If you are working long hours or are away a lot on business how can you still teach young children how to read and write and to count? Well teaching them to write will be a challenge, but teaching kids to read and counting is relatively easy to teach while you are away.

Whether you use an instant messaging service, there are literally several dozens of internet messaging services available the most popular ones are Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft), Google Hangouts (obviously owned by Google) and FaceTime (for iPhone, iPad users). Also if you’re using GoToMeeting or WebEx you can get a richer experience and actually share your work area with your kids which may help them to actually write.

While you are away you can either teach your kids directly to read by buying two copies of a book, one that your child has and one that you take away with you. When you log onto the messaging app of your choice you hold up your copy and make sure they have theirs, you can then read the book together, holding the book up to the camera as you both turn the page together.

Subcontract reading out to youTube

Here are some of the better reading videos that I have found

The Reading Machine

I really like the reading machine, it doesn’t waste as much time patronising children as some of the other youTube reading videos do. It’s direct and to the point and encourages the children to read along.

If your children are a bit more advanced along their reading journey this video is a good one which allows them to read on their own

What I like about this one is that the child essentially has a beat the clock challenge, in this case can they get the word before the traffic light reaches red?

Teaching your kids to write the alphabet

In terms of writing, I found this very good video done by The Singing Walrus which teaches the children to write letters.

You print a letter sheet from their website, http://thesingingwalrus.com/free-stuff/alphabet-writing-practice-sheets/

Currently it only goes up to the letter Q but I’ve found after doing The Singing Walrus up to that point that I’m able to draw dots for my boy which he then manages to fill in himself

I find since having two I am able to sit the older child down at my desk and let him get on with his reading and writing while I attend to changing the baby’s nappy (the nappy changing table has found its way into my studio) or get the baby’s feed ready (the bottle warmer has found its way into my studio too).

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