If you have a garden you have an outdoor classroom which is great for developing maths skills and find out about science. If not, many activities can be done in a local park.

When you child play on climbing frames, compare how tall he is against you. Try to find opportunities to talk about wide or narrow shapes. Use words such as forwards, backwards, on top, underneath, in front of, behind, above and below. Always encourage him to tell you what he is doing.

When playing ball games, ask him to fetch the longest bat or the smallest ball. Measure out the area for a game in paces, and talk about different shapes and sizes of equipment.