With a view to helping parents prepare children for the big move to school life, LEGO® recently held a DUPLO® Play Workshop in conjunction with Playcentre. Dr Sarah Alexander, Chief Executive of Child Forum, has shared her tips from the workshop for

Handwriting: The letter a Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need: computer with internet access printer

Tricked out maths Have fun this April Fools' Day with a maths code puzzle that will result in a funny answer to a joke. Before long, you'll not only have practised your maths, but be laughing together at

Learning the ABC: The letter J Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Want FREE printable autumn fun for kids? We have it with this a-maze-ing autumn maze! They'll enjoy getting to the end of this puzzle and decorating the page when they're done too. What you need: computer with internet access printer paper

Dot to dots have long been an activity where kids would learn their counting the fun way. Guess what? Nothing has changed. Our dot to dot activities are created to suit specific ages and include great colouring activities when the

Unscrambling words will certainly keep the older kids entertained. This winter-themed word game is a great puzzler and solving it will not only be a challenge but give them bragging rights when they're first among their friends to finish! What you

This free print word find is for 7-8 year olds who have a good grasp on spelling. Sure, learning words can sometimes be difficult but pop them in a fun word find and you'll have the kids' brains ticking away

This free print word find is for 7-8 year olds who have a basic grasp on spelling. Sure, learning words can sometimes be difficult but pop them in a fun word find and you'll have the kids' brains ticking away

Learning to tie shoe laces is a rite of passage, but lacing your shoes can also be a fun kids activity. There are so many ways to lace your shoes - start with this standard criss-cross style. What you need: 1

Kids will love learning about collective nouns. Not only does it teach them about collective nouns in a fun way but they'll be fascinated by the story of how it came about. This one is an army of ants. What you

Make a paper plane that can actually fly with these easy instructions. This mighty mite paper plane design is compact and strong. A simple paper craft for kids that will then lead to another fun activity for kids: flying a

Sometimes there is just nothing out there to challenge the older kids. These level 3 dot-to-dots are just the thing. Make these kids smile by not only creating their very own pieces of art, but doing some challenging number following

All kids love a good dot-to-dot and these printables are the perfect kids activity. A slightly more challenging set up, these level 2 dot-to-dots are recommended for kids aged 5-7 years old. What you need: a printer markers pencils crayons Dot-to-dot activity: Doing

Kids love creating their own images to print and there are few better ways than tracing a dot-to-dot. Discover your image by following your numbers and colour in your own master piece. These level 1 dot-to-dots are best suited for

Unscrambling words will certainly keep the older kids entertained. This autumn-themed word game is a great puzzler and solving it will not only be a challenge but give them bragging rights when they're first among their friends to finish! What you

Olympic fun at home: 8 ideas Activity: Has Olympic fever reached your house yet? Get your little athletes excited about everything Olympics by hosting a 'friendly games' at home with these eight fun Olympic-themed activities and crafts. Make your own Olympic Torch You can’t have

Kids will enjoy making this barometer and watching it every day. They will also learn about the weather and how it is measured. What you need: Glass Ruler Tape Tube Chewing gum Activity: Place the ruler in a glass and hold it against the

Play the letter change challenge and help your kids expand their vocabulary and learn new words. They'll love this fast paced learning game at your next gathering. What you need: Pen Paper Number of players: 2+ Activity: Choose a number of words that are appropriate for the knowledge

Teaching maths can be a problem in itself but kids will LOVE their favourite foods more when they can count them up and play with it! Anyone can learn maths with this great food maths game for kids. Addition, subtraction,

Shooting hoops is excellent fun but in this game, it's the reward! Shoot only when they answer a maths sum correctly, then add points up to see who wins in this action-packed game for small or large numbers of kids. What

Maths for kids: Guesstimator Maths problems are certainly not solved at a guess, but this multiplication game gives everyone the best chance at winning. Problem solving comes later, but each child or team gets to have a stab first! What you need:

There is no doubt mathematical operations can be tricky, but try this simple idea to show kids that learning numbers can be  fun and easy! Operation math is a wonderful way to introduce every sign to the kids with cards. What

Every kid loves bingo and what better way to play than to be learning your maths too! Bingo can be played with any operation from addition to multiplication, subtraction and division. The beauty is you can adapt the sums to

Maths can be daunting for some kids and introducing them to their times tables can be difficult. By the time you are finished with this simple maths games for kids, you will be injecting the enthusiam back in to maths

Maths can be a troubling subject to grasp but by turning it into fun for kids, maths can become easy to learn! Up or down maths gives kids a 50/50 chance of getting the numbers correct. Call out numbers for

Cooking games with kids: Rainbow fruit salad In every home you can usually find a large array of fruits. But does everyone know the colours and how they fit into the rainbow? Test the kids out and make

