the plant or in a salad.

Pick your own

This is an activity to save until late summer. Pick blackberries – remembering not to pick blackberries from near roadsides or near to the ground. Apart from blackberry crumbles and pies your child could make summer pudding, ice cream, jelly and sorbet or eat blackberries as they are. There are lots of recipes online.

Pick-your-own farms are a fun and cheap day out. You can pick strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, redcurrants and more – depending upon your closest farm. Type ‘nearest pick your own fruit’ into Google.

Read food books

There are some fantastic books that spark children’s interest in the connection between nature and food, and the importance of healthy eating.  These are our favourites:

How Did That Get in My Lunchbox: The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth

Looking at all the food in a child’s lunchbox and how it got there. Where did the chocolate in the biscuit come from? Who made the bread for the sandwich? This book looks at the steps involved in producing some foods e.g. planting wheat and mixing flour into dough to make bread. There are also healthy eating tips and an introduction to food groups is included.

I don’t Like Salad! by Tony Ross

The Little Princess does not like salad, especially tomatoes. She changes her mind when she is given some tomato seeds to grow and sees the first shoots appear.

Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle

Jack wakes up very hungry – he wants a pancake! But first his mother needs flour from the mill, an egg from the hen, milk from the cow, butter churned from cream and firewood for the stove. Will Jack help his mother and get his pancake?

See Inside: Where Food Comes From by Emily Bone and Peter Allen

Children lift flaps to find out what food is produced in greenhouses, on farms and in the sea. There is a map with flaps showing where chocolate, tea and other things we enjoy come from. Children discover the importance of corn, rice and wheat around the world.

Encourage your child to look at the labels on the food they eat to see where is has come from. They could find places on a world map and use the internet to research the journey their food has had from source to plate.

Visit farm shops or markets with your child to find out what is seasonal and talk to them about what ‘seasonal’ and ‘sustainable’ mean.  The World Food Day website is a great source of information.

Visit a Farm

Whether you visit a city farm or a farm in the country this is a great way to show your child where their food comes from. Some farms allow children to feed lambs, collect eggs, stroke sheep and even to see cows being milked and cheese being made.

There are farms that offer overnight stays so children can really experience life on a working farm. It is also worth keeping an eye out for farm open days near you.

One-to-one science tuition

Is your child interested in science and nature? Our experienced science tutors build on children’s enthusiasm introducing them to many areas of science in an engaging, hands-on and creative way, motivating them to pursue sciences throughout school and beyond.

If your child isn’t enthusiastic about science at school and finds a particular area challenging we can also help. Our tutors tailor their teaching to individual children’s needs, making sure learning is both fun and relevant to them.

To find out more please contact us on: 01223 858 421/hello@tutormykids.co.uk

Can apps really help children learn to read?

Posted on by Claire Hewson

There are many different reading apps on the market today, but are they an effective and safe way for children to learn to read?

In today’s blog we look at the pros and cons of reading apps and share our pick of the best.

Advantages of reading apps

  • In a study of children aged 4-5 years Flewitt et al (2015) reported that: ‘children’s motivation to succeed in iPad activities sometimes led them to display more advanced literacy skills than staff had previously given them credit for. For example, the reception class teacher was ‘blown away’ by the quality of some children’s iPad work… iPad-based literacy activities stimulated children’s motivation and concentration.’
  • Reading apps encourage children to engage with texts through games, puzzles, treasure hunts and other activities. Children have fun and are therefore motivated to learn.
  • Children can choose from a variety of fiction and non-fiction at the tap of a button. They might read classic fairytales, twists on classic fairytales, fables, short stories, travel logs, joke books, books on science and nature – it is all at their fingertips. Children can choose genres that match their interests.
  • Reading apps are convenient. They help to ensure that children read every day no matter how busy the family schedule.

Disadvantages of reading apps

Reading apps should not replace human interaction. Oral language skills are the foundation for young children’s reading and language comprehension. Parents should still read with their children and to their children daily if they possibly can and not consider apps as a replacement. In this way parents can help their children to understand what they are reading, answer their questions and extend their vocabulary.

Too much screen time can cause eyestrain (possibly even near-sightedness), dry eyes (we blink less when reading from a screen), neck pain and poor posture. Eyes become more tired than when reading print books because digital text and images are made from ‘pixels’ – tiny pieces that make our eyes work harder.

