https://www.kindlingeducation.com/

Kindling Education, South West London, Wandsworth, London (2026)

04/01/2022

💫 After school restraint collapse 💫

💫 It’s not uncommon for children to experience meltdowns after school

💫 Settling into school or the end of term can be particularly challenging as children get exhausted or overstimulated

💫 Andrea Loewe Nair coined this term and found that children often “hold” on to their feelings during the school day and let them out once they are with their parents, carer or at home

💫 This is because they feel secure, safe and supported

💫 They know they are loved unconditionally and feel safe to express their emotions and feelings

💫 At school they are trying to be on their best behaviour - concentrating, listening, following instructions and managing relationships etc

💫 Some children just about hold it together and getting home is a massive release

💫 Here are some examples of how they might express these emotions:

👉🏻 Meltdowns
👉🏻 Crying
👉🏻 Anger
👉🏻 Withdrawn
👉🏻 Disrespectful behaviour
👉🏻 Screaming

💫 Although it is hard, this is a compliment to your parenting as you are raising emotionally intelligent children

💫 How to help 💫

👉🏻 Comfort is key
👉🏻 Ensure they are well fed and hydrated
👉🏻 Make extra time for 1:1 time
👉🏻 Validate their feelings
👉🏻 Allow time to decompress
👉🏻 Allow them to a express feelings
👉🏻 Limit after school activities
👉🏻 Provide extra love
👉🏻 Pay attention to triggers
👉🏻 Create a calm environment
👉🏻 Help them find ways to relax

⚠️ Some children are more susceptible to this than others

⚠️ Remember it’s not in the child’s control so it’s best to avoid using punishment

⚠️ I’m not an expert and this information is based on my personal experiences as a teacher and a mother

📚 For further reader and information 📚

👉🏻 http://www.andrealoewen.ca/7-ways-help-child-handle-school-restraint-collapse/

👉🏻 ‘There is no such thing as naughty’ Kate Silverton

👉🏻 ‘The Starting School Book’ Sarah Ockwell Smith

02/01/2022

📚💫 Free readers 💫📚

✨ A big and exciting milestone for children

✨ A “free reader” refers to a child who has finished the reading scheme at school

✨ Children need to apply so many skills in order to move up a reading level or finally become a “free reader”

✨ Once their teacher feels they have a good level of decoding and comprehension skills they can then choose more complex and diverse books

✨ Even when your child reaches chapter books or becomes a free reader we still need to ensure they get enough adult support

✨It’s worth reminding ourselves of just how many skills the reading process involves

👉🏻 Children will continue to work on other more difficult reading skills:

✅ Working memory
✅ Concentration
✅ Visualisation
✅ Asking questions
✅ Summarising
✅ Adjusting pace
✅ Re reading for clarity
✅ Making connections
✅ Reflecting
✅ Drawing conclusions
✅ Determining fact & opinion
✅ Contrasting & comparing

⚠️ This list is not exhaustive

⚠️ Becoming a free reader will depend on a child’s own level, as well as, school practices and teacher’s judgement

⚠️ There is no official rule about how children become free readers so it’s worth asking your child’s school about how they become free readers

⚠️ Even when they reach this stage - it’s important to continue to regularly listen to your child read AND continue to read to them

⚠️ The National Curriculum does say that KS2 children need to read different text genre to ensure breadth

15/12/2021

☀️ M I S T A K E S ☀️

💫 Mistakes are actually a good thing and can enhance children’s learning

💫 Research shows mistakes are actually critical to our learning process

💫 Each time a child makes a mistake it’s an opportunity for their brain to grow and stretch

💫 Children learn what to avoid next time and learn to problem solve by going through challenging experiences

💫 Making mistakes with confidence, then being able to correct these, is a powerful way to absorb and retain information

💫 Reframing language to “sunshine mistakes” “failing forwards” or “FAIL = First Attempt In Learning” helps stay positive by shifting the focus to growth and development

⛔️ It can be hard for children to feel comfortable making mistakes when the focus at school is often on assessments and children face continuous testing

⛔️ So it’s no wonder children can fear mistakes, failing or become perfectionists

✅ Our role is to help children understand that mistakes are a part of healthy development

✅ By giving meaningful and specific praise, it motivates children who are learning from mistakes

✅ Our goal ✅

✨ Normalise making mistakes
✨ Use positive language to highlight what we have learn and how we have grown
✨ Teach children that it’s okay to makes mistakes
✨ Understand mistakes happen to everyone - especially when learning something new
✨ Encourage children to focus on the process and effort levels
✨ Practise being reflective and solution focused
✨ Praise courage and attitude
✨ Empathise with their difficult emotions

⚠️ Remember it’s a process and not an event

⚠️ It’s important to ensure children know that mistakes happen by accident and that’s very different to making mistakes on purpose

24/11/2021

“We just aren’t a maths family!”

