Year 1 articles

Revive the fading practice of letter-writing for your child through one of the penpal schemes available for students – not only can they practice penmanship, but they may make a friend for life!

Help your child be their best every month of the year! Follow these top goal-achieving tips from child development expert and bestselling author, Bernadette Tynan.

Be prepared for what your child will learn in Year 1 with our quick reference guide to the key concepts and skills they’ll cover in class – find out how you can help them at home, too!

Science experiments, simple equations, reading practice and first cooking skills, all wrapped up in appealing television formats – your child will be enjoying their screen time so much they won’t realise how much they’re learning. Here’s our pick of the best programmes for Year 1 and Year 2 children.

Put the fun into handwriting practice! From everyday shopping lists to rainy day bookmaking, there’s something to inspire children of all ages and interests to pick up a pencil, says teacher and mum-of-two Phoebe Doyle.

Wondering what those noises that your child has been chanting to you are? They're probably practising their phonics sounds – we explain what the sounds of phonics are, and how you can help your child learn them in Reception and beyond.

Do you dread times table practice as much as your child does? Primary school teacher Alice Hart uses these effective learning strategies in her classroom – give them a try to liven up today's homework time.

It’s the handwriting activity your child will be clamouring to start: writing to Father Christmas! Gather your child’s paper and pencils and settle down to compile the list, then organise a response from the big man himself, as well as a personalised Christmas message.

It’s supposed to be one of the highlights of the school calendar, but in reality sports day is ripe with opportunities for humiliation. From finishing line tantrums to trackside arguments, six mums share their shame with TheSchoolRun.

Stories aren’t just for reading – teachers regularly use a story as a starting point to engage children in many writing activities that cover a wide range of objectives. Here, education writer Phoebe Doyle gives you a few suggestions for doing the same at home.

Help your children improve their spelling skills with games and activities that build word-savviness in fun and interesting ways.

One of the terms you’ll hear most often during your child’s education is ‘key stage’, but what does it mean? We explain what you need to know.

Use our quick guide to adverbs to help your child understand this descriptive part of speech.

Are you struggling to teach your child to tell the time? Elena Dalrymple reviews a new story-based learning method.

Your early reader may be steaming ahead but you can give them an extra boost with a few easy strategies, says Jackie Cosh. Start today!

Science doesn't have to mean complicated experiments with chemicals and Bunsen burners. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage can get involved in science with these fun, fast-results experiments. Sarah Cruickshank reports.

There’s a lot you can do to make sure you get the most out of meeting with your child’s teacher. Here’s TheSchoolRun’s guide to handling your first parents’ evening.

More often than not, parents provide children with their first writing experiences. Here’s how to encourage good handwriting habits from the beginning of primary school.

Learning to tell the time is not an easy process, so to help you help your child we have broken it down into separate learning stages.