Ready Steady School

There are just a couple more days until we are done for the school year, hurrah! I am so looking forward to having G home for the whole summer. However, being a teacher I know that learning never stops and so I am always looking for new ways to encourage her and help her to progress. Not that I want to push her, I just want to give her as many opportunities as possible. She is a natural learner though and often pushes herself – most of the things she knows are self taught!

We were asked whether we would like to take a look at the new Ready Steady School boxes, aimed at helping children prepare and progress through the basics like name writing and phonics. The natural box to choose for a child starting reception in September is the Starting School Box but when I looked through the contents I realised that actually she is already beyond that stage. As a reception teacher myself I know that the box would ordinarily be perfect, so if your child is going to be starting school this autumn then it will be perfect.

We decided to have a look at the Letters and Sounds (Phonics) box as I felt that would be about right for her stage in development. You should have seen her face when she opened it – honestly she is going to be a teacher when she grows up as she was beyond excited by everything inside!

The box comes with a whole host of ideas to help your child practice their spelling and reading skills in a fun way. G especially liked the bingo game, sounding out the words to match them to the picture.

Everything included in the box is great quality and some things are laminated so will last just that little bit longer. I like that every detail has been thought of, including little flash cards of the different letters of the alphabet.

A nice touch is the reward/ progress chart included. Your child is able to pop a little sticker on the chart every time they are able to do something new. I was shocked as G was able to do every single thing on the chart. She really does make me proud although I do worry that she will stand out a little too much and get bored, but on the other hand I don’t want to hold her back when she loves it all so much.

As a teacher I know the importance of doing things at home with your children. I have taught hundreds of kids and so many do absolutely nothing at all at home and this is reflected in their learning in school. A simple box like this could make such a difference, so if you are looking for a fun way to teach your child at home then this is perfect! I am hoping they bring out a box for the next stage in phonics as I think that would be perfect for Little G.

Have you got a little one starting reception in September too?

If you use f2fdisc at the checkout you will get 10% off either box – plus they are currently offering a free name writing card for anyone who buys the letters and sounds box over the summer! Enjoy!