TIME Grade R
Message 1
Now is the TIME to learn together in an inviting, friendly space.
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The clock is ticking and the time has come for you and your child to have fun and learn together with the TIME programme. Together choose a quiet, comfortable space and set 20 minutes aside to work together with no interruptions. Gather some stationery and store it in a container so that it’s always ready to use. These could include a pencil, wax crayons or pencil crayons, blank paper or a drawing book and a pair of scissors and glue. It would be helpful to have some prestik or sticky tape to display your child’s work if you have the space. Read More
Time Grade R
Message 2
The Little Book stories have simple sentences linked to the pictures on each page. You can collect and store the little books in a container and your child will have their own little library to enjoy whenever they want to. Little books make story time fun!
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Once you have folded the little book, page through it and talk about each picture with your child. Then read the title of the book and the sentences on each page. Point to the words as you read. Encourage your child to tell the story with you if they would like to.
When you are finished reading, ask your child what they liked best about the book. By paging through the book, they are learning what it feels like to be a reader!
Video: How to fold a little book
Time Grade R
Message 3
Use the TIME dice to practise counting with your child.
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Every moment is a learning moment for a young child. As you fold and make your dice, involve your child by explaining to them what you’re doing. They could help you by putting glue on the tabs that need to be stuck together and perhaps they’d like to colour the dots or decorate them.
Ask your child to roll the dice and touch the dots on the side of the dice that faces up and then help them count how many dots there are. Your child will still be learning about numbers and counting and so guide them gently while not expecting them to get it all right.
Try touching each dot, counting them with your child and then ask them to do something physical like clap hands, jump, nod their heads or tap the table top to show how many dots you counted together. For example, three dots will mean three claps or three jumps. Spend just a few minutes doing this activity. Join your child and keep it light and fun.
Video: How to make a dice
Time Grade R
Message 4
Writing and drawing takes thinking and planning, it is fun for children and is real brain work!
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When children draw they realise that something real can be represented by a picture on paper. This is an important step for young children. The first time a child starts drawing, they may just make marks on the paper. It is important to encourage and support children at this stage and not to criticize their drawings or ask them to make it look better by copying your drawing.
It takes time and practice in a safe place to develop a new skill. If we laugh at children’s mistakes or embarrass them they may not feel brave enough to try again.
Help your child to think about what they want to draw and then let them have a try. They may use scribbles and markings that represent letters and this is as it should be. Your child’s writing will develop over time and so give them plenty of praise and encouragement on their journey to becoming a writer.
Children love it when an adult joins them in an activity. Talk to your child about their drawings and their writing attemptsAsk them questions that can lead to more conversation. This will help to build your child’s vocabulary and also give them a chance to feel proud of what they have done
Time Grade R
Message 5
Young children learn from everything they see and hear around them and so it is important to help them develop their ability to look and listen carefully. Looking and listening games give children many opportunities to practice listening.
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Children need practice to become good listeners. With good listening skills children can understand what someone is talking about, they can follow instructions and they can complete tasks.
Good looking and listening skills will help your child succeed at classroom tasks. Importantly, being able to hear the differences in sounds in words is a skill for young children to have when they begin to learn to read and write.
Time Grade R
Message 6
Play the Alphabet game – a fun way for your child to learn what the letters of the alphabet look like and what sound each letter makes. Take your time, don’t rush and have fun learning with your child.
Time Grade R
Message 7
To get ready for TIME, remember to find a quiet comfortable space. Look through the activities before you set aside 20 minutes to work with your child. This is a relaxed learning time where you build your child’s confidence by using comments like “I like your thinking” and “Keep trying you will get it’’.
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Writing letters and numbers is something that needs lots of practice. It is fun and very beneficial to write numbers and letters with different tools, not just pencil and paper.
You could use a stick in the sand or your finger in a tray of rice or sugar. You could use chalk on a wall or pavement. Play dough is quick and easy to make and can be used as a fun alternative, multisensory way of practicing letters and numbers. The recipe for an easy play dough is given on the poster you received in your term 1 pack.
Time Grade R
Message 8
Drawing and writing are important ways for your child to learn to express their thoughts and ideas. Give them many opportunities to do this and let them see how you use writing in your everyday routine. These could include writing of shopping lists, birthday cards, messages to the teacher and even cell phone text messages.
