Helping Your Child Learn and Grow at Home

Being a parent is the hardest job you’ll ever love, especially when it comes to supporting your little one’s education. You might wonder: Am I doing enough? or How can I make these early years count? The good news is that simple, everyday activities can have a huge impact on your child’s progress—in reading, phonics, maths and beyond.

Reading and Phonics: Building Strong Foundations

Reading isn’t just about turning pages—it’s about sounds, connections and confidence. Here’s how you can help:

Share Stories Every Day
Snuggle up for ten minutes of reading each evening. As you turn the pages, invite your child to spot letters or guess what happens next. Talk about the pictures and ask open-ended questions: “Why do you think the fox looks surprised?”
Play with Sounds
Before tackling words, play simple sound games. Say a word like cat and stretch it out: “c–a–t.” Then blend it back together. This kind of playful phonics helps children hear how words are built from individual sounds.
Sign Up for Expert Guidance
Learning phonics can feel tricky at first—especially when it comes to pronunciation and decoding longer words. That’s why I’ve created a phonics mini-course (sign up to my mailing list to be the first to access) that guides you step by step. You’ll learn how to model each sound correctly, teach letter blends and support your child until they read with confidence. Explore the mini-course here and give yourself the tools you need.

Early Mathematics: Beyond Counting

Maths is everywhere—even in playtime. Here are a few ways to weave numbers into your day:

Kitchen Calculations
While baking, let your child measure ingredients. “We need two cups of flour—can you help me fill them?” Measuring, pouring and even clearing up doubles as hands-on maths practice.
Shape Spotting
Go on a “shape hunt” around the house: rectangles in doors, circles in clocks, triangles in roof gables. Naming shapes and comparing sizes strengthens spatial awareness.

Mastering Time: Clocks and Calendars

Telling the time is a brilliant confidence booster, but analogue clocks and 24-hour notation can be confusing at first. Try these steps:

Start with the Hour Hand
Draw a simple clock face together. Label the numbers 1–12. Move the short hand around, saying, “When it points to 3, we say three o’clock.”
Add the Minute Hand
Explain that every full turn of the long hand equals one hour. Then break it down: “When it’s at 6, that’s half past.” Practice by asking, “What time is it when the long hand is at 12 and the short hand is at 8?”
Introduce the 24-Hour Clock
When your child is comfortable with analogue, explain the idea of “adding twelve.” For example, 3 pm is 15:00. You could mark afternoon activities on a timetable: “Lunchtime at 12:00, park at 14:00.” Seeing both formats side by side makes the link clear.

Bringing It All Together

You don’t need fancy equipment or hours of prep—just a curious mindset and a few everyday moments. Reading a bedtime story, stirring a bowl of soup, pointing at the clock on the wall: each is a chance to help your child learn.

And remember, you’re not alone. If you’re ready to sharpen your phonics skills and make reading truly click, don’t forget to check out the phonics mini-course. With the right approach, your child will soon be decoding words, counting with confidence and telling the time like a pro.

Let’s make these early steps count—together.