Glow in the dark pipe cleaner bead maze Maths begins with basic counting skills and why not do it the fun way? This glow in the dark bead maze offers kids the opportunity to create their very own

Alphabet peg dolls Hands on learning helps kids retain information better.  Make your own alphabet peg dolls with your child and then see how many words you can spell out together for a sneaky spelling game. What you need:

Sensory play: Pom pom party Kids imagingations can go crazy with a little help from you! This sensory activity is perfect for the little ones with ice cream building, great for the bigger ones with the maths in

3D shapes for kids: Triangular prism 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's have a look at the

3D shapes for kids: Triangular based pyramid 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's look at triangular based

3D shapes for kids: Square based pyramid 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's look at the square

3D shapes for kids: Sphere 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's look at the sphere. What you need:

3D shapes for kids: Hexagonal prism 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's look at the hexagonal prism. What

3D shapes for kids: Cylinder 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's look at the cylinder. What you need:

3D shapes for kids: Cuboid 3D shapes for kids are not always easy to teach. They can be difficult to draw and often have funny names. What makes a 3D shape?  Let's look at the cuboid. What you need:

Flags of the world: China Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Japan Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Canada Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Spain Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Germany Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Italy Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: France Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: USA Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Union Jack Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn

Flags of the world: Brazil Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: Indonesia Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn a

Flags of the world: New Zealand Flags of the world are often taught to our children in middle primary school. They learn briefly about the history of the country and what the flag and its colours represent. Learn

Toddler busy bag Keeping toddlers busy when you go out doesn't have to be a chore. Put together a toddler busy bag and have it ready to go by the door. Half the fun is making the homemade

Make a popsicle stick harmonica Music is a great learning activity for kids. It involves intervals and mathematical principles. Making this popsicle stick harmonica will get your kids thinking about how sound works and why some sounds are

Make a pom pom stuff it in This easy home made toy idea can be popped in a toddler busy bag for those times when you need your child to sit still: doctor's waiting rooms, car trips and

How to write poetry: Shape poems Shape poems are also known as concrete poems. These poems reflect what you like about a shape or particular subject. These poems work well for any occasion. You could do a heart

How to write poetry: Monster poems Everyone has a monster. We have all dreamt up a scary something at one point or another. With a monster poem, you get to add some funny things to your monster or

How to write poetry: Colour poems Writing poetry certainly does not have to be serious business, it can be about any subject you like. These particular poems are all about your favourite - or least favourite - colours. What

How to write poetry: Quatrains Rhyming poems are a great way to introduce kids to poetry. Teach the kids how to write some great kids poems that are fun and silly, all the while learning some valuable lessons

How to write poetry: Triplet poems Rhyming poems are a great way to introduce kids to poetry. Teach them how to write some great kids poems that are fun and silly, all the while learning some valuable lessons

How to write poetry: Cinquain poems Cinquain poems are a short form of structured poetry for kids to write about something they love. Cinquains are easy to write and fun to decorate. You can even make them into cards for special

Couplet poems are a great tool for teaching kids the basics of rhyming words and expressing themselves on paper. These short verses of just two lines make poetry fun and simple to grasp. What you need: grey lead pencil for writing

How to write poetry: Autobiographical poems Autobiographical poems, as the name suggests, is all about you. This is not a story however, so length must be taken into consideration and there are other rules that apply too. Take

How to write poetry: Alphabet poems This is a great activity for all kids but particularly great as a next step from learning the alphabet. Move along from the repetition of letter learning to having some fun with

How to write poetry: Diamante poems Diamante poetry is great fun and can be very decorative, so gather the kids around and turn learning this poetry into a great afternoon activity. Create some cards or posters for family

How to write poetry: Acrostic poems Acrostic poetry can be a lot of fun for kids and adults alike. Grab your pencils and sit yourself down with your imagination and get ready to write about yourself, your pet

How to write poetry: Haiki Gather your friends and tell them to bring their imaginations - you are about to have some fun! Kids poetry and learning to write is more fun when it is with a friend

How to write poetry: Haiku Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. It is traditionally a three lined, un-rhymed poem about any subject of your choosing. Learn all about haiku, create some riddles or just write a short

Handwriting: The letter j Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter i Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter h Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Homemade lacing cards Homemade lacing cards are not only a great craft activity or colouring in activity for kids, you will also be helping to build kids' hand motion skills. You can add this homemade toy to a

Learning to tie shoelaces is an important developmental milestone for kids, but what about lacing up your shoes? Did you know there's more than 30 different ways of lacing shoes? This cool zipper shoe lacing method is usually used for

Make a pipe cleaner toy This easy homemade toy idea can be popped into a toddler busy bag for those times when you need your child to sit still: doctor's waiting rooms, car trips and plane trips. It's

