2026-11-06T20:26:00+00:00

Note: This article was originally written for use during the Covid lockdowns.

As parents, we sometimes struggle to keep our children entertained in normal circumstances. During the current situation, it can be even more challenging thinking of ways to keep them amused and having to manage this together with school and work commitments can be difficult.

So here are a few suggestions to keep your children both entertained and learning – while having a bit of fun!

Write a postcard to a friend or relative about something they have done, read, watched or baked.

Play a board game like ‘Guess Who’ or ‘Connect 4’ which can support logical and reasoning skills. On a wet day, dust off the Monopoly and see who gets Park Lane!

Keep a diary or get creative using a scrapbook; record events, write, draw and collect items that can be glued in such as pictures from magazines, photos or wrappers.

Take a virtual tour of a gallery, museum or zoo. From the Museum of Modern Art in New York to our very own Natural History Museum there are some great virtual tours for children.

Save up your cardboard and build a play town, farm or shopping centre.

Get creative through painting, drawing, photography, crafting, knitting, sewing, cooking or baking. Expression through creativity can really help with wellbeing.

Make the most of the great outdoors – it’s free! Combine your daily exercise with a mini beast hunt identifying insects or set up a treasure hunt (while safely social distancing).

Do some modelling – not the cat-walk kind; use clay, plastercine/playdough or even cake icing paste to make models of all kinds of items and people, from cars to the dog or granny.

Plant some seeds – beans, lettuce – even try an apple pip. See how they grow – you might have something tasty to eat later in the year.

Play bingo – you could use numbers or you could use items, colours, letters or names.

Make a family tree – talk to your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and make a chart of how they are related. You could add dates of birth, pictures etc. Find out about your grandparents’ parents too, if you can.

At the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, we specialise in providing expert support to dyslexic children and their families. We offer 1:1 personalised tuition sessions tailored to your child’s needs. This can include anything from basic literacy skills and improving general organisation to revision techniques. To find out more email enquiries@helenarkell.org.uk.

Tips for testing in the classroom by Bernadette McLean

Pearson Clinical Assessment has published the following article written by Bernadette McLean on their website:

Tips for Testing in the Classroom

by Bernadette McLean – former Principal of Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre

More and more teachers and teaching assistants are being required to use testing in the classroom. This can be a daunting task if they have not had training or previous experience. Standardised test manuals can be scary and the language unfamiliar particularly with regard to scoring and administration.

Tests are very useful for measuring progress and providing you with feedback on the success of teaching.

The following are some tips on assessing and a guide to potential pitfalls.

Consider carefully the need and reasons for testing, and whether the proposed test serves the need. Ensure that the test actually tests what it claims to. A test that gives you a reading age is a reading age for that kind of reading e.g. single word/ sentence /passage and should not be compared over time with another kind of reading test. Test only if necessary and if the appropriate test is available.
When possible arrange optimum conditions of time and place.
Study and practise test instructions. You should be familiar with the test manual and you should have checked the instructions, timing, when the test should end, how the responses are recorded. Double-check necessary materials, such as stopwatch, paper, score sheets, etc. Even if you have administered a test many times, it’s a good idea to read the manual regularly, so not to forget particular points of administration. This is very important if you are using tests scores as they have been worked out on numbers of pupils all using the exact instructions in the manual.
Put your learner/s at ease and encourage best efforts. Explain what the test requires, if appropriate. Explain in advance that you may not be able to help or indicate if answers are right or wrong. You may wish to offer to discuss performance at the end of testing.
Follow instructions exactly, maintaining an impartial attitude. Encourage but do not over praise; respond similarly to correct and incorrect answers. Do not coach or give non-verbal cues such as looking at the correct answer.
Keep as full a record of responses as practicable if you are testing children individually (how the child arrived at his answer, if he was slow, any comments made, and any self-corrections).
Double-check the scoring; check that raw scores are correctly converted into standard scores. Make sure the child’s/children’s name/s and date are on all of the test material for future reference.
Consider the results critically and remember that any score simply tells you the minimum that your pupil/s could achieve, on one particular day.
Do not repeat the test too soon. Check the manual for information.

See our CPD and Specialist Assessor Training Courses here.

Making home learning fun

Tips for testing in the classroom by Bernadette McLean

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