Support for Learning at Home

Please look under the headings below for ideas/resources that we feel may help your child.

We have included useful links to external agencies to provide you with additional advice/information.

CALL Scotland has this excellent resource page with information about

• Android and iPad apps for learners with dyslexia; Android CLICK here; iPad CLICK here
• Android and iPad apps for complex communication support needs; Android CLICK here; iPad CLICK here
•  iPad apps for learners with dyscalculia/numeracy difficulties;   CLICK here

If you would like some help in how to use accessibility features to make your technology more accessible for your learner

• CLICK here for MAC support
• CLICK here for CHROME BOOK support
• CLICK here for iPAD support
• CLICK here for WINDOWS 10 support
• CLICK here for MICROSOFT learning tools

DYSLEXIA

NEW!  Barrington Stokes (The Dyslexia Publisher) have just produced this useful resource:  Homeschooling help during Lockdown.  If you would like to access its guidance and useful links CLICK here

NEW! Dekko Comics  produce comics for disengaged readers age 9-12.  They are currently offering the electronic versions of their comics for free during school closures.  This allows the reader to click through one page at a time and to use coloured filters if they wish.  If you would like to learn more about downloading the app CLICK here

The British Dyslexia Association hosted a helpful webinar entitled 'How to support your dyslexic child during school closures.'  If you would like to download the slides   CLICK here.  

Dyslexia Scotland has some useful resources and information for parents  CLICK here 

If you would prefer to access the online hub for young people with Dyslexia  CLICK here to select Dyslexia Unwrapped.  

Touch typing is a very useful skill to develop for all learners and especially those with Dyslexia or another additional support needs. 

To practise your touch typing skills using BBC Dance Mat CLICK here

To practise your touch typing skills for free using Doorway online  CLICK here

Barrington Stoke, the publisher who specialises in publishing books specifically for Dyslexic readers, is providing some free resources to support Dyslexic learners at home.  If you would like to access these CLICK here

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION

School Closure Autism Toolkit – click here.  We are hopeful that this toolkit will help support your child at home during this time of uncertainty. For a child with social communication difficulties or Autism or anxiety, visual supports can help decrease anxiety and increase their independence.  This toolkit provides you with all that you will need to help structure your child's day at home, no matter his/her age. 

If you would like to download instructions with symbols about how to wash your hands  CLICK here

LITERACY

 If you would like to download a selection of free e-books from Oxford Owl to help keep your child reading during the closure, CLICK here

If your child is in the early stages of learning to blend sounds or identifying and blending sounds is something they find tricky, the 'Phonics Play' has access to some free games   CLICK here

 If you would like to download/print some phonic/spelling cards from 'Nessy Learning' CLICK here

If you would like to download a copy of the 'Jolly Phonics' actions your child has been using in school CLICK here

CLICK here if you would like to hear how to say the phonic sounds to help your child with spelling and reading.

NUMERACY

Playing a board game with dice is a great way to practise counting. 

Why not try playing with 2 dice and either add/multiply the two numbers together.  

To help practice numbers to 100, play games such as snakes and ladders.

Maths with ‘Top Trumps’ or Match Attax cards

You can use any set of ‘Top Trumps’ cards/Match Attax collector cards as a great way to teach/practice mathematical concepts and mathematical language without it seeming like a maths lesson.

Use language such as,

“Tell me the number after, before, between, 1 more than, 1 less than, 10 more than, 10 less than etc, find the total of (+), find the difference between (-).”

Playing as a game with 2 or more players:

• Play the smallest number wins rather than the biggest
• Add two of the characteristics together, the highest total wins
• Multiply two of the characteristics together, the highest total wins
• Choose a characteristic, double the number, the highest number wins

Playing individually

• Choose a characteristic and put all the cards in order from smallest to largest/largest to smallest
• Choose a characteristic and sort the cards into odd and even numbers
• Add all the numbers on the card and sort in order according to their totals
• If the numbers on your cards are smaller than 100, mark them all off on a 100 square. Are all the numbers used? What numbers do you have left?

If you would like to print off some Top Trumps maths games which practice some particular skills CLICK here

More resources to help with Numeracy/Maths tasks 

OXFORD Owl are an educational publisher.  They have a series of 'Kids Activities' which are sorted by age.  To access these resources, CLICK here

Lots of learners use NUMICON tiles to help support their numeracy learning in school.  These are plastic tiles which represent the number system and help to provide a visual support.  If you would like to find out more about Numicon and access more home activities and advice for Parents, CLICK here

If you would like to download/practise number bond pairs to 10,  CLICK here

If you would like to download/practise number bond pairs to 20, CLICK here

If you would like to download/print  times table patterns on a 100 square CLICK here

If you would like to download/print a 100 square CLICK here

If you would like to download/print a times table square CLICK here