Fun learning ideas for 7 – 9 year olds
Your child will now be reading independently and for a wider range of purposes and developing key maths skills such as multiplication, but it’s still useful to play language and maths games of all kinds. Most children love playing games and it's an easy way to support their learning. Here are some that are fun and easy which will help with your child’s developing reading and maths skills, spelling and writing – and they won’t even realise!
Games and activities
1. Word games
- Try alphabetical games such as 'The Philosopher’s Cat is ... an angry cat, a beautiful cat', and so on, to expand vocabulary.
- Have fun with riddles – make them up and enjoy discovering different meanings for the same word.
- Make your own versions of well-known rhymes to help your child to hear patterns in words.
2. Board games
- Play Junior Trivial Pursuit which requires lots of reading and develops general knowledge at the same time.
- Play games where your child must use the powers of deduction to work out a journey or solve a crime, e.g. Cluedo. There are many online versions too.
- Code-cracking games like Mastermind are really useful for helping your child to think logically.
3. Screen games
- Brain-training games are useful for developing a wide range of skills that are useful for reading and writing too.
- Search for on-line code-cracking games.
- There are plenty of commercially available adventure problem-solving games that demand creative thought and talk to succeed. Try Roomscape.
4. Make a game of it
- Get your child to make and keep a diary or calendar to encourage them to begin to take responsibility for their own organisation and activities.
- Get your child involved in planning a party. They can suggest a theme, who to invite, food, invitations and so on.
- Setting up a pin board or magnetic board to display messages, postcards, certificates, reminders and other memorabilia in your child’s bedroom is a great way to be creative about being organised and writing messages.
5. Action games
- Play paper and pencil games such as Call My Bluff and Categories.
- Reading around a hobby or a creative project can be fun, e.g. gardening, cookery or a craft activity.
- Many places to visit in the school holidays have quizzes or treasure hunts organised so make sure you take full advantage of these.
6. Keep reading together
- Children of aged 7–9 still enjoy being read to and it’s a great way to develop their vocabulary and listening skills. Ask them to read to you too, as this can help with reading fluency and expression.
- Visit our storyteller page to watch videos of storytellers reading favourite traditional stories.
- Encourage your child to keep a reading diary with a record of the books they have read and a couple of notes about what they did or didn’t like about them. Why not see if your local library has a reading challenge over the summer holidays? Say the sounds when making the word.
7. Play maths games
- Try these fun games with your child to practise maths skills and help to build your child's confidence. Most children love playing games and it's an easy way to support their learning.
- Multiply by 6: Practise your multiplication skills with this fun game.
- Visit our fun maths activities page for a selection of activities and resources designed to help you enjoy maths with your child.
8. Cook together
- Cooking with your child is an excellent way to practise and talk about key maths skills – measuring and weighing ingredients together, talking about fractions when you are cutting up a cake. Best of all, you both get to enjoy a tasty treat at the end! Why not try our cheese scones recipe?