Year 1 and 2 Remote Learning

4 weeks ago
Posted on 09th Jan 2026 by

Snow day activities- Year 2!

Snow‑Day Outdoor Word Activities – Year 2

Homophones (Sounds the same, different spellings and meanings)
Due to the snow, school is closed today. There is no expectation for formal learning, but if you would like to do something light and enjoyable with your child, here are some optional outdoor word activities linked to our Year 2 learning this week. We have been learning about homophones – words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
These activities are designed to be fun, practical and easy to dip into, using the snow and outdoor environment as inspiration. Even a short conversation about words is valuable.

❄️ 1. Homophone Snowball Match

Focus: Recognising and matching homophones
What you need:
  • Paper, card or chalk
How to play:
  1. Write pairs of homophones on paper or on the ground, for example:
    • there / their / they’re
    • to / too / two
    • here / hear
    • one / won
  2. Place them around the garden or outdoor space.
  3. Call out a sentence, such as:

 

“I can hear the snow crunch.”

  1. Your child finds the correct word and explains why it fits.

⛄ 2. Build a Snow Sentence

Focus: Choosing the correct homophone in context
What you need:
  • Snow, chalk, or paper
How to play:
  1. Say a sentence out loud with a missing word, for example:

 

“We ran over ____ to play in the snow.” (there / their)

  1. Your child chooses the correct homophone.
  2. Write the sentence in the snow or with chalk.
Challenge: Can they explain the meaning of the word they chose?

❄️ 3. Freeze and Choose

Focus: Understanding word meaning
How to play:
  1. Call out a homophone pair, for example see / sea.
  2. Say a sentence.
  3. If the sentence matches the first word, your child freezes. If it matches the second word, they jump.
Example sentences:
  • “We went to the sea.”
  • “I can see my breath in the cold air.”

🧤 4. Outdoor Homophone Sort

Focus: Sorting words by meaning
What you need:
  • Two hoops, buckets or chalk circles
How to play:
  1. Label each area with a homophone (e.g. bare / bear).
  2. Call out sentences.
  3. Your child moves to the correct word.

☃️ 5. Snowy Homophone Hunt

Focus: Applying homophones in real situations
How to play:
  1. While outside, look for chances to use homophones:
    • which / witch
    • right / write
    • sun / son
  2. Say a sentence together and talk about which spelling fits.

❄️ 6. Snow‑Day Writing (Optional)

Focus: Writing sentences using homophones correctly
What to do:
  • Encourage your child to write one or two sentences about the snow using a homophone, for example:
    • We went too far on the icy path.
    • I can hear the wind blowing.
Don’t worry about perfect spelling – the key learning is choosing the correct homophone.

✅ Helpful Notes for Parents

  • These activities are optional and should be kept relaxed.
  • Talking about word meaning is more important than writing lots.
  • Short bursts (5–10 minutes) are plenty.
❄️ Enjoy the snow and stay safe!
Your child continues to build their English skills through talking, reading and exploring language together.

4 weeks ago
Posted on 09th Jan 2026 by

Snow day phonics year 1!

Snow‑Day Outdoor Phonics Activities

For Year 1 – Phase 5 (Essential Letters and Sounds)
Due to the snow, school is closed today. There is no expectation for formal learning, but if you would like to do a little phonics with your child, here are some optional, outdoor phonics activities you could enjoy together.
They are designed to be short, playful and practical, using the winter weather as an opportunity for learning while getting some fresh air. Even a few minutes of talking about sounds and words is helpful.

❄️ 1. Snowball Grapheme Hunt

How to play:
  1. Choose a sound your child is learning  (Flashcards- sound specific ), for example /ai/.
  2. Write the different spellings on paper or the ground:
    • ai, ay, a‑e, ea
  3. Hide them around the garden or outdoor space.
  4. Call out a word (e.g. day, rain, cake).
  5. Your child finds and points to the grapheme (flash card or written sound) that fits the word.
Talk about:
“Why does this word use ay instead of ai?”

⛄ 2. Build‑a‑Word Snowman

How to play:
  1. Draw large circles or “snowballs” on the ground.
  2. Say a Phase 5 word and ask your child to ‘build it’ by writing the graphemes.
Example words:
  • snowy
  • floating
  • bright
  • winter

☃️ 3. Snowy Sentence Walk

How to play:

  1. Write a simple sentence on paper strips and place each word outside in order.
    • The snow is bright and white.
  2. Your child walks along, reading each word.
  3. Ask them to spot:
    • Harder to read and spell words within the sentence.
Extra challenge: Can the children spot the adjectives in the sentence?

❄️ 4. Outdoor Writing: Winter Caption

What to do:
  • Look at the outdoor scene: snow, frost, breath in the air.
  • Talk the sentence aloud first.
  • Encourage your child to write a caption, for example:
    • The ice on the path is slippery.
    • The snow looks beautiful in the light.
Remind your child to:
  • Say each word aloud
  • Make spelling choices using their Phase 5 knowledge
  • Use capital letters and full stops
Here are some videos to help with phoneme pronunciation:
Phase 3:

 

Phase 5:

✅ Helpful Tips for Parents

  • It’s okay if spelling isn’t perfect – phonically plausible spellings are encouraged.
  • Praise effort, not speed.
  • Short, active sessions (10–15 minutes) are ideal!
❄️ Have fun learning outdoors and enjoy the snow!
Your child is still making great progress in phonics just by talking, reading, and playing with sounds.