Preparing through Play - the Key Stage 1 SATs

Preparing through Play - the Key Stage 1 SATs

by Susannah, 24 Apr 2018

Whether we agree with them or not, the Key Stage 1 SATs are nearly here. How can you help your little one to prepare through play?


Children learn through play!  

There are many practical steps parents are able to take to ensure that their children can approach the SATs feeling prepared and ready.  Here are my suggestions for the maths test:
  • Give them a big cuddle and tell them that you will love them no matter how they do in the tests!
 
  • Play shops together.  Gather some toys and price them up.  Having a variety of coins to practise adding them together and giving change is always a good idea.  Take turns to be the shop-keeper.  
 
  • Cook together.  Practise weighing and measuring liquids.  
 
  • Play with bead necklaces.  Try creating repeating patterns of different types or colours of bead.  If you have 20 beads on a string you can use them to explore number bonds (which two numbers add together to make 20 for example: 16+4) by moving the beads around.
 
  • Have some fun with dice.  A 12-sided dice is a good investment.  Have your little one roll the dice and mulitply the number by 2 or 5 or 10.  Roll two die and add their totals together or subtract the higher number from the lower number.

Have fun together!