How to tie shoes practise board Making this practise board for tying shoelaces is a fun craft activity and will also finish up as a great learning game for kids.   What you need:

Handwriting: The letter z Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter y Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter x Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter w Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter v Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter u Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter t Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter s Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter r Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter q Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter p Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter o Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter n Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter m Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter l Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Maths for kids: Ready reckoner Times tables can be a tricky subject to grasp and whether the kids are learning repetitively with song, charts or random sums, you can help make things a little easier with this ready

ABC learning: Colouring for kids Learning the alphabet and the shapes of letters is not all about handwriting. Before introducing your children to writing the alphabet, take them on a colourful journey into the wonderful world of letters

Maths for kids: Mathematical lines Many times in maths we come across things that we don't always understand. Lines and their meanings can be tricky. This is why we have put together a printable guide to show the

Shapes for kids: Rhombus The rhombus is better known to most kids as the diamond. Get the kids to colour the rhombus and find the triangles amongst it. With four sides and four 90 degree angles, the rhombus

Handwriting: The letter f Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter e Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter d Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Handwriting: The letter b Handwriting is a skill that improves over time and with practise. Tracing shapes, sounding out letters and writing the alphabet will help children improve their handwriting, reading and language skills. What you need:

Learning the ABC: The letter I Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter H Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter G Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter F Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter E Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter D Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter C Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter B Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Times tables for kids: 12 times tables The 12 times tables fall under the tricky category. These ones are difficult to learn and often hard to recall but with this printable multiplication chart, you will have the kids

Times tables for kids: 11 times tables There are many ways to learn the 11 times tables and most kids wind up doing the tens then adding that number each time. While there is nothing wrong with that

Times tables for kids: 10 times tables Most kids think of the 10 times tables fondly and counting their fingers and toes is where they mostly begin. Patterns in numbers are better recognised if there is a visual

Times tables for kids: 9 times tables Nine times tables are rather nifty, but learning them can be nasty! Kids opinions of the nines can be turned around with this handy printable chart ready to cut, colour and

Times tables for kids: 8 times tables The eight times tables are anything but easy for kids to learn. Make it a little easier by printing off these multiplication charts. Your child can colour, cut, scramble and even

Times tables for kids: 7 times tables Seven times tables are hard work. Help the kids recognise the patterns they form by printing off this multiplication chart and have them colour it in to become more familiar with

Times tables for kids: 6 times tables Help the kids along when they are learning their six times tables. Multiplication is one of the trickiest forms of maths to learn so get the kids to print out these

Times tables for kids: 5 times tables We have five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot but grouping them all together can be tough. Make things a little easier by printing off our five times

Times tables for kids: 4 times tables Frantic fours are not-so-fun for kids but we can help you change that. These printable four times table charts are turning things around. Print, colour and create with the times tables

Times tables for kids: 3 times tables Learning the three times tables is tricky but if you have a printable sheet and add in some colouring fun, the three times tables go from tricky to terrific! Get the

Times tables for kids: 2 times tables There are many ways to learn the two times tables. Counting the houses on the "even" side of the street is one way, but a printable times table that kids can

Animal safari Get going on an animal adventure with this animal safari game. Kids will learn great general knowledge about animals along the way. From unscrambling letters of animal names to learning the family types they come from.

Learning the ABC: The letter Z Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter Y Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter X Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter W Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter V Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter U Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter T Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter S Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter R Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter Q Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter P Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter O Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter N Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter M Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter L Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Learning the ABC: The letter K Learning to write starts a lot earlier than most parents think. Those scribbles, shapes and hard pressed pieces of artwork your child produces is the first stepping stone. Turning that artwork into

Shapes for kids: Polygons Let's look at polygons. The word itself means 'many angles', and every polygon has the same number of angles as sides. Have a look around the room and see if any of our charted

Shapes for kids: Nonagons For a shape to qualify as a nonagon, it must have nine sides and nine angles. All of these need to be closed lines and it also must be a 2D shape. There are

Shapes for kids: Octagons As the name suggests, the octagon has eight sides. For the shape to qualify as an octagon, it must have eight straight sides and eight angles but all lines must close. Have a look

Shapes for kids: Pentagons Pentagons are easily recognised by their five sides and five angles. A pentagon also has tree triangles inside if you join all the diagonals. Have a look at the image below and print it

Shapes for kids: Quadrilaterals Quadrilaterals. The word itself broken down is "quad" meaning four and "lateral" meaning side. The shape also has to be a 2D shape to qualify. To make things a little clearer, check out our

Shapes for kids: Triangles Let's look at triangles. Every triangle has the same features although they can vary in their angles. To recognise a triangle, you need to look at two basic features. Ask the kids if it