Resources and Information for Parents
Nursery Rhymes and Action Songs
Developing Language and Maths Skills in Young Children
Children With Additional Needs
Fine and Gross Motor Skills Development
Introduction
Resources 4 Parents is part of a new site that is constantly changing and each week we hope to add additional materials for you to use with your children.
Our aim is to provide parents with information and resources to help you have fun with and educate your children. If there are any topics or resources you would like to see on the site then please use the Contact Us feature to let us know.
Below will be links to free resources and ones that can be purchased. Please respect our copyright by downloading and using the resources for your individual needs.
Two main factors affect your children's development.
1. One factor is Genes, which is what we pass onto our children. Our genes determine a number of our children's characteristics like eye and hair colour.
2. The other factor that influences child development is their environment and this includes experiences they have at home and in their local community.
Parents often feel pressurised by advertising to buy a number of expensive toys and materials to stimulate their children and improve their development. However there are so many every day activities that you can do with your children to help them develop and grow. Over time we will provide suggestions for you to use with your children.
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Nursery Rhymes and Action Songs
Young children, even babies, love listening to and learning to recite nursery rhymes. They are fun to learn and they enable them to create their own imaginary world. They especially enjoy the accompanying actions to many of the rhymes and songs.
In addition, substantial evidence exists which confirms that learning nursery rhymes at an early age greatly enhances reading skills. Research carried out by Lynnette Bradley and Peter Bryant has shown that children’s early knowledge of nursery rhymes, and their awareness of whether words sound the same is a good predictor of how well they will later learn to read and spell. They found that even small amounts of special practice with rhyme and alliteration (Rachael likes real rabbits, Peter likes popcorn) could produce massive gains in a child’s literacy development.
In their studies five and six year old children who were initially poor at picking an odd word out by rhyme were given 10 hours of extra training in these skills spread over 2 years. At the end of the training, they were on average in reading 10 months ahead of children who had had extra individual attention but not specifically rhyme and alliteration work. In spelling they were 17 months ahead. What is more these initial gains seem to be maintained over long periods: four years after the training ended, the children who had the special teaching were approximately 2 years ahead of the control group in reading and at least 14 months ahead on spelling.
Below are Nursery Rhymes and Action Songs for you to print and use with your child.
5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (with actions)
Mr Crocodile and the 5 Cheeky Monkeys
The
Bear went over the Mountain
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Developing Language and Maths Skills in Young Children
Click on the following links for a number of activities you can carry out at home to develop maths and language skills in your children
How to Improve Comprehension when Reading with your Child
Ideas and Activities to Develop Language in Young Children
Ideas and Activities to Develop Maths Skills in Young
Children
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Reading
How to Teach your Child to Read
We all know that the ability to read is the key to educational achievement. Poor literacy skills can severely limit opportunities, not only at school, but also throughout life.
Parents understand that reading doesn’t start on the first day that their child starts school. They love to see their child achieve their first steps, words, sentences and want to feel that they are being pro-active in preparing their child for school.
Parents need a book that is easy to read, makes them feel empowered and confident. A book that answers their questions and allows them to enjoy supporting their children, whilst seeing progress and achievement for them. Helping your Child to Read meets that need.
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Excellent Money-Saving option
I am providing the information as a hard copy book and also as a PDF file. As a PDF file the book will be available for immediate download. No longer will you have to order a book and wait for it to be delivered - you can order it, view it, and use it within moments! You can save on the cost of paper by storing the file on your computer so that you can print pages if and when they are needed.
For more details about Helping your Child to Read and to view sample chapters click here
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High Frequency Sight Words
Reading is one of the most important skills a child can learn.
High Frequency Sight Words are those most
common and frequent words used in our everyday reading
and writing.
High Frequency Word Games for ParentsChildren with Additional Needs
Spotting the Symptoms of Specific Learning Difficulties in Children
Parents often instinctively know that their child is not developing as they should, is really struggling to learn to read and write or is exhibiting certain behaviours that are concerning them. It is important to emphasise that many of these difficulties will be developmental and will disappear as a child matures. Sometimes this isn't the case.
The whole process of formal diagnosis can be lengthy and expensive and sometimes a whole year can be wasted waiting for an assessment. In addition GPs and schools require information and examples to help them decide what the problem might be, whether a referral is necessary and, if so, to whom.
I have provided signs and symptoms of different learning
difficulties and disorders to help parents understand more
about specific special needs (and will add more over time).
These checklists can be used when a parent is concerned
about their child to help them ascertain what the problems
might be and provide support
Read:
Spotting the Symptoms of Specific Learning Difficulties in
Children - and please peruse the introduction first.
Dyslexia Checklist for Children and Adults
Working in Partnership with your Child's school- Research
over a number of years has demonstrated
that education partnerships
between home and school can make a
significant difference to the learning, development and
healthy outcomes of children and
young people. Parents often are unsure how to
approach their child's school and raise concerns or share
information therefore I have provided advice and
suggestions to support parents and carers in this process
whether your child is at primary or secondary school.
Please click on the link.
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Fine and Gross Motor Skills Development
Gross motor skills development is about children being able to use their large muscle and also about body control and coordination. Gross motor activities include running hopping etc.
Activities to Improve Gross Motor Control
Fine motor skills development is about children being able to use their small muscles, in particular their hands and fingers. Fine motor activities would include writing, drawing, using eating utensils etc
Both skills are critical life skills and there is much you can do to support your child's development.
Play Dough
Play Dough is a great educational tool, it provide great stimulation for the senses and will certainly help to develop the manual dexterity skills necessary for writing, drawing, painting etc. Children are not dexterous at all to begin with and dough will provide a fun and exciting opportunity for them to develop these skills.
Download the following easy and cheap recipe:
Wendy’s Quick and Easy Long Life Play Dough
Finger Painting-
How it helps a Child's Development plus a Cheap and Easy
Paint Recipe
Coloured Rice - a Great Alternative to Sand
Children love sand and it is educational too. However, it can really only be used outside. Why not use Coloured Rice, it is cheap, easy to make, will keep indefinitely and can be played with indoors? It also helps in your child's development in so many ways.
Coloured Rice- Great for Imaginary Play
Christmas Tree Decorations using Children's Hands
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer song
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