Primary School Online

The Power of Posters….

📚 Looking for great books for children aged 9–12?

Here are 6 books that can help build a love of reading while keeping children hooked from start to finish.

📖 Alex Rider — Anthony HorowitzA fast-paced spy adventure about a teenage boy recruited by MI6. Perfect for children who love action, gadgets and mystery.

🌿 The Explorer — Katherine RundellFour children are stranded in the Amazon rainforest and must work together to survive. An exciting adventure filled with courage and friendship.

🕵️ Murder Most Unladylike — Robin StevensTwo schoolgirls set up their own detective agency after discovering a murder at their boarding school. A brilliant mystery series for young detectives.

⚽ I Am Lenny Brown — Dan FreedmanA heartwarming football story about resilience, family and following your dreams. Ideal for sports fans.

🐺 I Am Rebel — Ross MontgomeryAn unforgettable adventure told through the eyes of a loyal dog determined to find his owner during a time of conflict. A story full of bravery and loyalty.

❄️ The Ice Children — M.G. LeonardA magical winter adventure where children must uncover the mystery behind a frozen city. Packed with imagination and wonder.

📚 Your child might be able to read every word…
…but still struggle to understand what they’ve read.

That’s because reading comprehension is a completely separate skill.

Here are 3 simple ways to help improve it 👇

🧠 1. Pause and retell

After a page or paragraph, ask:
“What just happened?”

Getting your child to explain it in their own words helps improve focus, memory and understanding.

🌎 2. Connect it to real life

Ask questions like:
“Has anything like this happened to you?”
“Does this remind you of something in your life?”

Children remember information better when it feels personal and meaningful.

🔮 3. Predict what happens next

Before turning the page, ask:
“What do you think happens next?”

This keeps your child actively engaged instead of passively reading.

Their brain starts looking for clues and paying closer attention.

🎮 3 daily educational games parents & kids can play together

I picked these because everyone in the world gets the SAME challenge each day 👀

Perfect for a little family competition.

🟩 1. Wordle
You get 6 guesses to figure out the mystery word.

Great for:
📚 Spelling
🧠 Vocabulary
💭 Problem-solving

There are also kid-friendly versions like Spellie if Wordle feels too tricky.

➕ 2. Nerdle
The maths version of Wordle.

It can be challenging…

but Mini Nerdle and Micro Nerdle
are great for younger children.

Fantastic for:
✖️ Times tables
🔢 Number skills
🧠 Mental maths

🐝 3. Spelling Bee
Your child gets 7 letters…
and has to make as many words as possible.

Brilliant for:
📖 Vocabulary
✍️ Spelling
🧠 Quick thinking

Try one tonight
and see who in the house gets it first 👀

🧠 Your child struggles to remember what they’ve learned…

A simple learning theory called the Protégé Effect can help.

It shows that when your child becomes the teacher — and you become the student — their understanding grows even stronger.

📚 Try this at home:
Ask your child to teach you something they learned in school today.

They’ll love the role reversal.
And it builds confidence, memory, and deeper understanding.

💬 Want to make it even more powerful?
Ask questions.
Show curiosity.
Let them explain things in their own words.

Because when a child can teach it…
they truly understand it.

✨ Small parenting habits like this can improve learning, boost school performance, and help children remember more.

Follow for more simple parenting and education tips to help your child succeed in school.

🧠 The biggest predictor of your child’s school success…

Isn’t intelligence or talent.

It’s this:
The ability to keep going when something feels hard.

📚 In school, I see this every day.

The kids who keep trying… improve fast.

The kids who avoid struggle… stay stuck.

So when your child says,
“this is too hard”…

That’s the moment that matters most.

❌ Don’t remove the struggle.
✅ Guide them through it.

Here are 4 simple ways to help:

1️⃣ Start with what they already know

Instead of giving the answer, ask:
“What’s one part you do understand?”

This builds confidence and gives them a starting point.

✏️ Second — draw it out.

Sketch the maths problem.
Draw a quick timeline of the story.

Pictures make learning feel clearer and less overwhelming.

If in doubt… sketch it out.

🪜 Third — break it into tiny steps.

Say:
“Let’s just do the first part.”

Find the first word.
Write the first sentence.

Small wins build momentum.

💡 And fourth — change how they see struggle.

Say things like:
“Good — this means your brain is growing.”

Or:
“This is where learning happens.”

Because when your child learns to keep going through hard things…

That’s what makes the biggest difference.

⚽️ 6 sports books that will get your child reading

📚 If your child loves football…�Kick or 50 Times Football Changed the World

🏀 If your child loves basketball…�The Crossover or Dough Boys

🎾 If tennis is their thing…�Tennis Shoes

⛳️ If they enjoy golf…�One Last Shot

👧 If they need a strong female lead…�Sister to a Star or Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook

💡 Children are far more likely to read when the topic already interests them.

📖 Extra sports books to try:�Kick — Mitch Johnson�No Ballet Shoes in Syria — Catherine Bruton�The Crossover — Kwame Alexander�Tennis Shoes — Noel Streatfeild�Ghost — Jason Reynolds�Armistice Runner — Tom Palmer�The One Dollar Horse — Lauren St John�The Boy in the Dress — David Walliams�Sister To A Star — Eloise Smith

3 simple ways to build your child’s confidence 👇

✨ Focus on effort, not just results
Praise the work they put in, not just the final score.
Confidence grows when children value effort.

🎓 Let them teach you
Ask them to explain what they’ve learned.
When children teach, they feel capable.

💭 Model positive thinking
Talk daily about something they did well.
This helps them see the good in themselves.

🧠 One word teachers use all the time that parents often don’t understand:

Metacognition!!

👉 Stay with me — it’s simpler than it sounds.

It means explaining your thinking.

👀 It’s when children can clearly say:
• how they got an answer
• why they chose that method

📚 This matters more than ever.
Schools are now focusing on how children think, not just the final answer.

✏️ In many cases, children earn more marks for showing their thinking than just writing down the answer.

When a child explains their thinking, they begin to:
✔️ spot mistakes
✔️ understand strategies
✔️ improve faster

🏡 You can build this at home using:
2 stars and a wish

⭐ Two things they did well
🌟 One thing to improve next time

🚨 Your child hates reading? Try this.

📚 Novels can feel overwhelming at the start
Graphic novels use pictures and short text to tell a story
This makes reading easier and builds confidence quickly

📰 Use magazines and real-life topics
Sport, facts, cars and superheroes still build strong reading skills

🎬 Pick books linked to Netflix shows or movies
Book first, then movie after — motivation improves fast

🎧 Start with audiobooks
They get hooked on the story before reading it themselves

📱 Let them read on a tablet or Kindle
It feels more like fun than school