SEN Home Learning

Help support your child during a school closure using these activities and strategies designed for children with a range of Special Educational Needs. Using these regularly will help SEND to stay on track with their learning despite school closures.

SEND weblinks for home learning

Cognition and learning

Reading

Continue to share books and encourage our child read on a regular basis and help them to select reading material which provides stretch and progression. Aim for about an hour of shared reading a week.

EYFS and KS1

A great way of achieving this is by setting aside at least 20 minutes a day and focusing on a book a week.
Day 1 – adult reads the book to the child
Day 2 – adult reads the book for a second time but pauses and allows the child to
jump in and read selected words
Day 3 – Adult and child share the reading either a page each or sentence each
depending on the book
Day 4 – Child reads the majority of the book to the adult but the adult jumps in for
new vocabulary, and tricky words.
Day 5 – the child should be able to read the book to the adult with minimal support.

When reading ask questions such as:

KS2 - shared reading

1. Introduce the story/book by discussing the title, cover, and author/illustrator.
2. Ask your child to make predictions regarding what they think the story might be about.
3. Read aloud to your child using appropriate inflection and tone. Pause and ask them to make
4. predictions.
5. Ask brief questions to determine their comprehension level.
6. Reserve time throughout for reactions and comments.
7. Ask questions about the story and relate the story to your child’s similar experiences. Ask your child
8. to retell the story in their own words.
9. Allow time for independent reading. To be discussed the next day.

The following websites provide suggestions for suitable reading books for all abilities and are updated regularly:

• schoolreadinglist.co.uk (for ages 5- 16 years)
• www.lovereading4kids.co.uk (for books ages 0 – Young Adult).

Spelling

Identify two or three words per week that your child would like to be able to spell; these may be subject specific or high frequency words. Ensure spelling is used in context and includes sentence work.

Multi-sensory ways of spelling:

• Look-say-cover-write-check
• Put the words into a sentence – orally or written
• Make and break the words with tactile letters – hide one of the letters to be guessed
• Playing with letters within the word – replacing one of the letters within a word to make new words

Spell new words orally using letter names

Play games like 'My first Bananagrams' and 'Junior Scrabble' to encourage word play.

For irregular words, use strategies such as mnemonics, colour coding any difficult parts or visualisation.

Remember everyone learns by;
Doing it; seeing it; saying it; writing or drawing it; and listening to it so making sure
you have variety of games and tasks is a great way to ensure the learning sticks!

Here are some games or ideas you could use.

Why not try a different one each day to keep it fun and interesting?

1. Word Search - Create your child’s own word searches using the week’s spelling words. Or use this link to get your computer to do it for you. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/free-puzzlemaker/
2. Code Words – Encourage your child to come up with a code for each letter of the alphabet. Write down the code. Then your child can write the spelling words in code. They must write the actual spelling word next to the “code word.”
3. Air spelling: - Choose a spelling word. Encourage your child to write the word in the air slowly with an index finger, saying each letter. Remind your child that you need to be able to 'see' the letters they have written in the air. When they have finished writing the word, tell them to underline it and say the word again.  Now ask questions about the word. For example you could ask them:
   'What is the first letter?'
   'What is the last letter?' 'How many letters are there?' and so on.
4. Media Search: - Using an old newspaper or magazine give your child 15 minutes to look for their spelling words. Circle them in different coloured crayon. Ask them which words were used the most times?
5. Shaving Cream Practice: - An easy way to clean those dirty tables is to finger paint on them with shaving cream. Squirt some on the table (with your supervision!) and then ask your child to practise spelling their words by writing them with a finger in the shaving cream.
6. Salt Box Spelling: - Pour salt into a shallow box or tray (about 3cm deep) and then ask your child to practise writing their spellings in it with a finger.
7. Scrabble Spelling: - Get your child to find the letters they need to spell their words and then mix them up in the bag. Time your child unscrambling their letters to respell the words. For extra maths practice, they could find out the value of each of their words.
8. Pyramid Power: - Encourage your child to sort their words into a list from easiest to hardest. Write the easiest word near the centre at the top of the page. Write the next easiest word twice underneath. Write the third word three times underneath and keep going until they have built their pyramid. E.g.
   The
   you you
   then then the

Maths

Give a few minutes a day to practise and reinforce basic skills – simple addition, subtraction, telling the time, number bonds for or number 0 -20 and multiplication tables, etc

1. Play games like Sudoku to develop reasoning skills.
2. Support your child to develop their spatial awareness and understanding of how shapes interconnect with jigsaws and construction toys, building models from ‘Lego’ or other construction materials.
3. Puzzle books and puzzle pages in magazines have lots of activities to support visual thinking and reasoning skills, such as Spot the Difference activities.
4. As a family enjoy games and activities that will further develop visual thinking and reasoning skills:
   Strategy games, e.g. Mancala, Battleships, Chess etc.
5. Jigsaws.

