How much should you do at home with a keen child?

[taffetacat]

DS (6) is in Year 1 and has always been a keen sort. He loves maths and science and has a real love for words, but wordsearches and activities over reading. He does like reading but is keener on other activities.

His teacher has said it would be fine to give him some extra work at home to keep him busy. I just don't really know where to start though. He's top of class for reading and spelling etc. My MIL bought him the CGP KS1 Maths and Science books last year which he loved.

I guess my question is twofold:

a) How much, if any, should I be doing at home? I don't want to hothouse him and put him off and time is precious as he does sports activities after school and has a little sister. I also don't want him to be bored in school. I guess I would like him to be satisfied with his rate of learning, which I don't feel he is right now.

b) Where do I start looking at home educational activity books? He gets through Doctor Who activity books for eg at a rate of knots, doing wordsearches and code breakers. I have no idea if these are "good" learning and/or should be supplemented with something more formally linked to the education system.

I expect this has been done to death on previous threads but I couldn't find one. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[juuule]

Visits to Science museums.

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Maybe get some Science experiment books.

Maths would probably be incidental to activities in the above.

Suggest the above to him and do as much as he is interested in (balanced against how much time you have available).

[rainbowinthesky]

DD loves doing stuff at home like this too. We go to the library lots and also bought some CPG books but for KS2 rather than KS1. THe good thing about them is they are fairly easy to follow so she doesnt need someone sittign with her all the time.

[Devexity]

Ignore the curriculum and follow your child's interests.

Yesterday, DS - also 6 and also Y1 - went to the Imperial War Museum. He read the terrible trenches handbook on the way and lived it when he got there. Today he has been listening to and learning YouTube recordings of WW1 songs, reading war poetry and making plans for a scale model of trench. For two hours before bed time he insisted on being Wilfred Owen in 1916, speculating about what the next two years might hold. He looked up mustard, chlorine and phosgene gas on wikipedia, and investigated explosives.

Extend! Use the internet. Pick a subject - or find one that appeals to him - let him have a glorious time.

[taffetacat]

Lovely advice thank you.