Ks2 English articles

Beginning your child's 11+ preparation journey and feeling a bit daunted? Teacher Robert Lomax offers tips to help you structure your practice sessions for maximum effectiveness (and to ensure your child isn't turned off by all talk of 11+ work after week one!).

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!

Take a step back in time when Britain was being regularly invaded to find out more about the fearless raiders who travelled by sea in their long ships to settle here and who have left their mark on today's society. Primary school teacher and children's literature lover Scott Evans shares his pick of the best Viking historical fiction that will capture children's interest in this most interesting and exciting (and sometimes bloodthirsty!) of times.

Terrifying ogres, nasty pirates, a rainforest adventure, two evil toy thieves and a ghostly boarding school make these books the perfect choice for sharing with your eight year old. Snuggle up and get reading!

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

Our classic books picks cover a wide range of subject matter and historical periods, but what they all have in common are great story-telling, excitingly unfamiliar worlds, and colourful characters to root for. Our lives may have changed significantly since these books were written, but their portrayal of the pleasures and anxieties of growing up remains as relevant as ever. By Emma Harding

When it comes to encouraging children's love of books and reading, teachers (and librarians!) are the experts. We asked Ashley Booth – reader, Year 6 teacher and passionate advocate of children's books – to share his tips for teachers (and for parents!) on igniting a love of reading in primary-school children.

Travel back in time to the dawn of England and find out more about the Anglo Saxons, their stories and their lives. Teacher and literacy expert Ashley Booth shares his pick of the best historical fiction set in the time of King Alfred, including different retellings of the epic Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf.

This collection of recommended books to read with your seven year old includes some lovely poems about the great outdoors and nature, a spooky collection of ghost stories, an exciting adventure into an Egyptian tomb and a journey into the magical, wintry land of Narnia. Curl up together and enjoy!

Short chapters, charming characters, hilarious storylines, beautiful illustrations and rich language make these books the perfect pick for seven year olds.

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!

Life in prehistoric times is incredibly hard to picture, but teacher Ashley Booth's pick of the best Stone Age stories and novels for kids will help transport your child (far) back in time .

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.

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.

Just 20 minutes of practice a day could be enough to make your child a fluent touch-typist in as little as 10 weeks. We explain why confident, fast typing skills are an essential skill for all primary school children.

Touch-typing is one of those skills that, along with shorthand, seemed to go out of fashion as women began to embrace careers beyond the secretarial. But while you might have a mental image of rows of well-groomed young ladies sitting behind their manual typewriters, touch-typing is far from an outdated practice. In fact, typing could be one of the most valuable skills your primary school child will ever learn.

Introduce the whole family to the achievements of female scientists, explorers, artists, physicians, writers and more in our round-up of the best girl-empowering books for kids. From KS1 picture books and tales to inspiring grown-up "bedtime stories", we love these girl-power celebrations of outstanding people.

Turn the weekly spelling test preparation from chore into challenge with our pick of the best spelling board games for children and families. From brand-new readers and writers to spelling bee champions, there's plenty for even the most competent speller to enjoy!

Children learn to use irregular verbs naturally as they speak and write English, but will also understand more about them during their time at primary school. We explain how irregular verbs are introduced in the classroom in our guide for parents.

Standard English is accepted as the "correct" form of English, used in formal speaking or writing. In primary school children are expected to learn to write according to the rules of Standard English.