Tutoring News

Yesterday, one of my lizard-loving learners (who "hates school") had tonnes of fun with poetry. We planned a poem based on Brian Moses' energetic 'Walking with my Iguana', and he almost didn't realise he was learning all about adverbs and adjectives along the way! 🦎

Even Lisa Simpson finds writing difficult! But by playing writing games, getting inspiration from great stories, and writing about interesting topics, it suddenly becomes much easier and more fun. Honest!

An eager beaver is someone who has an unbelievable amount of energy and enthusiasm — like the writing tutor who's very excited to start the new term!

It's always heartening to hear how my tutoring has helped. To see Lala's son build in confidence and loving to write is the biggest reward.

Thanks to Henry and his parents for their lovely present and card. Best of luck with your English Language GCSE!
(I've already scoffed one of the three boxes of truffles!)

It's amazing how creative and imaginative kids can be. As a teaching assistant in schools, I lost count of the number of fantastical stories of far-off places kids told me about.

Did you know the word 'fabulous' comes from a Latin word meaning "celebrated in fable" and "rich in myths"? We've certainly been having a fabulous week of fairytales!

Continuing the folk-tale theme this week, 8-year-old Charlie and I have been reading Hansel & Gretel, preparing to write a fairytale of our own. I can't wait to see what fantastic ideas he comes up with!

We've been researching local myths and legends today. It's inspired 11-year-old Ethem and me to plan a story about a fearsome tooth fairy and one about a Franken-ape!


My Articles

Poetry is Fun!

03/05/2024

Shape poems are fantastic as children can really play around with how their poem looks. And limericks are a good laugh as they know there's usually a funny bit at the end!

Getting creative with their thoughts helps children to understand their feelings, and reading poems helps them to understand other people's experiences too.

Tongue-twisters and rhyming couplets are not only fun but they encourage children to use their creativity and become vocab wizards.

Tutoring shouldn't be like school. It should be a fun way to boost your child's skills with games and activities that put them at the heart of the lesson. When they're enjoying the learning and feel like they're making progress, your child's confidence will grow before they know it. The hardest part for them will be having to put their...

My jokes might induce groans rather than chuckles but I love laughter in our lessons! It makes my students feel more relaxed; they enjoy the lessons more; and most of all, it's been proven to bolster their memory and recall. How great is that?

You might have noticed that your child has lots of brilliant ideas but finds it difficult to start writing. In this case, your child could benefit from a tutor that will share a good selection of stories to inspire their plan, and give them time to draw their ideas (this is a great stepping stone from their thoughts to their writing). ...

If it feels like your child is falling behind at school, then it's a good sign they'll thrive at a pace that's right for them. Sometimes punctuation and grammar can be a stumbling block (I'm looking at you 'expanded noun phrases'!) A writing tutor should allow your child's creativity to sparkle whilst helping your child to boost their knowledge in...

I saw him wincing as he wrote his first line of ideas. "Does it hurt when you write?" I asked. "Of course," Sam replied. He believed that handwriting was a painful activity they made you do at school.

Ready to let your child's imagination fly?

I'd love to have a chat with you about it!