👉🏻” Maths isn’t for us!”
👉🏻 “I didn’t get the maths gene!”
👉🏻 “I’m just not a maths person!”

💫 How many times have you heard these phrases?

⚠️ Research suggests that parents can pass on their math anxieties to their children

💫 Thanks to we can prevent this by adopting a

💫 With enough effort, determination, and resilience we CAN all improve our abilities

💫 As opposed to a where you believe you are inherently good or bad at something

💫 Having a is vital for children’s learning and development as it creates a love of learning and focuses on self improvement

💫 As adults we need to understand the impact of our language on ourselves and our children

💫 We need to ensure we talk about maths positively, no matter how we feel about the subject, or how we perceive our abilities

💫 But we actually need to go one step further - we need to promote maths because maths is everywhere and a necessary part of life, but it can also be fun

💫 By linking maths learning to real life experiences it becomes far more meaningful for children

💫 Being enthusiastic, keeping it practical and fun will support your child’s learning - the more we enjoy something the more we remember it

💫 Praising the process, attitude and perseverance (rather than outcome) really helps

💫 This means children learn to associate achievement with effort levels

💫 There’s so much we can do to help children not only love maths, but believe in themselves to support all areas of learning

📚 Further reading “Mindset” by Carol Dweck

⚠️ A growth mindset isn’t something which just happens over night - it takes time and practice

⚠️ There is no such thing as “maths people”

20/11/2021

📚 Book levels 📚

💫 Finding the right book level isn’t always easy

💫 Here is a simple way to check if a book is suitable for your child’s reading ability

✨ Before starting to read, ask your child to choose a random page and to read it independently

✨ For every word they don’t know on each page or stumble upon hold up a finger

🖐🏻 5 Finger Rule 🖐🏻

👉🏻 0-1 words - too easy
👉🏻2 words - likely to be the right level and still provides some challenge
👉🏻 3 words - still a good choice but your child might need a bit more support
👉🏻 4 words - probably too difficult to read on their own
👉🏻 5 words - too hard

⚠️ This is just a guide - please remember to always check with your child’s teacher if you need more guidance

⚠️ Allowing your child to read the books their interested in is important, even when you know they aren’t quite the right level, so sometimes it might be worth having a go and providing more support / more challenge

⚠️ Remember you know your child best and know what challenge level they need

18/11/2021

💫 “ I d o n ’ t K n o w ” 💫

✨ There are lots of reasons why a child responds to a question with “I don’t know”

✨ Our aim is for children to have the confidence to share their ideas in class

✨ Children need time to practise thinking

✨ Children need to learn how to ask questions in order to find out more information

✨But we also want children to understand that it’s ok not to know something, but there is something they can do about it

✨ In class, teachers often allow plenty of ‘thinking time’ while they wait for children to formulate their thoughts

✨ They might also use strategies such as “talking partners” or “think, pair, share” which help children gain confidence in their answer by talking it through with a partner before sharing it with the whole class

✨Teachers might often encourage a child to have a go by asking, “if you did have an idea, what would it be?” Or “what would be your best guess if you did know?”

✨ Allowing enough waiting time is crucial as all children process information differently

💫 Other ways we can help is teaching some alternatives in how they respond

✨ By giving children phrases to learn, it provides a ‘self help’ toolkit which can prevent your child becoming overwhelmed when they don’t know an answer initially and it can help build their confidence with their thinking process

⚠️ The ability to ask questions is a fundamental skill which children need to practise

⚠️ Children need to learn that it’s ok to take their time before they answer, or ask more questions if needed

⚠️ Working through the problem aloud demonstrates and facilitates good problem solving steps

⚠️ All children respond to questions differently especially in class - some children need more encouragement to offer ideas, thoughts and feelings

⚠️ Teachers have lots of subtle ways which support children’s thinking without putting them on the spot

17/11/2021

💫 The second half of term 💫

✨ You may be curious about what happens this side of half term

✨Teachers should now know your child well and should have a good understanding of how to support their needs

✨ Teachers will have a growing expectation of children’s independence, concentration and attention e.g children might be able to follow a 2 or 3 part instruction