Reducing the brightness on screens can help to reduce eyestrain. E-readers (such as the Kindle) have a display that is more like ink on printed paper and this reduces eyestrain, but children’s reading apps are often used on smartphones and tablets rather than e-readers.

Both children and adults should not spend time in front of any screen for hours on end without a break.

Our pick of the best reading apps

When used as a complement to print books and not for extended lengths of time, reading apps are a valuable way of motivating children to read. However, there are so many apps available that it can be difficult to choose, so here is our pick of the best.

  1. Reading Eggs

Suitable for children aged 2-13 years, Reading Eggs supports children through guided reading tasks, activities and e-books. The app starts with phonics and tricky words moving on to building vocabulary and developing reading comprehension skills. Over 2,500 e-books are included.

2. Teach Your Monster to Read

Children create a monster and then take it on a series of adventure games that covers phonic phase two to phonics phase 5 (roughly children aged 3-6 years). There are short e-books for children to enjoy too. This app was nominated for a BAFTA.

3. Reading Raven

Children read, recognise and trace letters in order to build words and sentences. Reading Raven is a multi-sensory approach to reading that also develops listening skills and hand-eye coordination. The app is aimed at children aged 3-7 years.

4. Montessori Preschool

Although this isn’t just a reading app we’ve decided to include it here because it is brilliant for young children who might miss out on education this year due to lockdown. The app teaches children everything from phonics and maths to music and early coding skills.

5. Epic!

This is a digital library containing over 25,000 books including bestselling titles and National Geographic non-fiction books. You can create a profile for your child inputting their age and the categories of books they like (pets, sport, adventure etc). Children collect badges as rewards for progress and they can review titles for others when they’ve finished reading. Suitable for young children up to teens.

Does your child need extra reading support?

TutorMyKids’ English tutors have helped many children to overcome difficulties with reading. It is our aim to boost children’s confidence and to instil a love of reading that will last a lifetime. We provide engaging one-to-one tuition that is sensitive to every child’s needs.

Whether your child just needs a little bit of extra help or you are concerned that they have fallen significantly behind their peers, please get in touch with us today: 01223 858 421/hello@tutormykids.co.uk

How COVID has changed homeschooling.

Posted on by Rachel Law

Over the last 2 or 3 months, I’ve had a number of conversations with parents who have or who are considering homeschooling their children. It feels like there’s been a sea change in people’s thinking and acting upon those thoughts, since we’ve been living with COVID-19.

The parents that I’ve spoken to recently cite the following as influences to their thinking:

  • Shielding a member of the family
  • The improved mental health of their child during lock-down.
  • Change of lifestyle – combining education with travelling.
  • A desire for education that suits the needs of their child better.
  • To study a curriculum that is better focused on their child’s needs and career aspirations.

There are many issues to be considered, not least of which whether it would suit you! Many parents have decided that it’s certainly not within their skill-set and are delighted that schools are re-opened! Take a look at the Pros and Cons of homeschooling – it makes an interesting read, discussing capabilities as well as aptitude.

How Tutor My Kids can help.

The majority of our teachers are qualified teachers who understand the UK curriculum and requirement of the various exam boards. We can tailor a package of help that suits your child and your skills. You may be absolutely comfortable tutoring GCSE English and the humanities, but want to supplement that with a tutor for GCSE maths, for example. It may be an understanding of the exam marking schemes that leave you feeling a bit uncomfortable – are you advising your child well so they can get all the marks that are available to them? For example, the use of specific appropriate scientific vocabulary in the GCSE science exams can make a significant difference in the marks and consequently the grade awarded.

Online teaching has been a complete game changer.

Before lock-down, I’d been very reticent about online teaching feeling that it was of a lesser quality to the gold-standard of face-to-face tuition. However, I’ve found myself completely sold on this new way or working. Take a look at our other blog – Online tuition has been a complete game-changer.

Online tuition is enabling us to help out those families who are shielding, whilst still providing fully qualified teachers to deliver a bespoke curriculum for their family.

For families that are able to work remotely or want a change of lifestyle, our tutors are able to offer a first-class education to families whilst they travel and/or work in multiple locations.

Please feel free to take a look at our For Parents page and our testimonials for more information.