As you will know, Key Stage 1 is a phase of primary education for pupils aged 5 to 7.
These years provide children with a very important foundation that will form the basis of the rest of their educational journeys, so it's really important that kids aren't missing out on the vital learning topics due to coronavirus.
Homeschooling will have undoubtedly been tough for many parents, but we're sure that many of you will have been extremely thankful for the wide array of online resources available for kids. Whilst some parents may have been lucky enough to receive homework from the kids' schools, others may be left searching online for their own ideas. So, if you're looking for some great home learning activities and lessons for primary children, you'll love these free to use resources that we've put together.
Resources with all subjects
1) Let's start with everyone's favourite: BBC Bitesize. They've got so many resources especially for homeschooling that have been created with teachers and other educational experts and feature a mix of videos, animations, practice activities, quizzes and games. They've got Maths and English for every year group, as well as regular lessons in Science, History, Geography and the list goes on! What's more, they update their content every weekday with brand new lessons, so you're unlucky to be running out any time soon.
2) Twinkl also offers KS1 (and KS2) School Closure Home Learning resource packs for students in Year 1 and Year 2 to help with distance learning. They host interactive PDFs that are perfect for sharing with parents during school closures via your school's website, Google Classroom or Seesaw. They also reassure parents that the lessons do not require parents to have a breadth of curricular knowledge - as the packs simply cover content from previous lessons that children will already have some understanding of. This may be reassuring for some parents who are feeling overwhelmed. Our favourite thing about this website is that it has so many free printables to print and use at home.
3) @school is an easy to use and child friendly website organised around the UK National Curriculum for primary education at home. The website is designed for kids to navigate themselves, hence the colourful theme. @school provides online tests, interactive exercises, worksheets, pictures and much more - so whatever your kids are looking for, they're bound to have it.
1) TopMarks has a number of maths games for free on their website that kids can play. They all have really fun themes them which make them seem a lot less maths-like (this will be ideal for some kids). With a wide range of about 15 games per curriculum topic, there is plenty for kids to be getting on with on their own. The games also don't require flash player.
2) The School Run will have your child learning about maths in a practical hands-on way, using everyday objects to solve problems and do simple calculations. This is often hard to do at home without the help of their amazing teachers, as most of us won't have enjoyed maths at school. They offer so many worksheets, activities and games and help your child develop the methods they need for solving problems. Although this website is not free, it does offer a free trial - so that you can try before you buy.
3) Education Quizzes claims to make Mathematics fun with their online quizzes for year 1 and year 2 children. Their content is fun and engaging and will give the kids a sense of achievement after having completed a quiz. It will also let you know what their strong and weak points are in the curriculum, to help you to decide what to do more work on!
1) Teach it Primary have a really pretty and user-friendly website that would definitely appeal to mums. The layout is easy to manoeuvre and the theme is really inviting. You will find teaching resources, activities and games for your early years or key stage 1 children. They offer worksheets, templates and ideas that are designed for reception, year 1 and year 2 children - with lessons efficiently organised into subject area.
2) Hamilton English was originally made to support primary school teachers for teaching in schools, however, they have now created free, downloadable English materials in their Learning at Home packs. Hamilton's resources cover all aspects of English within the context of a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry genres.
3) Penguin Random House, the world’s leading trade publisher, also offer English lessons for primary school kids. They have lots of resources with some great illustrations to make learning interesting and enjoyable. You can trust this world-famous brand to deliver what you need via their online teaching platform called Puffin Schools.
1) Geographical Association provides all the information that your kids will need to develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They are free to use and feature a character called Barnaby Bear. Using this character, who often appears in unfamiliar places and environments, they help children to relate to the new places. Seeing Barnaby during home learning and then seeing pictures of his adventures in faraway places helps children bridge the gap between the immediate, familiar environment and abstract, unfamiliar environments.
2) PlanBee Complete usually provides schemes of work and individual lesson plan packs, designed to help teachers deliver engaging and varied Geography learning for children in Key Stage 1. However, during the lockdown and closure of schools, they have also provided home learning packs that are accessible for parents. Covering a wide range of topics from the curriculum, every pack includes slides with fascinating facts and geographical vocabulary, a choice of differentiated activities and a range of resources such as worksheets, games, fact files, maps, question cards and diagrams.
1) If you're looking for some history home learning ideas but the kids are bored of working on the computer - why not try creating some VE Day crafts? Our blog shows 11 ways that you can commemorate the soldiers who fought in the war, and it is a great opportunity to teach them about it in a setting that they're more familiar with - craft!
2) Keystage History is where you will find masses of advice on how to make KS1 history home learning fun and how to help your kids to take their first steps into the fascinating world that is the past. Another resource that is normally made for teachers, it's a great place for parents to get advice, as well as finding printables and lesson plans!
1) This is a really important subject for kids to not miss out on! Whilst you may have been focusing on trying to fill their little heads with knowledge, remember that they will also need to learn about exercise and how important it is. This is when YouTube is a good idea! You can watch so many workouts and copy them from your computer or TV and there are so many of them that are free to use and made for kids across KS1 and KS2.
Top tip: if your kids enjoy working with a PE teacher on-screen using YouTube, try finding other lessons on the platform too. This is also a great idea if you're feeling like you need five minutes of peace!