TutorExtra UK

13/10/2026

Want to know whether your child really understands something?

Ask them to explain it.

Not recite it.

Not copy it.

Explain it.

When children talk through a topic out loud, they have to:
- Decide what matters
- Put ideas in the right order
- Use their own words
- Spot what they do not fully understand

That makes explaining a brilliant revision tool.

A simple question like:

"Teach me this as if I have never seen it before."

can reveal far more than another worksheet.

And if they get stuck?

That is not failure.

That is the exact point where the learning needs more work.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/the-overlooked-skill-of-explaining-things-out-loud/468

Could your child explain their latest school topic without looking at their notes?

If a child can explain an idea aloud, they usually understand it. Simple kitchen-table ways to build clarity, confidence and deeper learning at home.

13/10/2026

Half-term is here.

So naturally, parents start thinking:

"We should use the week to catch up."

But trying to fix everything in a few days can make things worse.

Children are already tired.

A better half-term might look like:
- Two days of proper rest
- One short check of what is actually difficult
- One focused session on the biggest weak spot
- Sorting books, deadlines and school admin
- Planning the first week back

That is often more useful than five days of forced revision.

Half-term does not need to become a rescue mission.

Sometimes the best thing a child can do is return to school rested, organised and clear about what comes next.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/why-half-term-is-the-worst-time-to-catch-up-and-what-to-do-instead/467

Do you make your children study during half-term?

Why half-term catch-up often fails, and how a calmer bridge week helps children reset, organise and return to school ready to learn.

05/10/2026

Your child can use TikTok, YouTube and a smartphone without thinking.

Then you put them in front of a keyboard...

And suddenly they are typing with two fingers.

Digital confidence is not the same as typing fluency.

When typing is slow and effortful, children can:
- Lose their train of thought
- Forget what they wanted to write
- Produce shorter answers
- Spend too much time correcting mistakes
- Find longer assignments exhausting

Touch typing is not about turning children into secretaries.

It is about removing one unnecessary obstacle between their thoughts and the screen.

The good news?

Short, regular practice can make a big difference.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/the-forgotten-skill-of-typing-why-two-finger-typing-is-holding-students-back/466

Can your child type without looking down at the keyboard?

Discover why typing fluency matters for students, how two-finger typing interrupts writing and when children should learn touch typing.

02/10/2026

"But they'll always have a calculator."

Maybe.

But a calculator cannot tell a child whether the answer makes sense.

Mental maths helps children:
- Estimate costs
- Spot mistakes
- Compare prices
- Work out discounts
- Understand number relationships
- Decide which calculation they actually need

Imagine a calculator says six cinema tickets costing roughly £8 each come to £480.

A child with good number sense immediately knows something is wrong.

That is why mental maths still matters.

The goal is not to ban calculators.

It is to make sure children understand numbers well enough to use calculators intelligently.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/the-return-of-mental-maths-why-it-still-matters-in-a-calculator-world/465

Do you think mental maths gets enough attention in schools?

Why does mental maths matter in a calculator world? Learn how number sense, estimation and fluency help children solve and check problems.

28/09/2026

Your child's social media feed is not showing them "the internet".

It is showing them a personalised version of it.

Every:
- Like
- Search
- Comment
- Share
- Long pause on a video

can help teach the algorithm what to show next.

That means one child can see a completely different online world from another.

The danger is that repetition can start to feel like truth.

If children see the same opinion, fear or trend again and again, they may assume everyone agrees with it.

Understanding algorithms is now part of digital literacy.

Children need to know:

"What I keep seeing is not necessarily what everyone else is seeing."

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/why-children-need-to-understand-how-algorithms-choose-what-they-see/464

Do you think most teenagers understand how personalised their feeds really are?

Learn how online algorithms shape children’s feeds, recommendations and search results, and how families can build stronger media literacy.

25/09/2026

What if every child left school knowing just a little British Sign Language?

Not enough to become fluent.

