Junior Infant Parent Junior Infant Parent Information MeetingInformation Meeting

20112011

Junior Infant Parent Junior Infant Parent Information MeetingInformation Meeting

20112011

How to help your childHow to help your child

Outline • Developing Independence

• The Literacy Experience

• Promoting Early Mathematical Skills

Developing Independence

At school we encourage the children to develop their independence further:

•Jobs•Regular routines •Discussion of problems and helping

each other

As a parent, you can help by • Full school uniform, Tracksuit on P.E.

Days

• letting your child hang up coat/put homework folders in the box himself/herself.

• encouraging your child to take out the morning activities, prepare their own work area.

• teaching your child to zip up his coat, tie scarf …

At home • Let your child take out and

prepare homework, check that the folder is ready to take to school.

• Give small jobs (responsibilities) at home

Morning Activities • This is not only play.

• This encourages fine motor skills, independence, co-operation, conversation, friendship, reinforcement of activities.

Motor Skills• Gross motor skills• Fine motor skills• Developmental milestones• Daily activities: feeding, dressing,

tying laces/buttons, using scissors, drawing, constructing models, making jigsaws.

Fine Motor Skills• The development of writing• Posture• Use of writing tools ie crayons,

markers, chalk, chubby pencils and materials

• Pencil grip• Patterns, Mazes, letter formation

Literacy

– Alphabet sounds– Sound books– Beginning cvc words and reading

sheets

What to do at home • Go through sound books and word

lists

• Link to everyday life: what sound does this begin?

• Emphasise the sound not the names of the letters

Language Development

• Sounds Abound • Nursery Rhymes

• Using story

Reinforcement at home

• Encourage speech rather than gestures

• Encourage the children to use language to namedescribeexplain how to do/make /why retell storiesask questions predict what could happen

• Link everyday words that rhyme

January

Letter Formation

• One letter per week, carry on with sounds

• Homework sheet• Use small case – writing name

Reading Books • Reading scheme – Reading Zone• Parallel readers – same level• Word recognition (automatic)• Word identification – using phonics

or other reading cues• Children will progress at their own

rate• Children need a lot of support

Shared Reading• Large books • Reading for meaning and

enjoyment• Reading process is modelled• Concepts of print• Shared reading at home –

parent’s page / child’s page Bedtime reading

Word Folders • Matching cards – match by sight

• Bingo games

• Using the initial sounds to identify a word

Homework This adds to your child’s classroom experiences.

It is important that children have quiet area, the necessary writing implements and time( froggy grip)

Homework• Encourage correct handling of writing

implements• Encourage discussion about what they

are doing• Encourage correct handling of books• Praise their efforts

Junior Infant Maths

Build on the child’s pre-school

experience. It lays the foundations for future maths development.

Junior Infant Maths Early Mathematical Activities• Classifying• Matching• Comparing• Ordering• Working on sets of objects (0-5)• array

Junior Infant MathsMathematical Concepts

– Number (concept and formation of the symbol) *number formation

– size– shape– space– data

Maths

It is essential that children see mathematics as relevant to their own lives.

Maths language is needed for everyday lives,(first, last, taller than, same as )

What can you do?

Find ways of linking maths intoeveryday situations

Counting There are many opportunities for your child to count everyday:

the number of cars they see on the way to school,

Two cups on the table! How many more do I need if 5 people are having tea?

Sorting colour: red objects in the toy

box

texture: rough / smooth/ hard/ soft

Function: cutlery tray (sorting knives forks and spoons)

Sorting and matching household objects

size: big plates / small plates shape: round objects in the

kitchen

LanguageUse the language with your child that will help them understand concepts of:more/ less, the same as,

longer than / shorter than

Any questions ?

Thank you.