Clara James Tutoring
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5 ways to use noughts & crosses to support your child's education
Who would have thought that with some very small amendments noughts and crosses could be made into an educational (but still fun!) Game?
Do you find helping your child to revise or learn new things can be hard work? You want to make it fun for them but you’re not too sure how?
I want to show your how you can support your child with learning their:
times tables,
forming letters or numbers correctly
extending their vocabulary,
learning definitions,
spellings,
translating
through this one simple game.
The basic principle of how you play this game will remain the same throughout.
Draw a grid consisting of 2 horizontal lines which are crossed by 2 vertical lines:
The game is meant for 2 players.
One of you will be a nought; the other player will be a cross.
Take it in turns to draw your nought or cross in the square with the intention of being the first to get a line of 3 either: diagonally, vertically or horizontally.
The first person to achieve this wins.
Times tables
In this version of the game you need to decide which times table you are multiplying by before you start.
You now play the game as you would in the traditional method, however, before you can claim your square you need to multiply the number in it by your chosen times table.
For example supposing we have chosen to multiply by 8.
If I wanted to go in the top left hand space and there was a number 11 written in it, I would have to work out the answer to 11 x 8 before I can write my cross in the gap.
Although I’ve suggested using times tables here, you could insert any sum into the square to be solved. I’ve put anything from making simple number bonds to 10, 20 or 100 to placing a simultaneous equation that needs solving in the square.
Alternatively, you could put in fractions that need converting to decimals. Maybe, put angles that need to be measured.
Adapt the game so that it is at a suitable level for your child or the child that you are working with.
Never make it too hard, a challenge is good but if it is too much of a challenge the child will lose heart and no longer want to participate.
Traditionally the purpose of the game has always been to use noughts and crosses to complete the square and achieve the line of three. However, this would be a good opportunity for children to practice writing digits that they struggle with.
Hand writing
Many children get their b’s and d’s the wrong way around p’s and q’s are other letters that children find tricky to grasp or 5’s and S’s. Though these are the most common there are no doubt other letters which cause children issues.
So, when you play the game, instead of using a nought or cross use these letters which are causing difficulties instead?
Be subtle about it. I might start with an “S” because that’s the first letter in our dog’s name. Perhaps you could start with a d because that’s the first letter of dog.
Then, in the next game I could perhaps do a “d” because we have a dog and you did d last time. You could do “b” because your favourite colour is blue…
This will provide the necessary repetition needed to learn but in a less monotonous and more discrete way than endless worksheets and writing line after line of the letter.
Descriptive language
Before you start put a letter in each square of the grid. Like you did for the times tables version, but this time use letters instead.
Now pick a theme. It can be anything ranging from countries, food, animals or something that your child is learning about at school. An example might be the personality traits of a character in a book they are reading as a class.
This time before you claim your square you need to think of a relevant word starting with that specific letter; for example if our theme was countries and the letters to choose from included an E, I would probably choose England as my country.
I could now put my nought or cross in the square containing an “E”.
If your child needs to think more creatively with their descriptive language, you could find a picture of something/someone and before claiming your square you would need to think of a work to describe the picture.
Put letters in there as a starting letter if you wished to make it more complicated or you could be allowed to place your word in any square.
IS THERE A SHORT LIST OF FACTS YOUR CHILD NEEDS TO LEARN?
Names of shapes.
Dates in history.
Scientific terms.
Terminology used in a specific subject.
Place one of the terms in each square.
This time before you are allowed to claim your square you have to give a definition to the meaning of the word located in that particular place.
As always the first person to get a line of 3 wins.
If your child brings home spellings each week to learn this can be an additional method for learning them.
This version of the game will be more appropriate as the child starts to become familiar with the words in the list.
For this version of the game a word from the spelling list needs to be written in the square before it can be claimed, if the child is struggling offer guidance but try not to do it for them.
Alternatively, if you child is still learning their phonics blends you could put one in each square and ask the child to think of a word containing that letter or blend.
THIS VERSION COULD BE DONE IN TWO WAYS:
Write a word in each square which needs to be translated into the appropriate language before the square can be claimed
Maybe, you could have a picture in the square. You would need to name what this item is (in the appropriate language) before being able to claim the square.
I hope from here you can see how one simple game can be so easily adapted to help with so many areas of learning.
I am a firm believer that if you are enjoying yourself you are inevitably more relaxed. If you are relaxed, you are more susceptible to taking in new information.
The point of noughts and crosses is that it’s a game and games are supposed to be fun. Please remember this as it will help the child’s confidence and enthusiasm to participate.
In this respect I think we’re all the same: if we’re enjoying ourselves, we will show more enthusiasm and a greater willingness to get involved and learn.
Our goal at Clara James Tutoring is to make learning fun and accessible to everyone. If children are engaged in what they are doing they are more likely to want to participate, if they are enjoying it, they are more likely to relax and retain the information.
If they are retaining the information it will help boost their knowledge and with knowledge comes confidence.
If you have a child who enjoys learning through games and being more creative, and you enjoy spending time with them, you might be interested in the Clara James Approach, the membership group we have put together to support you in supporting your primary school aged child with their maths and English.
Interested?
Click here to learn more: The Clara James Approach
Happy New Year - Jan 2024
Happy new year!
I hope you’ve had a brilliant break over Christmas.
I know some people have been on holiday, others have been enjoying family time at home. Either way, I hope it was fantastic.
Someone sent me a Christmas present just before the bog day, but I have no idea who it was from, so I can’t say thank you. I feel really guilty as it seems like bad manners, but it was just in a box from M&S with no message attached.
