When your little one begins nursery or primary school you may be worried about their learning capacity, especially if they are finding it difficult in the beginning. All children learn at different paces and this is completely normal, although there are different ways of improving their literacy and language skills which will help them with other subjects such as science and even creative subjects like art.

Learning Through Play

Playing with your child can be the best way to encourage them to pick up on new skills and actually find education fun. There are many different activities that will seem like a game to your toddler but will actually be a way of improving their learning skills:

• Cooking and baking – Children love to help out in the kitchen, especially if it means they have some yummy treats at the end of it all. Cooking and baking will teach your toddler about numbers, measurements and also reading skills. Ask your little one to read the ingredients out and then measure the exact amount of flour, milk, water and so on.

• Playground pictures – Many schools and nurseries use playground pictures to help children learn through play. The colourful and exciting images can be attached to any wall in your home using glue or screws and will attract the attention of your little one whenever they walk by. Playground pictures can feature numbers, letters or words that can then be turned into a game that will improve literacy and numeracy.

Bringing School Home

Just like playground pictures, mentioned above, there are ways of bringing the school or nursery into your home which will provide a solid learning environment for your toddler or child.

Activities such as word or number chains, number bonds or facts and place value activities can be printed off and given to your child as a taster of what homework is like.

If your school already provides your child with homework then think about using some of these activities over the weekend to keep their weekly learning fresh in their mind.

You can also find a range of software that will have brightly coloured activities based around learning numbers and letters. Children love playing with computers, so these are great ways of letting your child entertain themselves whilst also picking up on key skills that will improve their learning and the way they pick up information.

It is important to remember that pushing your child too hard will just make them resent school work, so always take baby steps and never introduce something too hard when they are not ready. Some schools or nurseries will provide you with information on what they will be learning each term, so base your activities and games on what they are currently studying for optimal results.