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Learning outside school articles

Best history apps for kids
Best history apps for kids
Help your child become an expert on all things ancient and old-fashioned with these brilliant learning apps, perfect for primary school topics.
Best human body apps for kids
Best human body apps for kids
Help your child discover how the body works and how to keep it healthy with these anatomical apps.
Help your child learn to learn
Help your child learn to learn
Everybody learns differently, and many children struggle with traditional approaches to studying. Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski, authors of Learning How to Learn: A Guide for Kids and Teens, shine a light on creative (but neuroscience-backed) methods to help your child learn and think about learning differently.
Help your child become a lifelong reader
9 easy tips to help your child enjoy reading
It's never been harder for parents and teachers to inspire children to read – we're competing with shiny screens and addictive games, and a child's interest can change like the weather! In How to Raise a Reader, Pamela Paul and Maria Russo describe unexpected, innovative ways to introduce your child to the wonders of the written word.
Fake news spotting for kids
How to help your child spot fake news
How good is your child at telling what’s true and what isn’t? We take a look at how to help them develop digital literacy and identifying "fake news" in our connected world.
Benefits of board games for kids
13 ways playing board games benefits your child
Switch off the computer and get out a family board game – fun and learning guaranteed!
DIY Forest School activities
11 DIY Forest School activities
Help your child embrace the great outdoors and create your own DIY "Forest School" at home with these back-to-nature learning ideas.
What is a tutor-proof test?
What is a tutor-proof test?
Is there such thing as a tutor-proof 11+ test? TheSchoolRun investigates.
Best apps for children with special educational needs
Best apps for children with special educational needs
If you're supporting a child with special educational needs, try these brilliant apps to help make life easier, at school and at home.
Benefits of bedtime stories
11 reasons to read a bedtime story every night
Whatever your child’s age, reading together at bedtime is the perfect way to bring the day to a close. We’ve rounded up 11 great reasons to make it a priority – every night.
Best grammar and punctuation apps for kids
Best grammar and punctuation apps for kids
The current National Curriculum puts a lot of emphasis on English grammar. We've rounded up the best apps to help your child get to grips with punctuation, parts of speech, tenses and more.
Teaching children empathy
Teaching children empathy
How can we raise kinder, more caring children? We asked the experts for their advice on helping our kids develop empathy.
Best word puzzle apps for kids
Best word puzzle apps for kids
Help your child brush up on their spelling, phonics and vocabulary skills with these brilliant games-based apps.
Teaching kids about current affairs
Teaching kids about current affairs
How do we help children understand what's going on in the world in an age-appropriate way? We have top tips for helping them make sense of the news.
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Best coding apps for kids
With computer coding on the National Curriculum from KS2 up, help your child get a headstart with these programming apps.
Best vocabulary-building apps for kids
Best vocabulary-building apps for kids
A wide vocabulary will help your child succeed at primary school, secondary school and beyond. We've tried and tested the best apps for helping them learn new words.
Teachers' tips for homework
Teachers’ tricks for helping with homework
Fed up of fighting about homework? We asked the real experts – experienced teachers – how they help their own children with their home learning.
Best 11+ apps for kids
Best 11+ apps for kids
Help your child do verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning practice to prepare for the grammar school entrance exam with these useful apps.
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How to help your child become a good digital citizen
As our kids spend increasing amounts of time immersed in technology, how can we help them stay safe and behave responsibly?
Best children's apps about space
Best children’s apps about space
If your child is mad about all things intergalactic, they'll love exploring these space-themed apps.
Homework help that works
Could helping your child with homework actually hinder their learning?
What are the right – and wrong – ways to help with homework? We take a look at how to offer the most effective sort of parental support.
Best geometry apps for kids
Best shape and geometry apps for kids
Whether your child is just learning the difference between a square and a rectangle or solving complex algebraic problems, these apps will help them get to grips with shape and geometry.
Best decimal apps for kids
Best decimals apps for kids
Help your child learn about decimals and how to use them and calculate with them with these brilliant learning apps.
Best story-making apps for kids
Best story-making apps for kids
Help your child unleash their creative side with these brilliant apps that'll get them started with story-writing.
Learning activities on a budget
10 home education ideas that hardly cost a penny
Keep your child entertained with these brilliant budget-friendly learning activities.
Halloween science experiments for kids
Halloween science fun
Watch as a tissue ghost magically dances without you touching it, tie a bone in a knot to learn why calcium is so important for strong bones and taste some realistic-looking worms, made using the power of chemical crosslinking. This Halloween, try some spooky, creepy science fun!
Learning about nature through books
Learning about nature through books
Being in nature has many benefits for children. We asked writer and illustrator Nicola Davies for her tips on using books to kickstart an interest in the natural world.
Barnes Children's Literature Festival 2018
Best children's literary festivals in the UK
Bring books to life for book lovers of all ages, from pre-school to teenagers, at one of the world's best literary festivals. Meet authors, learn writing and illustrating skills at a workshop or take part in a debate – there are a wealth of bookish activities on offer for families throughout the year, and many of them are accessible online from anywhere in the world.
Best fractions apps for kids
Best apps for learning about fractions
Fractions can be tricky to master, but these great fractions apps will take the stress out of learning about this essential maths concept.
Smartphones and kids
12 things your child can do with a smartphone
Whether they’ve got their very own phone for the first time or just love to commandeer yours, there are learning experiences aplenty at your child’s fingertips. We’ve rounded up 12 screentime activities you don’t need to feel guilty about.
Best activity books for kids
Best activity books for children
Whether you're on the move or at home, a great activity book offers hours of screen-free learning and fun. Crosswords, maths challenges, mystery solving and code writing are all covered in our best activity books for kids picks. We can't guarantee you won't want to help out with the puzzling, though!
Tips for struggling readers
8 tried-and-tested tips to help a struggling reader
Not all children take well to reading. We asked volunteers with Beanstalk, the national literacy charity, for their advice on helping kids who find reading tough.
Best telling the time apps for kids
Best telling the time apps for kids
It was recently reported that secondary schools were having to install digital clocks in exam rooms as pupils couldn't read an analogue clock. These great time-teaching apps will help your child master this vital skill (the fun way).
Best division apps for kids
Best division apps for kids
From simple number facts to complicated long division, these apps are full of child-appeal and will make learning how to divide fun.
Best multiplication apps for kids
Best multiplication apps for kids
Multiplication is one of the most important maths skills your child will learn. We've rounded up the best apps to help your child become a multiplication expert.
Boosting children's vocabulary
How to build your child’s vocabulary
Help your child become a master of words with these great tips for boosting vocabulary at home.
Best subtraction apps for kids
Best subtraction apps for kids
Help your child build their confidence, speed and accuracy with subtraction with these games-based maths apps that'll make learning fun.
Best games-based maths apps for kids
Best games-based maths apps for kids
Want your child to be enthusiastic about maths? Encourage them to play with it! We reveal our favourite games-based maths apps for kids, covering everything from early numeracy to algebra.
Best addition apps for kids
Best addition apps for kids
Addition is one of the first maths skills your child will learn, but it'll become more and more complex as they move up through primary school. We tried out the best apps to help them master this crucial concept.
Best times tables apps for kids
Best times tables apps for kids
Help your child become a times tables whizz with apps that will build their accuracy, speed and fluency.