Thinking creatively

The month is up, but learning at home is not stopping... I love this activity that can be adapted to children (and adults) of all ages and interests. Having more than one possible answer can reduce the fear of being 'wrong' and helps build confidence in our own ideas. Encouraging children to give voice to…

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What did you say?!

The latest in a series of weekday tips to help develop chidren's skills for learning through play. Today's game is an old favourtite. It can be played by the whole family, regardless of age, and can help develop listening skills and sound discrimination. Posts are gathered together under the Learning at Home tab. You can…

100-square activities

Today's daily offering is perhaps a little more conventional, but there are so many ways to adapt this maths challenge to suit those just starting out with number recognition or those whose pattern recogniton skills are at an advanced level.Now we've found a few ways to use the 100 square for games, here are a…

Comparatively speaking

Today's idea is one that can be slotted in to almost any situation. Adapt the concept to suit children’s ages and stages – you might just chat, or you might follow up with measuring roughly, or later, accurately. You can use everyday objects to measure – step out distances, or use known quantities rather than…

What’s that sound?

Today's activity can be planned or impromptu. Stop for a moment and listen to the sounds around you. Right now, I can hear the dog's tag jongling as she pads around the kitchen. The fridge is humming. Someone is walking in a bedroom overhead. I'm not sure how many different birds I can make out,…

We’re going on a sound hunt!

For today's offering, an old favourite that works at home or out on a daily walk. Adapt the concept to suit children’s ages and stages – simplify as necessary or make it more complex. Older children can cope with more sophisticated language and less visually obvious targets. This helps build comprehension and vocabulary skills as…

Sort it out

Each weekday during April, as we're all at home, I'm sharing ideas to help develop children's skills for learning through play. Today's offering combines helping out at home with following instructions. There's a healthy dose of maths on the side, too! Adapt the concept to suit children’s ages and stages – simplify as necessary or…

Word games

It's Wednesday, so we're working on word games in today's daily offering. Playing with alliteration (words starting with the same letter), onset and rime (the first sound and the bit that makes the rhyme) and rhythm (noticing the number of syllables, the length of the word) can help to build skills for spelling and to…

Stealth maths

To lighten the load on unaccustomed and/or unplanned home educators (and for anyone else who's interested) I'm sharing daily ideas to develop children's learning through play and everyday activities. As well as being fantastic for social skills, communication, sharing and turn-taking, games are a brilliant way to develop both understanding of mathematical concepts and the…

Key aspects of EF

8 of the key aspects of executive function that can be supported at home, school or work so that everyone can achieve their goals

Supporting working memory at school

  Working memory (WM) is one of the cognitive executive functions (EF). WM and EF difficulties in general are factors in many neuro-developmental conditions. This makes so much of what happens at work, university, school or indeed many everyday situations more challenging than it needs to be. The good news is that there are plenty…

Dyscalculia Assessment

Saturday 8th September 2018 Today, I was one of 20 specialist assessors for specific learning difficulties lucky enough to participate in the first CPD on dyscalculia assessment and reporting run by Professor Steve Chinn and Judy Hornigold for the Dyscalculia Association. It was a packed day, with lots of opportunities for sharing experience and best…

patoss conference 2018

Another week, another dyslexia and SpLD professionals' event! This weekend marked the annual conference for the Professional association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (patoss). It was another early start, this time travelling by train. The morning was glorious; as we travelled to Newport, the huge, pale lemon sun rose into a cloudless,…

Simple steps to a tripod pencil grasp

A few OT inspired ideas for parents and teachers to support handwriting

Getting ready for writing (2)

A few OT inspired ideas for parents and teachers to support placement and positioning for writing

Getting ready for writing

A few OT inspired ideas for parents and teachers to support children's posture for writing

Promoting fine motor skills

A few OT inspired ideas for parents and teachers to support children's fine mtor skills for writing

Building strength for deskwork

A few OT inspired ideas for parents and teachers to support children's developing skills for writing

Tricks and tips for six

Support ideas for mathematical development for use at home or at school. As with all my infographics, this one can be downloaded for printing. There's a link at the bottom of the page. It’s completely free, but please credit Sarah Gillie - Beacons Unique Originally published to coincide with twelvetide (12 festive days 2017-18) Download…

9th day tricks

Support ideas for mathematical development for use at home or at school. As with all my infographics, this one can be downloaded for printing. There's a link at the bottom of the page. It’s completely free, but please credit Sarah Gillie - Beacons Unique Originally published to coincide with twelvetide (12 festive days 2017-18) Download…