✨ Socially and emotionally you may notice some changes too - children may have formed some solid friendships, seem more mature, flexible, have a higher level of frustration tolerance

✨ Communication and language will still be a huge part of the curriculum - there will be a big push on oracy skills and developing spoken language e.g Show and Tell or Talk for Writing activities

✨ Reading will still be at the heart of the curriculum and story time will be a valued part of the daily routine

✨Play is used as a vehicle for purposeful learning opportunities

✨You might notice more direct teaching of reading, writing and maths happening balanced between whole class teaching, small group teaching, partner work and play

⚠️ Reception teaching and learning is different depending on each school so these are ‘typical’ expectations but don’t necessarily apply to all

⚠️ Expectations depend on learning needs and on entry level of each child

⚠️ Some children’s focus may still be on settling in or a positive morning drop off

⚠️ A child’s development will look different for everyone and please remember progress doesn’t go in a linear line

⚠️ Your child’s learning journey is unique so it’s vital not to compare your child to others (even siblings)

16/11/2021

📚 Reading Foundations 📚

✨ This pyramid shows the skills that a child needs to master reading

✨The half term point can be a time for natural reflection - especially after a parent teacher meeting

✨ As reading is such a large focus in Reception it’s common to find yourself wondering how else you can support your child’s reading journey

✨ Whether reading has ‘clicked’ or your child has made some, little or what feels like no progress, it’s important to understand what children need to leave primary school competent, confident readers

✨ Children need to feel confident and secure at each different stage to master reading

⚠️ Children will learn to read in their own time, when they are ready - there really is no rush

⚠️ If they are finding reading tricky then your child might have some gaps in their phonological / phonemic awareness

⚠️ There is a lot you can do to support your child with the different elements so please don’t hesitate to speak to the class teacher for some ideas and guidance

14/11/2021

📚 ‘I don’t want to read’ 📚

‘I don’t like books’ ‘This is stupid’ ‘ I’m too tired’ ‘Reading is boring’

✨ You might start to hear some of these comments after the excitement of ‘reading homework’ wears off a bit

✨ This could simply happen due to an ‘off’ day, tiredness or lack of interest in a particular book

✨ Or it might be because your child is lacking a bit of confidence or is struggling to get to grips with the early stages of reading

✨ These comments are how a child might describe their difficulties

✨ As frustrating as it is to hear, it’s important to stand back for a moment to try and understand why

✨ Teachers know to look for gaps in phonic knowledge, difficulties with specific aspects of reading and are experts practising reading skills in different ways

✨ Often with the excitement of learning to read, some phonological awareness skills can get overlooked

✨ Children need to have a strong foundation in phonological awareness (ability to hear, understand and work with sounds in words) in order to become confident readers

💫 Things to note 💫
👉🏻 Reading and sharing books should go alongside your child practising blending their sounds
👉🏻 Books sent home should support your child’s current reading level
👉🏻 Children can go through different phases of motivation learning to read so having alternative approaches ready might help
👉🏻 There are lots of things that teachers do continuously in school to support reading
👉🏻 Practising reading skills can take many forms
👉🏻 Children are naturally curious and are often aware of their peer’s reading levels

⚠️ If your child can’t regularly access their reading books or doesn’t seem to be making any progress then speak to their teacher about their reading level, book choices and what support is in place at school

⚠️ It might be worth asking the teacher for different book types, sometimes a wordless book or phonics games can be a nice alternative for reading practice

⚠️ It’s worth having regular hearing and eye sight checks to rule out any issues

24/10/2021

Reception Baseline Assessment

✨ It’s caused quite a stir amongst practitioners and parents

✨ Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s important to know the facts and to feel informed

❓ What’s it’s all about❓

✨ It is a new statutory assessment which is part of the Early Years Framework starting Autumn Term 2021

✨It’s a new way of measuring pupil progress

✨ It will be completed during the first 6 weeks of Reception

✨ It’s a short 1:1 assessment and should last no longer than 20 minutes

✨ It covers Communication & Language, early literacy & early maths

✨ It will be completed by a teacher/ teaching assistant or qualified practitioner who is familiar with your child

✨ It will be different for every child due to its ‘routing rules’ aimed to match the attainment of each pupil

✨ It’s been carefully designed so that children don’t have too many activities they are likely to be unsuccessful at

