Helping your Child with Learning at Home

The best support your can give your child at home is to read regularly, either to them or listen to them read.  Reading has been proved not only to increase literacy, but also increases emotional intelligence, helps develop ideas and personalities and increases general knowledge.  This is true for children of all ages. Reading and learning times tables facts are our homework expectations, because we know how important they are for children and life-long learning.  Thank you for supporting your child with these.

Reading

For children in Reception and Year 1, phonics learning is essential.  We teach phonics daily to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 using the scheme Rocket Phonics. The link below provides more information about Rocket Phonics, including how to support your child's reading at home. Other resources you may like to use at home:

Reading Eggs: an online resources which combines phonics with engaging activities  https://readingeggs.co.uk/

Phonics Play: games and resources aligned with the phonics curriculum  https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/

Phonics Bloom:  interactive games to support phonics learning https://www.phonicsbloom.com/

We encourage families to read together, developing a love of reading and suggest using the wonderful library in Benson to borrow books regularly. 

Times Tables Knowledge

For children in Year 1 up, please help them to learn their times tables facts.  These are crucial as they are the foundation for the maths curriculum throughout the primary and secondary curriculum.  Children also feel more confident in maths lessons, develop a good sense of number and can apply the instant recall to everyday tasks.  All children from Year 1 to Year 6 have their own login for Times Tables Rock Stars as this has been proven to help children secure these vital facts.  https://ttrockstars.com/  If you do not have your child's login details, please ask your class teacher.

We understand that some families prefer practical, offline methods. Here are some simple and effective ways you can help your child learn their times tables at home:

1. Daily Practice

• Spend 5–10 minutes each day focusing on one times table.
• Start with the easier ones (2, 5, and 10) before moving on to others.

2. Use Everyday Opportunities

• Count objects in groups (e.g., “There are 4 chairs at each table. How many chairs are there at 3 tables?”).
• Involve times tables in cooking, shopping, or setting the table.

3. Flashcards

• Write multiplication questions on one side and answers on the other.
• Shuffle and test regularly for quick recall.

4. Say It, Sing It, Clap It

• Recite times tables aloud together.
• Add rhythm by clapping or chanting—it makes learning fun and memorable.

5. Games

• Play “Times Table Bingo” or “Snap” using multiplication cards.
• Roll two dice and multiply the numbers for a quick challenge.

Making Practice Fun and Stress-Free

• Keep sessions short (5–10 minutes) and positive.
• Use games, songs, and challenges to make learning enjoyable.
• Celebrate effort as well as accuracy—confidence grows with encouragement!
• Practise little and often rather than cramming.

By mastering times tables, children gain speed and accuracy, freeing up their thinking for problem-solving and reasoning.