My youngest daughter is currently in Year 6 and later this year she will sit her Key Stage 2 SATS. She is a very keen student and really wants to do well in the national tests. We have invested in some resources for her so she can hopefully feel well-prepared and achieve her potential. Here are some excellent resources I have found to prepare my child for KS2 SATs.
Mathletics
Mathletics is a resource my daughter has access to through school. But if your child doesn’t have an account via their school you can set one up from home. You can even sign up for a 30-day free trial which will be a great way to get in some revision before the exams begin! I find the games on Mathlectics to be excellent. The activities are engaging making homework fun. My daughter loves to complete the challenges which increased her score. With these points, the children can customise their avatars. The dashboard records the child’s weekly progress making homework something of a competition in class!
Doodle Learning
Doodle Learning is a resource I stumbled across when researching for this post. I signed up for a free trial and so far I am impressed! The colour interface makes it appealing to children. Parents can set assignments for their children all of which are heard towards the KS2 SATS. These small activity sessions offer the children quick burst sessions which will enhance their learning and prepare them for their upcoming tests. You can set rewards on the website for good work too!
My Mini Maths
My Mini Maths is a resource we have been making use of the past 12 months or so. It’s a great website which features past SAT papers and importantly, the answers to those questions! I have actually found this more useful for me than for my daughter. It gives parents an idea of the type of questions they will be asked. This has then given me an opportunity to properly practice with her and prepare her for the SATS.
Have a go at some of the papers and see if you would do as well as your child on the KS2 SATS paper! This has been one of my favourite KS2 SATS resources.
Maths Frame
Maths Frame is another game-based KS2 SATS resource that encourages learning. Children can set their own level in these games and choose which type of maths they would like to practice. My daughter’s favourite game is ‘Collect the Rubbish’. By solving multiple maths sums, the child progresses through the game.
BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize offers some KS2 SATS resources. One of which is a fun and interactive game. This is a fun way for children to practice their all-important maths skills.
Top Marks
Top Marks was a site I made use of throughout lockdown when I was home schooling my children. I found the activities on Top Marks to be fun and engaging. The site has some great KS2 SATS resources. Many of these are in the form of games which make learning fun and seemless.
CGP
CGP offer SATS booklets which can be purchased online. Their website also offers children the opportunity to practice some SATS based questions in 10-minute tests. We found that the time limit is rather small and so practicing in this way has really helped my daughter to get a sense of how much is expected within a small time frame.
CGP Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Cards
I love flashcards. I think they are a great way to revise for any upcoming test. We bought these CGP English flashcards for our daughter. They’ve actually been rather useful. If you just have a spare few minutes, it’s a great way to test the children on their SPAG knowledge. For instance, they might as the child to spell a selection of words they need to know. It will then ask the children to use some of these words in a sentence. Again, these have been a great resource for parents of KS2 SATS children – it gives us an idea of the level of knowledge required for the tests.
CGP Maths Cards
The CGP maths cards are another flashcard-type resource. They enable us to have quick burst sessions of revision. The level of maths required now at Year 6 is staggering. These cards have really made me appreciate just how difficult Year 6 children have it nowadays!
We purchased these cards on Amazon, they were a great find!
Crosswords
I love to do crosswords and fortunately, my daughter has found this to be an enjoyable pastime. We have been completing crosswords together and as a result, have found my daughter’s vocabulary has greatly increased. Doing something so simple and traditional as a crossword really does improve a child’s literary skills. It offers them the chance to explore synonyms thus preparing them for the KS2 SATS.
Scrabble
Fortunately, my daughter loves to play word games, her favourite of which is Scrabble. This traditional board game is another way in which children develop those all-important literary skills. I allow my daughter to take charge of the scores too thereby getting some all-important maths in there too! Scrabble is a great way to spend an evening – we have a games night once a week and Scrabble is always a firm favourite of the family!
Reading
Reading their favourite books, children will pick up lots of vocabulary and lots of subliminal lessons such as sentence structure and grammar. Indeed reading is one of the best things a child can do to prepare for their SATS. I’m not a book snob, I allow my daughter to read whatever she finds most enjoyable, whether that be comic books, poetry, magazines or books she has in her own collection. Children need to see words in whatever format as often as possible.
I hope you found this post on KS2 STAS resources informative. Although I don’t agree with persistent testing of our children, I do want my children to be fully prepared for these tests and so I work with that in mind. If you have any tips for children going into KS2 SATS, please let us know in the comments.
Featured Image by Chuk Yong from Pixabay