Just enough to:
- Say hello
- Introduce themselves
- Say thank you
- Ask how someone is
- Make a simple conversation more inclusive

For a Deaf child or adult, that small effort could make a big difference.

And for hearing children, learning BSL can also encourage:
- Empathy
- Confidence
- Curiosity
- Awareness of different ways people communicate

BSL is increasingly being recognised within education too, including through the development of a GCSE in British Sign Language. [oai_citation:1‡GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-british-sign-language-bsl-equality-impact-assessment/british-sign-language-gcse-equality-impact-assessment?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Maybe every child does not need to become fluent.

But perhaps every child should know a few signs.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/why-every-child-should-learn-some-british-sign-language/463

Would you like to see basic BSL taught in every primary school?

Discover why children should learn some British Sign Language, from practical inclusion and communication to Deaf awareness and culture.

23/09/2026

Does listening to an audiobook count as reading?

Some parents say yes.

Others say absolutely not.

The truth is that audiobooks and printed books develop slightly different skills.

Reading from a page helps children practise:
- Decoding words
- Spelling patterns
- Reading fluency

Audiobooks can help develop:
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
- Imagination
- Knowledge
- Enjoyment of stories

So perhaps the better question is not:

"Does it count?"

But:

"Is this helping my child become more engaged with books and language?"

Audiobooks should not replace reading practice completely.

But if they help a reluctant reader discover a brilliant story, that is surely a good thing.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/do-audiobooks-count-as-reading/462

Would you count an audiobook towards your child's reading time?

Do audiobooks count as reading? Learn what listening develops, what it does not practise and how audio can support children’s literacy.

17/09/2026

Autocorrect can make a child's writing look perfect.

But can they still spell the word without it?

That is the real question.

The problem is not autocorrect itself.

It is when children:
- Never notice the mistake
- Accept every correction automatically
- Repeat the same misspelling again and again
- Stop checking whether the replacement word makes sense

There is no need to ban autocorrect.

But occasionally turning it off for short spelling practice can help children discover which words they genuinely know and which ones still need work.

The goal is not less technology.

It is smarter use of it.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/is-autocorrect-making-children-worse-at-spelling/461

Could your child spell their most commonly autocorrected words without their phone?

Does autocorrect weaken children’s spelling? Discover what the evidence suggests and how to balance digital tools with strong spelling skills.

14/09/2026

Children have never communicated more.

But are they actually talking less?

Messaging is easy.

You can:

* Rewrite your answer
* Ignore an awkward question
* Send an emoji instead of explaining how you feel
* Reply when you are ready

Face-to-face conversation is different.

Children have to listen, react, read expressions and keep the conversation moving in real time.

Those skills need practice too.

Phones are not the whole problem.

But if most communication happens through a screen, children may simply get fewer chances to become confident conversationalists.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/the-lost-art-of-conversation-are-children-getting-worse-at-speaking-face-to-face/460

Do you think children are becoming less comfortable with face-to-face conversation?

Are children getting worse at face-to-face conversation? Explore the causes, the skills at risk and practical ways to rebuild confidence.

10/09/2026

Why do so many teenage boys stop reading?

It is rarely because they suddenly become incapable of enjoying a good story.

Often, reading starts to feel like:

* Homework
* Analysis
* Assessment
* Something chosen by adults
* Another task competing with gaming, sport and social media

The challenge is not just getting boys to read more.

It is helping them reconnect with the idea that reading can be enjoyable, relevant and entirely their own choice.

That might mean:

* Graphic novels
* Sport biographies
* Crime and thrillers
* Fantasy
* Manga
* History
* Science and technology
* Books linked to games, films or hobbies

The format matters less than the habit.

If a teenager is reading something willingly, that is usually a much better starting point than forcing the book we think they should be reading.

Read the full article:
https://tutorextra.co.uk/articles/why-teenage-boys-stop-reading-and-what-might-bring-them-back/459

What book, author or type of reading first made you genuinely enjoy reading?