Only got 5 Minutes

1. Simon Says, “Geometry!” Ramp up this traditional game by having your child illustrate  shapes, mathematical symbols or for KS2 the following geometric terms: parallel and perpendicular lines; acute, right, and obtuse angles; and 0-, 90-, and 180-degree angles. 
2. Round the Block Provide a ball and a mathematical challenge (counting by twos, naming shapes that have right angles, etc) that requires a list of responses, such as pass the ball between you as quickly as they can
3. Bouncing Sums Cover a beach ball with numbers or calculations (use a permanent marker or sticky labels). Throw the ball and have them call out the number or answer for the calculation for their right thumb touches...

Even 10 minutes of fun mathematical games can jump-start learning.

1. Hopscotch Maths Set up a hopscotch grid with a calculator layout. With KS2, you can include the negative integer sign. Children first hop on one number, then an operation, another number, the equal sign, and finally the answer.
2.  Sweet Maths Model this activity with one package of Skittles or M&Ms and a document camera.. KS1 children can graph the contents of their packages by colour. Then ask questions such as how many more… etc.
3. Weighing In Line up a variety of fruits and veggies, such as oranges, bananas, cucumbers, kiwis, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Ask your child to predict the order of the foods from lightest to heaviest. Use a scale to test their predictions, then rearrange the foods according to their actual weights.
4. String ’Em Up Which is greater — arm span or height? Estimate the ratio of the length of an arm or leg to body height, then measure to check the accuracy of the estimate

Building Skills to Improve Focus and co-ordination

The ability to focus attention on something or someone is important for all types of learning. Attention span formulas range from their chronological age +1 to 2-5 minutes of attention per each year of their chronological age. Getting children to concentrate while away from school can be challenging.

These short daily activity helps your child to learn how focus on a task, learn to give and take, encourage turn-taking and sharing, discuss emotions and improve strength and co-ordination.  Everyday sharing games are important during everyday routines, particularly if there are brothers and sisters.

1. Throw balls and bean bags to each other
2. Send wind up toys back and forth or roll cars towards each other
3. Take turns to roll a ball to knock down skittles
4. Take turns to add a brick to make a tower
5. Taking turns to stir the cake mix
6. Taking turns to water the garden with a small watering can
7. Cut out pictures of people from magazines or newspapers. Now put the pictures in a bag. Each person takes turns to take a picture from the bag. Look closely at people's faces and discuss how they may be feeling and why they might feel that way. e.g. sad. Also look closely at their body language. Discuss what clues tell you the person is sad etc.
8. Watch a clip from a comedy programme. Focus on one of the emotions being expressed and brainstorm how you know what the character is feeling.
9.  Watch DVDs and turn the sound down. Freeze-frame and talk about how people are feeling and how we can work out they feel that way.
10. Grip thumbs around each other into a loop and pull them in the opposite direction.
11. Place palms together and push hands together as if you were praying.
12. Place hands under legs while sitting down, and lift yourself up.
13. Tear strips of paper and then roll up a strip, gathering the strip towards you, first with one hand and then the other.
14. Pick up raisins with your finger and thumb. Use both hands simultaneously or alternate hands.
15. Pass a pencil along your fingers, starting with your thumb. Roll it over and under and back again.
16. Squeeze a soft ball, like a stress ball.
17. Rolling, threading and cutting all isolate finger movements and will help to strengthen fingers and improve hand function.

We are also providing access to the Twinkl SEND School Closure Home Learning Resource Pack. This pack is suitable for any adult to deliver to students with a range of individualised needs. Many activities will require simple input from an adult. No adult delivering this content to their child is required to have any teaching expertise or subject knowledge.