You’ll want to support your child at this crucial stage at home, and we have hundreds of EYFS English worksheets, games and activities for you to browse. You’ll find resources to support reading, including phonics learning, and writing, where your child will start on the basics of letter formation. You’ll also discover fun activities to support other key learning objectives, such as understanding a story has a beginning, middle and end, beginning to write simple sentences and using basic punctuation.
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What your child learns in Nursery: English and literacy
From learning new vocabulary to mastering the correct pencil grip, here are the literacy skills your child will start to develop in Nursery.
Video: Pre-writing activities to support handwriting
Support your child's pre-handwriting development in nursery and Reception with fun activities and play, all designed to help build essential motor skills and hand muscles. Our video features experts from the National Handwriting Association, sharing practical ideas you can try at home.
Look at the /oo/ words below. Can you read them out loud? These words are all jumbled up in this wordsearch. Can you find them? Put a tick next to each word that you find.
Read these pairs of sentences. Can you put a circle around what is different in the second sentences? Now can you do your own pair now? Ask someone to spot the difference!
Some words have one or two tricky letters in them. These words we just have to learn to read and spell correctly, we can’t only use ‘sounding out’. Cut out all the words below and hold them in a pile. Sit in front of your child and show them one of the words. Then show them some of the other words; when you show them a word they’ve already seen they shout ‘Full Circle’!
The Reception English Learning Journey comprises 40 worksheets that will help your child review and master all the core areas of learning that they’ll be taught in the National Curriculum in Reception.
By following the programme, which closely mirrors what your child is being taught in school, you’ll quickly be able to spot any topics that your child hasn't fully grasped and reinforce learning that is happening in the classroom at home. Your child will feel more confident in their own abilities and you’ll know you are giving your child the very best chance of succeeding in school.
If your child is starting school in Reception, what can you do to help them make the best possible start? Find out how to lay the foundations for a great transition with our Reception starters learning pack – it's bursting with activities that focus on early English, maths and science skills, as well as supporting your child's physical and social development.
In just under a year your four- or five-year-old will learn to read and write, making giant literacy leaps and laying the foundations of all their future learning. Marvel at their progress and identify any areas they need extra support and practice in at home with our Reception English Progress checks.
The short tests are designed to help your child practise reading and blending sounds, writing letters and structuring simple sentences. Each term’s check consists of 20 questions and a total of 20 marks. Work through the questions with your child and make sure you read lots of traditional tales to help you prepare!
Discover some great learning packs to support your EYFS child's literacy learning
Our learning packs include information on parents about how each topic is taught at primary school and then lots of fun worksheets, activities and games for your child. Have a look through these learning packs:
Fabulous phonics – a complete overview of how and why phonics is taught, as well as teacher tips to help you make phonics learning part of your child's everyday life and 50 printable games and activities.
Handwriting patterns playbook – covers all the common writing patterns – push pattern movements, pull pattern movements, vertical pattern movements, diagonal pattern movements and ‘c’ pattern movements – and makes putting pencil to paper a pleasure.
Is your child about to start Nursery or Reception? If so, TheSchoolRun has designed an early years book bundle just for you and your child that will ensure you have all the support and educational resources you need to make this important transition.
The Nursery and Reception Activity eBook is a beautifully illustrated guide linked to early learning goals for children under five. With fun and familiar themes divided into six activities per section, this book puts the fun into learning from the word go. Each activity is short to keep your child engaged, and so you can limit your time investment to just as long as you have. With easy-to-follow instructions, a clear description of the areas of learning and development along with age groups for attainment, your child will love learning while they play.
Starting school can be as exciting for parents as it is for their children. The Essential Guide to the First Years of School aims to answer the questions that you might ask about your child’s time in primary school. This book is every parent’s indispensable guide to managing the first years at school. You’ll refer to it time and again for useful information for new starters, as well as how to tackle issues, what all the jargon means and how to get help for special needs children and manage your child’s wellbeing.
