What should my child learn at 6?
At six, home learning can help your child connect a new skill with something useful: reading a sign, explaining a drawing or sharing things fairly. School starting ages and classroom expectations vary. Choose a starting point from what your child has already experienced.
Where to start
Ready for Class 1 · ages 6–7
The topics most Class 1 books open with — numbers to 100, equal groups, halves and quarters, time, money, and science units on ourselves, plants, materials, light, movement and sound — practised at home first.
What learning can look like
Many children are developing reading, writing and number ideas while still relying on conversation, pictures and real objects. They may retell an event, look for information in a book or explore how a number can be split into parts. Help can change from one activity to another.
There is also much to learn about asking questions, following a routine and describing what happened in an investigation. Reading a longer word is not the only kind of progress. Listening to another person's idea, noticing a change and asking for clarification are useful learning behaviours too.
Three things to try this month
- Find an answer in a book. Choose a question about an animal or familiar place. Look at a heading and picture together, then read the relevant words aloud. Try Reading for Information; independent reading of the whole book is unnecessary.
- Share and check. Deal six large paper squares between two drawn plates. Count each share and see whether they match. Sharing and Grouping explores this idea through practical examples before formal calculations.
- Write steps for a reader. Ask your child to explain how to draw a simple face. Record their steps together, then follow them. Begin with Writing Simple Instructions, accepting drawings and adult writing as support.
Use the stage flexibly
The Ready for Class 1 path introduces topics families may encounter around this time. Completing it does not establish school readiness or guarantee a particular placement. Ask a teacher about classroom expectations. If you have concerns about your child's learning or development, discuss them with their teacher or doctor and bring examples of what you notice at home.