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Children love to draw! Encourage all their drawing and writing attempts because they are learning to communicate what they are thinking about or what they are feeling. Show your interest even if their early attempts at writing look like scribbles on the page and use these opportunities to talk to your child.
Talking to them about what they are drawing and writing will make them feel that what they have to say has value and is appreciated by you. This will grow their confidence to want to continue drawing and writing and will help them to prepare for the skills they need to use in their school and home environments. Remember to build your child’s confidence, and to use gentle, encouraging and positive language when talking about their drawing and writing.
Time Grade R
Message 9
Children enjoy sharing their opinion and love it when the adults with them really show an interest in what they have to say. The Big picture stories give your child the opportunity to learn new words and ask questions and a chance to develop their thinking and reasoning skills.
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When you and your child are working together with the Big picture story, use the questions we provide to spark further conversation about what they see. Back and forth conversation and not ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers will help develop your child’s language skills. Also encourage your child to talk about how things in the picture remind them of their own experiences.
You could try using some of these:
What would happen if …?
Explain why you think that.
What do you think about this?
My favourite part is…Tell me about your favourite part.
This reminds me of the time when…What else does this remind you of?
It’s not always easy for a child to explain their thoughts so give them time to think about what they are seeing in the picture and to put this into words. Praise their responses even if they manage only one word answers.
Time Grade R
Message 10
Pretend play, for example making a shop or cooking, is a fun way to imagine what it is like to be other people taking part in different activities. Pretend play helps children to understand their world and the things that they see happening around them. It also helps children imagine different experiences that they can then talk or write about.
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Young children enjoy retelling stories through pretend play.
Playing like this helps them to think about and understand the world around them. It also helps them develop their imagination. Playing like this encourages children to imagine stories that they could tell others and eventually write down.
Pretend play will be more fun when your child has props that can go with the story they are playing. If your child pretends to make soup they could use something big and round as a soup pot and a stick could be used as a soup spoon. Small objects like leaves or pictures of vegetables could be used to stir in their pot while they pretend to cook like they have seen adults doing in their home.
Time Grade R
Message 11
“Helping your child to develop good memory skills is important for all of the learning they do both at school and at home and playing memory games is a fun way to do this. Take turns with your child to set up a memory game and see how much joy it brings them to have you take part in the game. Remember to play to have fun rather than to win.
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Did you know that the brain is a muscle and like every other muscle it needs regular exercise to keep it healthy and strong? Teaching children how to be alert and notice what they see around them is a valuable life skill and it exercises and grows their memory skills. You can play memory games informally as you go about your daily tasks.
Tell your child to look carefully as you walk home from school. Note a few specific things on the walk. When you get home ask your child, “Do you remember what colour the car that drove past us was?” “ We walked past Aunty Mina’s house. What colour is Aunty Mina’s house?” “Did we have to cross a road to get home?
Time Grade R
Message 12
Young children learn from everything they see and hear around them and so it is important to help them develop their ability to look and listen carefully. With good listening skills children can understand what someone is talking about, they can follow instructions and they can complete tasks.
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Did you know that children will find it easier to learn to read and write if they are aware that the words we speak are made up of different sounds? Being able to hear the differences in sounds in words is an important skill for young children when they begin to learn to read and write.
Children will be able to hear the beginning sounds in words first. This will give your child a clue to what the rest of the word might be. When there are pictures of the word your child will use these as further clues to work out what the word is. It is important to use the sounds of the letters for example ‘a’ as in ant or ‘d’ as in drum.
Time Grade R
Message 13
The letter snake game helps children listen for and identify the first sound in words and then find the written letter that makes that sound.
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When using a dice some children might say the incorrect number the dice has landed on.. Help your child count the number of dots they see by touching each dot as they count. The same might happen when they move their counter on the board.
If your child moves too many or too few spaces or skips spaces as they count, help them slow down and move from one block to the next and stop when they have moved the correct number of spaces. Helping children read a dice and move the correct number of spaces is important for understanding how much or how small each number really is.
Click on the video below to learn how the game is played
Time Grade R
Message 14
Create a comfortable, encouraging working space for your child. This will help them concentrate more easily while they enjoy doing the activities.
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TIME activities can be done almost anywhere as long as your child has a firm surface to work on. If you don’t have a table use a tray, a board or a hard covered book under the page your child is working on.
