Page 5 - Newsletter 2023 Vol. 7 Issue 1_

Home Practice in Early Years

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) homework “home practice” changes focus as they
move through stages and ages of children, especially when they enter the Primary levels.
The UK Education Secretary says that "parents can support their child in the Early Years
through storytelling, singing or reading together."

Activities could include:
• Painting
• Collecting items from the environment -beach, walks in parks.
• Building a model (car, house, farm, town)
• Puzzles or games to play as a family.
• Practicing sounds they hear in the environment (birds, animals, cars,) musical
sounds, sounds they can make with their voice or hands (clap) /feet(stamp)
/rhymes, songs, and letters of the alphabet (FS1/2)

Reading together in a shared time ,is the most valuable use of your time, if
spent side by side on your lap, cuddling with your child!
• Practice ashcards of high frequency words (in) and tricky words (the, to)
• Read together Oxford Reading books sent home to parents to access online
(link comes from branch to parents ) ask your Branch Manager for the link)

Oral Language
Parents can best help their child through quality and repeated conversations ,as you play
alongside your child ,on the oor, in games or side by side in “Chit chats”.
“Apps (Ipads) are no replacement for laps” (sitting with your child on your lap or beside
you face to face “chatting” is the most powerful way to spend quality time!

Brain research says that if words are not heard and spoken by parents at an early age, a
child’s brain will not keep their millions of connectors they are born with. The brain sees
that the child doesn’t need it, as it isn’t being repeated. That is why saying a child’s name
over and over convinces the brain that this is a word to speak >saying “dada or mama”
over and over becomes the child’s rst word .The research says “use it or lose it!”

Writing
• Recognizing and writing their name (upper case only for rst letter of their name)
• Cutting with safe scissors under supervision to cut paper in to strips to make grass
• Colouring with crayons
• Threading beads /pasta onto straws /shoestrings
• Roll long, at, thin, round shapes with Playdough.
• Build Lego tower building.
• Colour by number pictures
• Painting with ngers dipped in paint.
• Zip up their own buttons and jacket zippers
• Wash and dry toys and dolls, trucks ,with an old toothbrushes in a bucket

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