Would anyone be kind enough to give me some creative ideas to help DD with literacy and numbers this hol?

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

She's just left reception and is emerging in both number work and literacy...I'm not going to flog her but I would definitely like to keep her interested and help her to get a little bit more confident.

She can sound out words but is in a focus group because she took AGES to learn her letter sounds and so the rest of her class were steaming ahead with reading.

She likes reading sometimes but not others...I don't want to force her to read daily....I'd rather play games or do crafty things to help her...same with numbers. She doesn't yet recognise up to twenty but she can recognise up to ten....she loves crafty things.

Pen pal? Have set up DS (also going into Y1) with a child of a similar age. Feels more like a project than an educational task.

Baking for numeracy? Adding ounces, that kind of thing, for number bonds.

My DD2 has struggled with reading to date (she's 9) and we've tried most things. For your reassurance, it's finally coming together for her but she still finds it hard - children have different strengths and develop at different rates and it is very hard not to worry (or that may just be me).
Good suggestions we tried on this journey: joke books, lots of adult-reading-to-child, apps on the ipad (hairy letters a current favourite for DD3), old-style Kindle with the 'read to me' function - but best advice has been hardest for me to follow - and that was around relaxing/being positive. Hope you are better at that than me!!

Yes, I agree about relaxing. Around Christmas DS suddenly worked out the benefits to him of being able to read. That was a useful motivator and he came on quickly.

Fishing game, make or buy little magnetic fishing rod (poundland sell one) then make cards with numbers/tricky words/letter sounds on (DD could help make these with glitter etc) stick a paper clip on each one, put in homemade fish tank (another project for DD) or box/bowl and fish!

Post-box, same as above but make and paint cardboard box to look like a post box then make cards to post.

Make numbers using playdoh.

Practise letter/number formation in sand, washing-up liquid, playdoh, tomato sauce or anything else you can think of.

Hopscotch drawn with chalk in garden, you could start the numbers at 10 or 20 depending what you need to practise.

Stick numbers/letters sounds/tricky around garden/house and get her to run to them.

Simple treasure hunt where she can read the clues herself also use numbers at each clue position.

I also used to cut letter shapes from cardboard and then stick objects/pictures on with that letter ie: b - button, bobble, pic of boat etc but it sounds like you are past that stage.

Cooking is a good one, she can help read the instructions and help measure.

phonics games to support reading - try phonics play and yy to reading to her, model enjoyment of books and stories, make up your own stories, act out in role play
Maths - is it numeral recognition she struggles with, or counting? you could paint numbers on pebbles, hide find and order them. Decorate a papier mache number for your house. topmarks and ict games have good maths games online

agree with relax
I taught R for the first time last year. I was a nervous wreck about some of the dc, I tried everything... but they did it at their own pace, often coming back really strong after a holiday!

Thanks all...Spock the post box and the hopscotch would appeal a lot to DD...will definitely do those....the sticking things round the room we did when she was getting her sounds and she loved that....I will look for a massive box and let her paint it and she can write the times of collection on it too...and then she can write little letters to post...I will perhaps have some replies delivered to her! FAB thanks so much.x

ninah it must be worrying! I have an older DD who also took her time to grasp reading and she's 9 now with a reading age of 11 or 12...can't remembr but she's pretty nifty. So I'm not too worried I just want her confidence up!

Cooking is good looking for the numbers on the scales. Also giving her the money to pay in shops again just looking at numbers flashing up. I always think it helps if they can see how numbers are used in real life. Count any steps as you climb them. When you give sweets count them into her hand hold back the last one then say 'if I give you one more that will be .... X'. Eventually she will fill in the number. Playing games such as junior monopoly, pop to the shops and card games such as go fish.

Oh and forgot alphabet snap or pairs.

Has she got a useful grandma or similar? Writing letters and getting replies is the best thing to do!

Hi NeoMaxi...

there are some brilliant suggestions above which look like a lot of fun for both of you to do. I thought some of these websites might help:

Oxford Own has games but also all sorts of suggestions for early years/ young readers/ mathematicians.

Link here: www.oxfordowl.co.uk/

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Snakes and ladders is brilliant for counting on skills and played backwards will help build those subtraction skills. If your DC is fine up to 6, then add a second die so they have to cope with numbers over 10.

we started out letting DDs count up (using fingers, toes, etc...) but then gradually encouraged them to do it in jumps (so 4 was = add 2 twice) and in their heads. When they get really good have them just do it in their heads.

When it's time for multiplication you can dust this off and try again - only play 2 -4 times up and down the board. You can either roll one or two dice at the start to chose multiple you're working (so if you roll 8 with two dice) all subsequent rolls are for what you multiply 8 by. This means you'll zoom up and down the board (thus the need to agree to complete the board 2-4 times.

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Mumsnet has a link to maths champs off there learning & resources page (under education). The link to 5-7 year old games is here: www.mathschamps.co.uk/games5-7?

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For reading - just keep it ticking along. Keep up a ritual of being read to and reading to your child every day.

Consider building in a trip to the local library into your week - they often have all sorts of reading activities over the summer & craft days.

If sounding out letters is the sticking point - consider getting some of the jolly phonics work books. They're effectively colouring books - which work on letter sounds systematically (your school is probably teaching phonetics with it or something very similar). There's also lots of writing practice with the books. We tried to link the sound (say 'ah' for a) with that nights reading - having DDs spot the letter and attempt the sound on easier words like (sat, cat, hat, an).

HTH

phonic or simple word bingo? you can make it to whatever she needs to practice and make sure you include lots she already knows so that she gains in confidence.

Oxford Owl website could be good as well - might seem more exciting to read the free books on the computer rather than on paper.

Usborne do a computer game - free - on their website - teach your monster to read. starts with the phonics and then adds more complex ones.

Does she like games?
snakes and ladders, card games and bingo are all favourites here and are brilliant for number recognition and counting.

can't think what make it is but there is a letter jigsaw type thing you can get where the letters can all be slotted together to make up words. my daughter's preschool has it. Orchard might do a version but I have a feeling it might have been WHSmiths.

Would she do the summer reading challenge at the library? DD is the same age, we just signed up for it yesterday, she is very excited as it involves stickers and a glow in the dark bracelet at the end! All they have to do is read 6 books over the summer and then go in and talk to a member of staff about it each time. I just let her choose whatever books she liked, some she can read and some she needs help with, it doesn't matter if they don't read them independently. It might be a good way to get her motivated to read?

For practising writing I've started writing notes to DD- she wrote me one and it kind of spiralled so now we seem to do it most days! Stuff like 'dear DD, what do you want to play today?' etc!

For numbers, how about lots of counting games, things like snakes and ladders, shut the box etc. Give her some sweets or grapes and get her to share them out for both of you, counting the money in shops etc?

Info about the reading challenge: summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/

Not particularly crafty but if you have travel time she could watch some KIDSTV123 on Youtube? www.youtube.com/user/KidsTV123
DD picks up loads watching a couple a week - some are older and even in other languages, but they are all catchy and easy to remember and sing along to as a family :)