Key Stage 1 Bundle

I know my times tables

Every child has to master the times tables and know them off by heart. Loads of us struggle (at all ages!) but the tips, rhymes and strategies in I know my times tables are a huge help. With these great techniques, within 30 days your child won’t only know their times tables – they’ll be SINGING them!

It cannot be stressed enough how important grasping the times tables (up to 12) is to everyday life. Once your child has mastered them, you will find their overall maths ability improves too. But for many children it’s not as easy as simply memorising each times table in turn.

Children learn best when they are engaged and enjoying the activity they are doing, and I know my times tables (written for your child, with notes for you) gives them what they're looking for: terrific games and rhymes for each of the times tables!

Games are a brilliant way to learn – they keep children interested, motivated and, best of all, they want to learn because it’s so much fun.

The creative, ‘make-it-yourself' element of the eBook will help your child feel like they're in control of the games (and you know they'll love that), whilst their competitive nature will spur them on to play again and again and really cement their learning! And the rhymes, songs and raps (yes, raps… maths can be cool!) mean children can bring their own style to learning.

A times table your child enjoys is one that will stick in their head, and be instantly recalled whenever needed... be that in an exam or when trying to work out how many Mars Bars they can buy with their birthday money!

Bet you wish you'd had this when you were at school.

I know my times tables was developed exclusively for TheSchoolRun by deputy headteacher, Matt Revill, and writer of musicals and author, Bernadette Strachan.

Thinkalink!

Using hilarious ‘links’ to help your child remember how to spell any word, Thinkalink! will take them from mixing up letters to spelling even the most difficult words.

Spelling enthusiast Andy Salmon (or Sir Linkalot, as you’ll come to know him) will show you and your child how to create quick and funny rhymes that put the letters in a word in the correct formation, making them far easier to remember. This fantastic eBook is packed with more than a thousand links to get you started, and a super simple guide to creating your own ones.

The linking technique, based on mnemonics but upgraded for the twenty-first century, is a fast and funny guide to spelling every word. By creating rhymes that put letters in the correct formation, linking can be applied to any and every word. This guide is packed with more than a thousand links to get you started and a super simple guide to creating your own links.

Whether your child is just starting to learn to spell, is a struggling learner or is striding forwards in the gifted and talented group, they will all love learning these clever and pithy links. As spelling correctly is a life skill, this eBook is ideal for children and parents alike.

Because schools often lack the time and resources to teach spelling at an individual level, it is important for parents to know how to help children struggling with spelling. And here at TheSchoolRun we believe Sir Linkalot's method is perfect for use with an individual child and ideal for a home setting – it doesn't feel like homework or extra tuition because it’s so much fun.

Spelling is important. Not only will your child be assessed on their spelling throughout primary school and beyond, but, long-term, many individuals who never grasp the basics of spelling are left miserable by the fact in later life.

Not grasping spelling and lacking confidence in their ability to learn to spell new words will lead to your child narrowing their vocabulary in their writing – through their primary education, in to secondary school and beyond – using only words they are sure of. The fact is children who are shaky spellers are not naughty or lazy; they are usually unhappy and nervous when they have to write and worried stiff about not 'getting it'. Thinkalink! offers an innovative, original and tried-and-tested technique that could change your child's experience of learning to spell words correctly forever.

The Parents’ Guide to Year 2 Maths

Number bonds... counting in ‘hops’... using grids and number lines... this is the norm for our kids, but it means very little to us. That's because maths lessons today take on a rather different form to those from our own school days. Forget tedious hours of solving endless sums, The Parents' Guide to Year 2 Maths, packed with great maths games and activities, will guide you through everything you need to know for maths in Year 2 and help your child towards KS1 SATs success.

Because there’s no getting away from the fact that maths is an essential skill.

Your child will need to apply it to so many aspects of their daily life, from telling the time, to working out how much change they should get in the shops.

That's why getting a solid grip on maths early on is so important. It will make all the difference to your child's future.

Supporting our kids at home is a key part of their learning journey, and it will be of huge benefit to you, your child and their teacher if you can spend a bit of time helping them to improve their skills. (And you can boost yours, too.)

This is precisely the reason that The Parents’ Guide to Year 2 Maths was written, with mums and dads like you firmly in mind.

It’s friendly, accessible, 100% jargon-free, and addresses three big concerns about your son or daughter’s maths studies:

• What is my child learning this year?
• What strategies will their teacher use?
• How can I support my child at home?
• Year 2 is a great year for your child to make progress. They’ve settled into school life, and are starting to develop as a learner in their own right.

By following the same framework used by your child’s teacher (details of which are included in the eBook), you will be able to work closely with them on developing all of their key numeracy skills, including:

• Counting
• Number facts
• Calculation
• Understanding shape
• Measures
• Handling data
• Each skill has its own dedicated chapter, making it easy to look up a particular method when your child mentions one to you, or finding new ways to cement their learning in a specific area.

You can also use it as a starting point for your child to create their own methods of practising and revising, showing that they’ve really grasped what they’ve been taught. (A sure-fire way to get them beaming with pride!)

Plus you’ll even know what questions to ask your child as you go along, to make sure they’ve understood everything. (A handy prompt card is included for you.)

Together with your child, you can create a maths experience at home that is fulfilling for both of you, and has plenty of positive outcomes.

Now comes the part you and your child will love most... the games and activities.

It’s no secret that children learn best when they're engaged and enjoying themselves. And when they're not at school, your child wants nothing more than to spend time with you, doing something exciting.

The Parents’ Guide to Year 2 Maths gives you the resources to do both of these things – have fun AND learn – in a hands-on way.

Matt Revill has come up with literally masses of ideas (over 40, in fact) for innovative games and activities that will enhance your child's key numeracy skills. And each one can be easily adapted to match your child’s ability.

From quick suggestions that can be used anytime, anywhere, to competitive board games and puzzles, these activities will bring out your child's knowledge and encourage them to apply it to a range of different situations - just like we would in everyday life.

All the resources needed for the games (blank boards, grids, cards etc.) are either found in the eBook itself, or make use of everyday items around the house.

By taking the time to work through these brilliant activities with your child, you’ll see their skills really taking shape. And what an advantage that'll be for the learning to come in Year 3, throughout their time in junior school, and beyond.