Literacy and Numeracy Week – activities for home Primary literacy Read together Time to write Retelling a story in order is an important skill. Ask, ‘What was your favourite part of the story?’, ‘Who was your favourite character? Why?’ or Can you retell the story including a beginning middle and end?’ ‘or something similar. Encourage your child to write shopping lists, restaurant menus, birthday cards, thank you notes and instructions for making or doing everyday things. Storytelling Find interesting pictures and ask your child to create a story based on what they see. This can spark their imagination and storytelling skills. Magazines or objects Have your child search for pictures or objects that begin with a certain sound, are a particular colour or based on a theme. Rhyme time Play games where you say a word and your child has to come up with a word that rhymes with it. This can be done anywhere, like during a car ride or while waiting in line. I spy Play word games. For example, ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with the sound /f/. What do you think I’m looking at that starts with the letter F?’ education.nsw.gov.au Draw and talk Encourage your child to write or draw about their day. This helps them practice writing regularly and reflect on their experiences. Draw pictures of favourite characters and describe them. Draw animals and label features. Draw the beginning middle and end of favourite books and movies and retell the story. Tongue twisters See how fast your child can say a tongue twister without making a mistake. This can be a fun and engaging way to practice speaking clearly. Visit the library Libraries are fantastic resources for fostering a love of reading and learning. Other ideas Practise letter writing with chalk on the pavement, playdough or sand trays
Primary numeracy Select the links or scan the QR code to learn more about these primary numeracy activities. Baking brownies Discuss volume and capacity when baking brownies. Battleship Battleship relies heavily on position and strategic thinking. Car cricket Play Car cricket when you are out and about. Lunchbox packing Get your child involved in lunchbox packing using this as an opportunity to explore mass. Mind reading magic Learn mind reading magic tricks with your child can and amaze family and friends. Navigate with a map Encourage your child to navigate with a map. Give them a map of a place you are visiting and have them suggest the route you take. Car trip playlist Let the kids take control of the car trip playlist but under the condition their playlist lasts the length of the journey. Paper planes Make paper planes and throw to see which ones fly the furthest and have the longest flight length. I-spy with 3D objects Play I-spy with 3D objects where everyone looks around for different 3D objects. Sandwich fractions Sandwich fractions is a great way to learn about fractions from an early age. Cut sandwiches in different ways to help your child explore halves. Is it really a bargain? Make the ‘Is it really a bargain?’ activity part of your visit to the shops. Shopping bags After shopping, investigate mass by determining which of the shopping bags is the lightest. © NSW Department of Education, Aug-24
Secondary literacy Capture a picture Reading challenge Encourage your teenager to take a picture that reminds them of something to do with literacy and write a caption. Set up a reading challenge with specific goals, such as reading a certain number of books in a month or exploring different genres. Analyse song lyrics Family reading time Talk about your teenager’s favourite song and the meaning of the lyrics. Set aside time for family reading sessions where everyone reads their own book or takes turns reading aloud. Encourage your teenager to tell you about the book they are reading, give it a review or star ratings. Journaling Encourage your teenager to keep a journal where they can write about their daily experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Book club Encourage your teenager to join or start a book club with friends. They can choose a book to read together and then discuss it, sharing their thoughts and insights. Creative writing prompts Provide creative writing prompts to inspire and ignite your teenager’s imagination to write stories, poems, or essays. © NSW Department of Education, Aug-24 Graphic novels and comics Reading graphic novels and comics can be a great way to engage reluctant readers. If your teenager like to draw, encourage them to create additional pages for the comic or change the ending. Podcast creation Have your teenager create their own podcast. They can write scripts, record episodes, and edit their content.
Secondary numeracy Select the links or scan the QR code to learn more about these secondary numeracy activities. Budgeting Go for a bushwalk As your teenager learns to be more independent, talk about budgeting. Explain how you budget and if they have a job, look at their expenses compared to what they earn. Go for a bushwalk at a national park and work together to plan your path by applying knowledge of position. Buying a car If your teenager is interested in learning to drive, have them investigate costs associated with owning and buying a car such as insurance, registration, petrol, servicing and loan repayments. Reorganise your bedroom For teenagers interested in updating the look of their room the reorganise your bedroom activity uses measurement to work out what fits where. Sports tactics Camera angles If your teenager is interested in film, photography or selfies, the camera angles activity has tips on how to use angles and ratios to get a better shot. Sports tactics rely heavily on position. No matter what the sport, the position of the players makes a big difference to the outcome. Tracking your activity Chef for the night The chef for the night activity encourages your teenager to take charge of the next family meal and use their measuring skills. Use tracking your activity to find out what data from a smartphone’s fitness tracker tells you. Travel challenge Use the travel challenge to help teenagers apply their mathematical skills and understanding. © NSW Department of Education, Aug-24
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