Why is Family Learning important?

A report written by Charles Desforges (for DfES, 2003) showed that learning at home was the biggest influence on achievement of children aged 3 to 7. Home learning is reading, library visits, playing with letters, numbers and shapes, painting and drawing, learning through play, letters of the alphabet, nursery rhymes and singing.

You might think that learning happens purely at school but whilst children learn to read at school it is often the family that nurtures a love of reading. History can seem remote in textbooks but a grandparent's stories of World War II can bring it to life.

Perhaps you think you can't help your children with their homework and are scared of 'getting it wrong' because your own English and maths skills 'aren't up to scratch'. However encouraging and supporting your children at home and having fun with them can benefit them greatly in their learning.