Learning at Home

Vocabulary building at home that only involves memorising spelling lists teaches children one thing: how to pass a spelling test for a single week. A home routine planned around genuine language acquisition teaches children how to understand and use new words permanently.

Primary 1 comprehension is not just about reading the words correctly. It is about understanding what the words mean together, what the text is saying, what it implies, and how the ideas connect. Many P1 children can decode text accurately but struggle with comprehension in Primary 1 because decoding and understanding are two different skills. Here is what parents need to know and what you can do at home to help.

School holidays present a genuine opportunity to build English skills in a low-pressure environment. The challenge is that children who feel they are being made to study during their break disengage quickly and an unhappy reader learns nothing.

Singapore parents spend significant money on English support for their children, but tuition and enrichment are not the same thing and using the wrong one for your child’s situation is not just a wasted investment. It can create the wrong kind of pressure at the wrong time. Here is how to tell the difference and how to decide which, if either, your child actually needs.