This year, I have committed to send out the notification when the monthly membership bundle goes live, but I am also going to send out an (initially) fortnightly newsletter with suggestions for revision / secondary school Math / English, then in the alternate week a newsletter with suggestions for the primary subjects.
If either of them isn’t relevant, please either let me know and I will ensure you just get the primary or secondary newsletter if you want it, or just click unsubscribe (but then you also won’t receive the email about when the bundle goes live).
My goal is to keep you more in the loop as to what is happening. For example, we occasionally put free courses on Udemy – we’ve just done one on angles – here’s the link if wanted. It was created to promote the topic book we have also created; we’ve also got revision planners for students that might be suitable for some GCSE parents.
At Christmas we also had some free times-tables colouring sheets which you may not have been aware of, so like I say, it may not be of interest to you, but if it is, at least you’ll be aware of it. I have 3 revision planners and 3 angles topic books to give away if you’re interested. Let me know and I’ll happily pop one in the post for you (or give it to you if I’m likely to see you…).
If you do have one, if you could give it feedback on Amazon (I’ll send you the link) that would be hugely appreciated.
Happy new year for now and warm wishes,
Dawn
Times Tables - Jan 24
Hi,
Last week I sent out an email saying I was going to try and commit to sending out an email at the beginning of each week on ideas to support primary school children, then later in the week about supporting secondary school children.
As a result, I was asked if I could also send out some ideas to support the 11+.
(Again, if this doesn’t concern you let me know and I’ll try to ensure that you don’t receive them).
I’ll send the 11+ emails on an alternate Wednesday as I normally have Alfie, my grandson on a Tuesday and the odds of getting much done with a lively 2-year-old for company…
There will be some cross over between primary school and secondary school subjects, but at any stage there is something you specifically want me to help with, please do shout.
So, back on subject, sorry…
Times tables have always been one of the key subjects that I work on with, specifically primary aged children, but also secondary school children, and often the parents say they’re awful at them as well…
I don’t suggest learning them in chronological order.
If you do, you’ll hit some of the much harder ones before you get to some of the easier ones.
Instead, what I suggest (and you’ve probably heard me say this before) is that you start with the 10’s, 11’s, 2’s and 5’s as they do in school.
Then deviate across to the 9’s as there are so many tricks to help you to learn them.
Then the 6’s or 7’s. Crazy I know! But they are quite simple if you split them so that 6x8 becomes: 5x8 + 1x8 = 50+8 Or 7x8 becomes 5x8 + 2x8 = 40 +16 = 56.
From there you can pretty much work in any order.
The 12’s is also straight forward as we can split it into 10x + 2x which would give us the same answer as 12x.
There are more suggestions on the times tables over in the Clara James Approach, or I have a sequence of emails which sends out once a month with suggestions on how to learn each of the times tables with some resources. If it would help, the link is here: Support your child with their times tables - The fun way! (sendfox.com)
I hope that’s helpful and not just waffle.
Like I say if there is anything specific you would like us to focus on, please do give me a shout.
Have a great week and warm wishes,
Dawn
Hand Writing Support
Hi,
I hope you had a good weekend.
Something I am often asked about is supporting hand-writing skills.
At a young age this may relate to the hand muscles in the hands not yet being fully developed and I have a few suggestions that may help.
As the child gets older, you may want to find the support of an occupational therapist to provide some suggestions.
1. Start big: I guess it’s a bit like parking a car. When you are first asked to park a car, you wouldn’t want to park in a narrow gap, you’d hopefully save that until you were more confident, more skilled. Handwriting practice is the same, using a big piece of paper is far better than trying to squeeze your imperfect shapes between two narrow lines. Even better, (if the weather is more forgiving) start by using water to paint on the side of the house, a patio or footpath). Use large movements and as these improve start to shrink it down to what is expected inside a school exercise book.
2. Jenga: I love this game and we’ve adapted it by writing numbers of the bricks so that we can practice number bonds or the times tables, we’ve also got grammatical terms on others so that we can also practice those. But the skill and care needed to remove the brick from the tower without it all tumbling is a great way to practice the fine motor skills which will in turn support handwriting.
3. Colouring is another suggestion: keeping the colouring inside the lines is another skill that requires practice and patience. Again, the strokes used in colouring can further aid the shapes created when writing letters.
4. Sewing again requires the use of the fine motor skills needed for neat handwriting. You may just do a normal running stitch on a square of fabric, or you may decide to make something or use a more elaborate stitch. Either way I hope this helps.
5. Playdough and clay are other great early interventions to building up the muscles in the hands. The stronger and more developed the muscles are the more precise we can be with our writing.
To be honest, anything that needs to be precise will help. Many crafts and building activities help.
For some people, messy handwriting is always an issue.
There are a couple of members of my family whose handwriting I always struggle to read, yet they are so intelligent. It doesn't seem to add up. But my daughter says, if she doesn’t write quickly, she can’t remember everything her brain is throwing at her. Her brain works at such a speed.
I used to tutor a girl a couple of years back. I hadn’t realized her mum was an invigilator for the A’ levels at the school my youngest went to.
Not long after Hay sat her history the mum asked me if my daughter was doing her exams now.
Yes.
Does she do History?
Yes. Is she called Angel?
Yes.
She said, I thought it must be your daughter.
I have never seen anyone writing so quickly. I expected sparks to come off that page!
There are many reasons why people have scruffy handwriting, sometimes it needs to be investigated and like I say, if you are worried about it, it might be worth while trying to get in touch with an occupational therapist.
Sometimes, practicing using the suggestions above will help. Sometimes, like with Hay, it’s just one of those things that make them, them.
I hope this has helped a bit.
Have a great week and warm wishes,
Dawn