How to help your child develop language skills


  • Set aside time in which to talk about school. Correct his tenses and sentence construction.
  • Keep alive your child's natural curiosity by answering questions fully, using clear and descriptive words. 
  • Develop a love for reading by regularly visiting the library and helping to choose books your child will enjoy. 
  • Tell your child a story and ask him to finish it or ask him what he thinks will happen next.
  • Read your child a story every night before bed. Ask some easy questions about the story. Read the story and point then to certain words that your child must read.  Keep it easy at the beginning. 

Please note that these exercises are additional to the homework the Grade1 learner gets.  First get the homework done and out of the way before you engage your child in any further exercises. 

They must enjoy school and learning and if you force your child now, they will get negative about school, homework and learning. Make learning fun.

Go to the website and ask them to have a look with you.  Click through the site and show them all the interesting exercises. Try some yourself. They will soon see it is fun and will want to join in.  

Grade 1 will be where your child learns about letter formation.  It is very important to encourage the right formation as taught in school.  Correct letter and number formation.

 

 

Starfall - Exciting phonics games and interactive books.  Our all time favourite!

FunFonix  -  You can make your own worksheets easily. A handy tool if you know of an area where your little one needs more practice on.    

Super Teachers  - I like the comprehension and spelling worksheets. Free printables.

Kidport - Brilliant interactive site.

Progressive Phonics - Online books that you read with your Grade 1.  They also have interesting ways to help the learners distinguish between "d" and "b" and more.

Softschools - Online exercises and printable worksheets.

Worksheet Universe - Educational printable worksheets. 

We do however, not recommend you print practice sheets for the letters 't' and 'q' as these are different to the ones our Grade 1 learners are taught.

Printstationary - I recommend their phonic online games. 

All Kids Network - Great site with all kinds of worksheets, activities and more.

 

Language can be developed everywhere from the car to the kitchen. 

Use these opportunities.