Remember that children are able to think, listen and focus better when the TV or radio is switched off for the time they are working. Your child should always enjoy their special learning time with you, remember to praise them for trying each task even if they struggled.
Time Grade R
Message 15
Learning to draw and write letters and numbers takes lots of practice. It is important that children are taught how to form letters and numbers correctly.
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Find out how your child is learning to write each letter and number in class so you can do the same at home. Look at the letter and number templates in your activity packs for guidance. Start at the dot on the template.
Follow the direction of the arrow with one movement without lifting your crayon. If there are two movements to form the letter or number then place your crayon again on the dot at number two and follow the arrow in one movement once again. Your child can practise again and again by using a different colour crayon each time. In this way your child is making a rainbow letter.
Time Grade R
Message 16
The Activity Record is a way to motivate and encourage your child and to give feedback to your child’s teacher.
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When your child has completed an activity, praise them for what they’ve done and then let them colour in only the star that matches that activity.
This will motivate and encourage your child to keep going and to try new things. Share the activity record with your child’s teacher. It is valuable for the teacher to see how well your child is learning at home.
Time Grade R
Message 17
Children learn best when they are playing and having fun.
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Your child learns many things when they play movement games. Their small and big muscles get stronger while they learn new words and actions. They also learn to listen to and follow instructions and to wait and take turns.
Playing also lets your child be creative and use their imagination. Give your child many opportunities to play alone and with others. They can play indoors and outdoors, freely or following simple rules and instructions.
Time Grade R
Message 18
Enjoy listening to the story, Sisanda’s gift, together.
Time Grade R
Message 19
Finding the right time to learn together
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Are you finding it difficult to make time to support learning at home? You may find that just after school and early afternoon works the best for you and your child. Many parents and caregivers arrive home late in the evening. In this case, you could encourage your child to do TIME activities while the older child is also working.
You could try just before bed when the responsibilities for the day are near an end although don’t use this time if your child is tired. Each home is different and you will see what works best for you and your family.
Time Grade R
Message 20
Refocusing your child’s attention
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Our homes are busy places. If you notice your child losing focus during a drawing or writing task you could encourage them by looking at what they have done and saying “I like what you are doing! What do you think you will do over here?” and point to the next thing they need to do. If your child loses focus during the story or the listening task you could:
- gently repeat what you have just said.
- remind them that there will only be a few questions and then they will be finished.
- tell them they are working well even though it is sometimes hard to focus.
Time Grade R
Message 21
For children to become readers and writers they need to know what letters look like and they also need to know the sound that each letter makes.
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Point to the pictures on the alphabet chart and listen to how the first sound or focus sound of the word is said.
To make sure you say each sound correctly, say the word aloud and the sound of the letter will be clear to you. Go ahead, try it!
Time Grade R
Message 22
Enjoy listening to the story ‘Boo, the sports dog’ together.
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Time Grade R
Message 23
You don’t need to be the teacher.
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Doing TIME activities at home allows your child to practise skills they have learned at school. While your child is working, encourage them where they are making progress and spend less time fixing or pointing out where they went wrong. Say things like, “That is a good try.” or “That’s a good job.” or “One more time and you’ll get it.”
If your child finds something really difficult to do please let their teacher know what you are noticing at home. The teacher will appreciate that you have spent time with your child and will be able to help your child if they need more support.
Time Grade R
Message 24
The Stepping stones game helps children match what a letter looks like to the sound that the letter makes.
Click below to watch video of how to play the game.
Please find the game board in the Time materials pack that you already have received.
Time Grade R
Message 25
Watch the video of a young boy trying to write his own words. He is confident and wants to put his thoughts onto paper. He knows what some letters look like and that each letter has its own sound. He still needs to learn more letters but he is on his way to becoming a writer!
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Time Grade R
Message 26
Well done! You are one of the thousands of families using the TIME home learning programme. We’ve loved having you on this journey with us and hope to see you again for the Grade 1 TIME programme in 2022!
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Parents have told us that the TIME resources helped them to bond with their child. “The packs help us to have quiet time together,” said one parent. “Thanks to TIME, I get to know my own child better”. The TIME materials have also helped to build a happier child who is more confident and can concentrate better.
One parent said “Home work is the first thing my child welcomes me with when I come from work. He can also follow the instructions very well now. He is more talkative, playful and free.”
We hope that the TIME programme was also rewarding for you and we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts in our comment form in the TIME section on our Wordworks website.