Early years - Ruth Merttens|Alan Newland

This is the "Impact" homework programme, encouraging parental involvement in the teaching of their children, and more collaboration between teachers and parents. The book, aimed at children from three to six years, contains practical, photocopiable activities with specific writing and language aims, and each activity is illustrated and can be undertaken at home with adults.;A letter for parents and carers is supplied with each activity to help them carry it out, plus an explanation of the skill or concept being addressed. The purpose of each activity is explained in this letter which includes a response slip to be completed and returned to the teacher.;Teacher's notes are supplied in this book to explain the language concepts, suggest ways that the tasks might be undertaken at home and give ideas for extension activities. The activities can be selected according to the work being carried out in school or to provide additional help on specific areas of writing.;The book is organized into three age-related sections: 3, 4 and 5 years. Although the games and activities are considered suitable for these age ranges, teachers can select activities according to the child's ability. Activities covered include the acquisition of letter and word formation and recognition skills, sound and phonic symbol relationships, alphabet games and exploring writing for a purpose as well as using drawings to convey messages. The book includes links with the National Curriculum as well as notes on the relevance of the activities to Scottish and Northern Ireland English language programmes.