Year 4 articles

Help your child get to grips with spelling with our round-up of the best spelling apps for primary-school kids.

Be awed by past and future science and technology in Manchester with a trip to one of the UK's most atmospheric museums, on the site of the oldest surviving passenger railway station and in the heart of the world’s first industrial city. We highlight what the Museum of Science and Industry has to offer parents, children and families.

Singular and plural nouns and how they're taught in primary school, plus how KS1 and KS2 children learn about the formation of irregular plurals and how to use possessive apostrophes.

Appear on a game show with Charles Dickens, cook dinner in a Tudor kitchen or go carol singing with a choir of polar bears. You're sure to have a fantastically festive adventure this winter with these 101 amazing and educational activities for you and the kids to enjoy together!

Enchanted horses, evil emperors, busking cats, strange gadgets, crooked kidnappers, a clever spider and a wizard with revenge on his mind make these books the perfect pick for eight year olds!

Make the events of 1665 and 1666 come to life for children (and for you!) with teacher Ashley Booth's pick of the best children's fiction about the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. From KS1 early readers to chapter books, there's a historical fiction option for all ages.

World War II was a pivotal time in British history. These page-turning reads will give your children a real insight into what life was like for both children and adults, on the battle field and on the Home Front. By Ashley Booth

Enter a world of gods, legends and mythical creatures... Y6 teacher and kids' literature lover Ashley Booth shares his top picks for inspiring children's interest in Ancient Greece and its culture.

Street urchins, housemaids, pickpockets and foundlings they may be, but the characters in our pick of the best kids' books set in Victorian times are brave, resourceful and inspiring. Their stories bring the nineteenth century to life, from city streets to country houses. By Ashley Booth

Bus stops, the grid method, number bonds… Maths in today’s classroom can seem undecipherable. We look at how things have changed since we were kids.

Feeling out of touch with your child's literacy learning? We look at how times have changed in the classroom since you were at school yourself.

Touch typing is an essential skill for today's tech-savvy kids, offering them a huge advantage with secondary-school homework and for the whole of their working life, but your child is unlikely to be taught it in school. Using typing tools can hasten your child's progress while also learning techniques that can increase speed and accuracy.

We review 6 of the top typing tutor programmes to help you find the best at-home learning solution for your family

Open up a world of amazing music for your child by introducing them to classical music composers and performances. With loads of resources available for free online, there's no better time to dive in and start listening.

As children start to develop their own writing style in primary school they will be asked to use "cohesive devices" to improve their writing and help it flow. We explain what "cohesion" means in fiction and non-fiction writing.

Is your primary-school child getting the education they'll need to thrive in the 21st century? Jill Hodges, CEO and Founder of Fire Tech technology classes and camps for kids, describes the five skills young people will need, at work and in life, to make the most of our technological society's opportunities.

There's no better way to while away the long summer holidays than getting lost in a book. From beautiful picture books to pore over to thrilling adventures and historical tales to savour, we pick some of the best new kids' books for summer 2017.

If you love London’s fabulous Science Museum but feel your family has done it inside and out, Centre of the Cell, a cutting-edge tech centre in East London, is perfect for expanding your horizons. There’s hands-on fun to bring out the budding doctors, nurses, lab technicians and pathologists in all ages!

Planning ahead for Victorian day at school? Looking for an easy evacuee costume or a Roman centurion outfit? Need to find a dressing-up solution for your eager Viking warrior, Anglo-Saxon scholar or Georgian lady? From Stone Age to suffragettes and Sixties fashion, we've picked a selection of the best historical costumes to buy for kids.

Falling behind at school can be an extra thing to worry about if your child is on extended sick leave, but there are ways to help them stay up to date.