Importance of Primary Enrichment
‘Enrichment’ can often seem like just another buzzword—something parents may overlook while focusing on what feels like the core aspects of their child’s education.
But the idea of enlivening or deepening children’s experience of learning (this is really what enrichment means) in the home environment is actually instinctive to parents, and something they do (or wish to do) whether they realise it or not.
To make the most of enrichment opportunities is to recognise and formalise them; to see that there are principles and activities you can work on at home, to help your primary-age student to thrive. Broadly speaking, enrichment tasks should deepen or expand a learner’s existing understanding, rather than bombarding them with repetitive worksheets. On some levels, enrichment means working on fundamentals such as reading and maths, but it can also mean more holistic activities which encourage your child to grow and learn.
The Importance of Reading at Home
An expanding body of evidence shows the importance of fostering a love of reading in children of primary school age: this encourages both educational achievements and personal development. Encouraging reading should be viewed as a holistic exercise rather than one that aims for targets per se. But regular reading outside of school is associated with higher scores in assessments. It also aids textual comprehension, grammar and increased general knowledge. Also, children who read turn into adults who read, so the benefits continue.
Try to encourage your child to explore subjects and study areas of interest to them. Get them reading a body of work by an author they respond to: if they are captivated by a particular genre, use this as a springboard to other titles in that genre. Librarians are particularly helpful in this regard and can give a real insight into what other kids are reading and enjoying.
Reading recommendations are of course always hugely subjective. But any list of 100 best books for a given age or key stage are likely to contain a few classics – including treasures from any parents’ own childhood – as well as more modern texts.
Children are remarkably open to all books when very young; it is more often a question of what reading parents can tolerate!
Keystone have created a recommended reading list for 7+ and recommended reading list for 8+. These are works that our tutors recommend as children move from the basic into chapters, narratives and other more advanced reading skills.
If you wish to pursue a more structured way of learning in English, and adopt a scheme that endeavours to bridge the gap between childhood play and more formal learning types, we recommend the Schofield and Sims books.
Using holidays for enrichment
Parents often find themselves with more time for enrichment during holidays. Again, activities should be guided by children, their interests and what they are learning at school. If young people are discovering a certain period, musician, artist, or country then it may be possible to tie-in a local exhibition or documentary.
If you are intent on introducing new material then use a student-centred website to help them explore a range of topics of interest to them. Institutions such as National Geographic offer interesting resources organised by school age (and reading level), across a range of topics, to ensure that ideas and tasks are accessible but also challenging.
Enrichment need not be confined to school content, you can also explore diverse opportunities via clubs and organisations local to you. Enrichment of course means developing skills. But children can also learn about time management, the environment, friendship and collaboration by getting involved in groups beyond the home and classroom.
Have a pinboard with a running list of topics that your son or daughter has shown an interest in, and use that at a base in your community, to connect to these topics. Getting your kids in on the research means they are invested, building curiosity and giving an extra motivation for learning.
Emotional & social enrichment
Post Covid, where young people’s social and emotional skills suffered from being out of the educational environment, schools today often place emotional and social skills at the heart of their everyday practise. Parents can also feed into this and employ a range of strategies to teach these key skills.
These might include: self-awareness - expanding children’s emotional vocabulary and supporting them when expressing emotions; social awareness - using stories to debate other people’s emotions and views; and relationship skills - role playing communication and listening skills.
Balancing enrichment with free play
Formal and structured enrichment should be balanced with unstructured or ‘free play’ opportunities. Key to this is the idea that children need space to explore their own creative impulses and find solutions to problems on their own. This helps them to gain an awareness of self and their own potential – as well as developing the social and emotional skills.
It is very easy to timetable an excess of pre-planned activities into your day. But it is also valuable to timetable opportunities for unplanned elements in the home, garden or park. Time spent outdoors is an opportunity to leave the house and see what happens. Nature is its own playground and does not need embellishment, with children easily immersing themselves in a fantastical world.
Don’t be too keen to tidy! Many parents will be relieved to hear this advice. It is recommended that play materials such as building blocks and Lego remain unsorted – or rather, just tip them out on the floor. In this way, the possibilities for play and imagination are multiplied and your child is encouraged to operate without restriction.
Balancing free play with more structured enrichment is a way of encouraging all aspects of your child’s learning and development.
Academic enrichment- benefits of using a tutor in primary years
Some parents may wish to employ a private primary level tutor alongside schooling and enrichment in the home, as this develops yet another strand of their emotional and intellectual development. Classroom learning has many benefits but may not offer the highly individualised learning that some children need. A good primary tutor can identify gaps in teaching and learning, specific to subject and student needs, and design a programme of study accordingly. They can work closely with school and parents alike to personalise learning. If enrichment means extension then a good tutor will present the student with resources that are tailored to their needs, and which inspire and stimulate, and positively feedback into school tasks. They will go beyond the syllabus and deepen learning in a way that time-stretched parents don’t have the expertise (or energy!) to pursue.
Read more about Keystone's Primary Tutors.