Literacy is a daily lesson, made up of three aspects:

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking and listening

Reading in Year 1 – your child will be:

• Short words made up of a consonant-vowel-consonant, and progressing to longer words
• Sounds made by groups of vowels
• Letters which can make different sounds (eg, ‘g’ in get or gem)
• How to work out two and three syllable words
• To make sure that what they are reading makes sense to them
• How to interpret stories using characters and dialogue

Your school will probably have a reading scheme which the children work through, and they will be expected to read at home – you’ll probably have a ‘reading record’ book to keep a note of this. At school they will read individually with their teacher, and also in small groups, which is known as ‘guided reading’.

Try this at home:

• Visit your local library and let your child choose their own books
• Read regularly to your child – even if they’re a fluent reader, they will still enjoy it
• If your child is not keen on stories, try fact-based non-fiction books or a comic to spark their interest

Writing in Year 1 – your child will be:

• Composing simple sentences using capital letters and full stops
• Writing with 'finger spaces' between words
• Learning to spell simple words
• Attempting to spell new words using phonics
• Forming letters correctly with a comfortable pencil grip, ready for joined-up handwriting later
• Using a keyboard to write their name and simple sentences

During year 1 children work on their versions of familiar stories and fairy tales, as well as writing about their own experiences and putting together pieces of non-fiction; for example, they may produce a fact box about their favourite animal. By the end of year 1 most children will be able to write a short, simple story with a recognisable beginning, middle and end.

Try this at home:

• Give your child plenty of opportunities to draw and write with a range of materials
• Ask your child to help you write a shopping list
• If they have a birthday party, they could write the invitations and thank you letters

Speaking and listening in Year 1 – your child will be:

• Acting out and telling stories
• Reading aloud
• Joining in when a story is read aloud
• Taking part in class discussions (this helps to build vocabulary)

Try this at home:

• Encourage conversation by asking questions about your child’s day
• Play role-play games as different characters
• Read a story together and talk about it

Revise what your child is learning with some at-home practice: look through our Year 1 English worksheets to find a good activity to download and complete at home. Phonics is still a big part of literacy in Year 1, so make regular phonics practice part of your after school routine.