Returning To School

There are lots of great resources out there to support children who are returning to school. We’ve pulled together some of our favourites to help children re-adjust and understand why life is so different for us all at the moment. And they’re all free!

For Nursery, Reception and Year 1 children

  • While We Can’t Hug is a lovely animated picture book by Eoin McLaughin and Polly Dunbar.
  • Picture book Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls and David Litchfield has been released by Walker Books in conjunction with Save the Children’s Save with Stories campaign.
  • Let Dr Dog help explain Coronavirus to young children with this free e-book. Available to download here
  • Everybody Worries by John Burgerman is a rhyming picture book for children who are worried about Coronavirus
  • Check out these free digital books from the Open University suitable across the age ranges

For Year 6 children

  • What is Covid-19? is a PowerPoint which explains Coronavirus and how to stay safe for Key Stage 2 children
  • What is Coronavirus?  is a Daily News PowerPoint to help teachers answer questions about the virus and discuss what children have seen in the news. For Upper Key Stage 2 children.
  • Publisher Nosy Crow have produced a Coronavirus booklet for Key stage 2 children, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
  • Check out these free digital books from the Open University suitable across the age ranges

For Key Stage 3

For Parents and Carers

  • Author Eloise Rickman shares some top tips to help children return to school
  • Find out how your child can take part in this years’ Summer Reading Challenge
  • My Hero is You is an international story developed for and by children. Designed to be read by teachers and parents to help children understand Covid-19

For Teachers and Librarians

  • Visit the Summer Reading Challenge School Zone to support pupils to take part in this year’s Silly Squad SRC
  • Liverpool Learning Partnership have produced some excellent resources to support  settings to prepare for pupils returning to school. You can access their padlet here
  • Liverpool Early Years Home Learning Support have developed a great padlet to support learning in hubs and home learning.
  • The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) have compiled a bank of resources for Year 6 children returning to school and continuing to learn from home
  • CLPE have also produced a free whole school unit of work base around Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers. register your interest here Plus teaching notes for The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad. Plus, a bank of free resources to support teaching literacy across the key stages
  • This National Literacy Trust blog looks at ways to support children returning to Nursey and Early Years settings.
  • NLT have also developed activities to help Year 6 children returning to school
  • CILIP have produced some excellent guidelines for the re-opening of school libraries here
  • The School Library Association have recorded a webinar on re-opening your school library after Covid-19.  You can watch here