Blogs

Grade R, Grade 1, Grade 2
Which books are best?
With so many choices of children’s books available, do you wonder which ones would be most beneficial for your child? Here are a few simple guidelines to help you choose the best books for your child.
 
The whole point of giving children books to read and of reading to them is to ‘switch’ them on to reading. So, the most important thing to remember when selecting books for your child is that whatever your child wants to read, is the best thing for him or her to read. Do not worry about whether a book is at the ‘correct’ reading level or on a ‘suitable’ topic or ‘well-written’ – a ‘good’ book is any book your child wants to read! This really is the most important guideline of all!
 
The graded readers that children get at school as part of their reading lessons have been designed to keep-it-simple – especially the first books in a series. This means that they have a much less varied use of language and vocabulary than storybooks. Good graded readers are a useful tool for teaching your child to read but on their own they are not enough. To give your children a richer, more balanced reading experience, choose storybooks or interesting information books for the times when you read to your children.
 
Try to give your children as wide a selection of books as possible. Regular visits to bookshops and the library are a great way of exposing them to lots of books. Notice which books they seem interested in and buy or borrow these ones. Of course, you may also want to encourage your children to try something new by choosing a book they’ve never see before. This is good idea but always remember that you’re taking a risk – your child might hate the story!
 
And what if your child really doesn’t like books? Then try other forms of reading material like magazines, comics and stories that you download on a computer or kindle.
 
It’s simple: children learn to read by reading so whatever we give them to read or read to them needs to encourage them to read more!
Grade R, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3
Memory training games There is no such thing as a bad memory. Just like any other muscle, your brain must be exercise and developed every day. Keep it in training! It will get used to repeated exercises and needs new challenges every now and again to improve and stay at its best.
From an early age, I started ‘training’ my... Read the full article
Preschool, Grade R, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3
Getting ready for the first day of school Your child’s first day of school is a big step. However, there are plenty of practical things that you can do to prepare them for their big day. Practical tips Tell your child what you enjoyed about your school days and talk positively about starting school. Involve your child in choosing things... Read the full article
Grade R
Story sums
Story sums, problem solving sums and detective sums all refer to the same thing.  These sums are language based.  It is imperative that you start exploring, investigating and playing with these kinds of sums as early as possible.  Many children who find the written word a challenge, find story sums very tricky when... Read the full article
Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7
Understanding question words
It is important to look for the question words (the words that tell you what to do) to correctly understand what the examiner is asking. Once you have read the question once circle the question word and then underline any other important key words. The combination of the circled and underlined words will tell... Read the full article
Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7


So you’re ready. You’ve done your revision and practised thousands of exam questions. Now it’s time to face the exam paper. Here are some tips for surviving in the exam room:

Keep calm

Try not to panic – after all, you are well prepared! Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and count... Read the full article

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