A parent guide from Smart Wonder School for families with children aged 2 to 8. It explains how children learn through everyday play, conversation and hands-on activities, and how parents can support that learning at home.
This is a parent guide from Smart Wonder School for families with children aged 2 to 8. It explains the school's belief that children learn not only when taught, but also through play, exploration, conversation and problem solving. The guide is written for parents who want to support their child's learning at home.
The first sections describe everyday learning opportunities, such as stories, games, shopping trips, cooking and building with blocks. It encourages parents to look beneath the activity and notice what children are actually doing, like counting, predicting, planning or making connections. It suggests asking questions such as 'What did my child notice, try or discover?'
A section on reading explains that reading is more than saying the words. It covers looking, listening, talking, predicting, retelling and understanding. It gives ideas for after reading, like acting out the story, changing the ending, drawing, making a puppet or writing a message. It also offers age-based conversation prompts for younger and older children.
The guide provides '7 small moments to try this week', with one activity per day, such as reading together, sorting toys, playing a game, doing a little science experiment, counting fruits, noticing things outside, and a family challenge. It also lists everyday situations like at the market, while cooking, folding clothes, building, after a story, outside and while writing, with example questions to ask.
It includes age-appropriate tasks to build independence, such as carrying a napkin for ages 2-3, helping set the table for ages 3-5, and making a simple list for ages 5-8. It explains the parent's role as a partner in the learning journey, with prompts like 'What could you try?' and 'What do you notice?'
The final sections discuss worksheets, stating that real understanding comes from experience first, then thinking, practising and showing what you know. It closes with what the school wants for children: to read and love stories, write and have something to say, learn answers and ask questions, and love learning.