A parent's guide to (avoiding) worksheets

Bookshops and newsagents sell a large range of workbooks and worksheets and parents can feel as though they will not be doing their best for their child unless they buy them and work through them with their children. The problem with worksheets is that they can turn learning, which young children find such fun, into a slog or chore. While time spent with your child is vital to their learning and development, there are many more useful things that you can be doing to help.

The guidance says the workbook activities will help my child to achieve the early learning goals. Isn't this a good idea?

Publishers' claims need to be taken with a pinch of salt - after all, they are trying to sell their publications. The links made between the early learning goals and the activities in many books are not as clear-cut as they suggest.

The Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (which supports practitioners in planning and developing learning opportunities for children) emphasises the importance of play in helping children to achieve the early learning goals. It also emphasises the importance of maintaining children's enthusiasm by offering physical and sensory experiences and through talk and social interaction. None of these are readily achieved by colouring in circles on a worksheet!

It's also a good idea to reflect on what the worksheet or workbook indicates is the purpose of the activity. Most worksheets simply don't measure up to the claims made for them. It's highly unlikely that colouring in a picture can make a child aware of cultural differences or help them to understand scientific ideas.

My child really enjoys colouring in the worksheets. I think it'll get him/her ready for school.

Children enjoy pleasing people who matter to them. If you show that you are pleased when they are sitting down and colouring in, they will enjoy the sense of approval. Lifelong learning depends on confidence and independence. Sheets that have to be coloured or shapes that have to be cut out can make children who are not good at it feel as though they are failing and thus undermine their confidence. Children who are good at these activities can become too dependent on the pre-determined shapes offered by the worksheet. This can undermine their independence and make them feel that they can only achieve praiseworthy results when they are given this level of help. Children's free cutting, sticking, painting, drawing, pouring and building are every bit as effective in helping them to develop fine motor skills.

Are there any worksheets which could be useful?

Worksheets take many forms. You will find that some commercially produced workbooks include sheets which offer ideas for things that you might do with your children. For example, in some cases a sheet may suggest making a puppet from a sock. There may be suggestions about letting children play with packages and paper bags - with ideas for developing learning through play and conversation. These can be useful and can give you the confidence to try out similar ideas.

In some cases, worksheets intended for children to cut something out or colour something in can be adapted. Working with your child, you might cut out three blind mice or five little monkeys and use them when singing the rhymes.

What can I do that will help my child's learning?

Avoid any worksheet that puts you in the position of telling your child what to do while you stand over them. The effective activities will be ones in which you are working together with your child; talking and having fun! The most effective learning will happen in the context of real, exciting and practical situations.

Talking to children is vital - talking about television programmes, stories, things you have done together. Books and stories are an excellent starting point for a range of learning activities. Playing with your child supports their learning - tea parties, toy cars, building or whatever they're interested in. Try not to ask closed questions such as 'What colour is this?' or 'How many cars are in the garage?'. Instead, talk about what you are doing. Slipping in phrases like 'Let's put all the red bricks in this box' or 'I'm going to give each teddy three cakes' encourages children to explore similar language and supports learning.