💫 Other key facts 💫
👉🏻 It’s practical, interactive and children can use resources
👉🏻 It can be paused for regular breaks
👉🏻 Results won’t be published or shared
👉🏻 Data is confidential
👉🏻 Your child can’t pass or fail
👉🏻 Practitioners will record results digitally
👉🏻 Child show their understanding by vocalising, pointing, ordering or moving objects
👉🏻 It’s a snapshot of where pupils are on entry
👉🏻 Teachers receive a short statement of how each child performed ‘on the day’
👉🏻 Teachers wont share the results with anyone

⚠️ This doesn’t include private schools - they have they own on entry assessment system

⚠️ As it’s so short it only covers a few areas within each ‘subject’

⚠️ Although this baseline assessment sounds formal and quite daunting - please know teachers are really good at disguising an activity like this and know how to make it fun and engaging

⚠️ In my experience children don’t realise anything ‘formal’ is happening and will normally enjoy some fun 1:1 time with an adult ‘playing games’

⚠️ It’s only ONE way teachers will use to understand an individual’s starting point - they will use lots of other informal ways to gain knowledge of your child’s abilities, needs and interests

24/10/2021

“I’ve tried, please can you help me?“

💫 For some children asking for help is a big deal and a last resort, for others it’s something they rely on

✨Teachers are there to guide, teach and support children during activities, however sometimes it’s not always possible to give a child the help they need at that specific moment

💫Whilst it’s important for your child to build their independence and perseverance skills, it takes time and practice

✨As they learn to ‘have a go’ and persevere at tasks, it’s helpful to teach them how to ask for help when they really need it

✨By sharing these phrases below it provides a ‘self help’ toolkit which can prevent your child becoming overwhelmed with big emotions

💫 It’s about finding the balance so when they find something challenging they know what to do, and avoid becoming frustrated, angry or upset because they have the confidence to ask an adult for help or know how to help themselves

⚠️ Knowing how to ask for help or ‘clarification’ is an important part of the early years curriculum

⚠️ Remember a class of 30 children will be noisy and the adult to child ratio has changed hugely so it’s worth reminding children to:

👉🏻 Use a strong, confident voice
👉🏻 Put their hand up high in the air
👉🏻 Be patient and wait for the teacher to come to them
👉🏻 Look for cues from peers - (encourage your child when they are stuck to look at what their class mates are doing and see if they can find out what to do)

💫 Some other useful phrases:

✨ ‘I’ve forgotten what to do next’
✨ ‘This is tricky, can I have some help?’
✨ ‘I need some more help with …’
✨ ‘Please can you repeat what we need to do’
✨‘I’ve finished this activity what shall I do now?’

12/10/2021

💫 R e c e p t i o n 💫

✨ Reception is about laying the foundations which fosters curious and creative learners and embeds a life long love of learning

✨It is the final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and is the initial year of primary school

✨ Reception officially covers all standards of learning and care of children aged 0-5 years old

✨The Reception curriculum follows on from your child’s previous early years setting (e.g nursery, pre school, childminder etc…)

✨ Although it might have a more ‘formal’ feel to it, Reception is still very practical, interactive and heavily play based

❓How do children learn ❓
👉🏻 Through play
👉🏻 In the moment
👉🏻 Collaboratively
👉🏻 Learning activities
👉🏻 Using practical games
👉🏻 Using plenty of resources
👉🏻 Lots of outdoor learning

✨ Reception has a different curriculum to the rest of the school, and therefore often has a different style of teaching and learning

✨ Learning and development is broken down into 7 areas of learning

💫 3 Prime Areas 💫
1️⃣ Personal, Social & Emotional
2️⃣ Communication & Language
3️⃣ Physical

💫 And 4 Specific Areas of Learning 💫
4️⃣ Literacy
5️⃣ Mathematics
6️⃣ Understanding the World
7️⃣ Expressive Arts and Design

✨ At the start of the year the focus is on:
👉🏻 Building relationships
👉🏻 Quality interactions
👉🏻 Developing secure attachments to teachers
👉🏻 Growing independence
👉🏻 Understanding new routine
👉🏻 Setting behavioural expectations
👉🏻 Becoming familiar with their new environment
👉🏻 Listening and following instructions
👉🏻 Play based learning activities

❓How is this done❓
👉🏻Through lots of talking, discussions, practising, playing and, of course, plenty of reminders and repetition

👉🏻Using visual reminders, modelling and showing the children what’s expected as well as lots of positive reinforcement

⚠️ The biggest change will be the adult to child ratio - most Reception classes will have 30 children & 2 adults (although in a private school it’s more likely to be 20 children & 2 adults)

⚠️ Please remember it’s the teacher’s job to meet your child at their level

Kindling Education

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