All Primary 1 children receive a free Bookbug P1 Family Bag during the winter term. The bag is packed full of exciting items for you and your child to have fun playing with together. It's also a great resource to turn homework into little games you can play together. Take a peek inside, and you will find:
- A whiteboard and whiteboard pen
- Number magnets
- Colouring pencils
- An activities notebook
- Arlo The Lion Who Couldn't Sleep by Catherine Rayner
- My First Book of Woodland Animals illustrated by Zoë Ingram
- Inch and Grub by Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts
Fridge magnet and whiteboard games
Game#1: Secret messages
Game#1: Secret messages
Ask your little one to write you a secret message on their whiteboard, then hide it somewhere for you to find. When you find it you can write a message back, hide the board again and then ask them to find it and see if they can read your message. You can also both draw pictures to make your message easier to understand.
Their whiteboard can also be a fun way to get them to do their spelling homework.
Game#2: Fun with numbers
Game#2: Fun with numbers
Image of a set of number magnets, a small whiteboard and a whiteboard pen.
Give them mini-challenges each day with their number magnets to keep them entertained, like counting backwards from 10 to zero, or a doing a couple of sums like 3 + 4. How fast can they do it? Can they write the biggest number they know? Can they say it out loud?
If they have maths homework, this can get them doing it without too much fuss!
Game#3: Dominoes
Game#3: Dominoes
Image of a whiteboard with number magnets and dominos on it.
You can also use the number magnets to play an alternative game of dominoes. Place all the magnets face down and pick 7 each. Look at them but don’t show them to the other player. One player puts down a number. The other player must put down either the same number, or a sum that adds up to that number, using the plus and minus signs. The first player can then put down another number or sum that adds up to any of the numbers now on the board. If you can’t play, pick up another number. The winner is the person who puts down all their numbers first. You can use as many numbers as you like to make a sum.
Arlo The Lion Who Couldn't Sleep by Catherine Rayner
Game #1: Outdoor fun
Game #1: Outdoor fun
Arlo loves wading in rivers and climbing trees. Talk to your child about what they like to do outdoors – maybe they could draw you a picture in their activity book? Next time you’re outside, how about getting them to practise moving like a lion – can they roar too?
Game #2: Counting lions
Game #2: Counting lions
How many lions are there in the book? See if your child can add them all up and write the number on their whiteboard.
Game #3: Sleepy time
Game #3: Sleepy time
Owl has some great ideas to help Arlo get to sleep. Have a chat to your child about what helps them get to sleep – reading a story like this one can help! You could ask them to imagine the places they’d like to see, just like Arlo. If they have problems settling, our sleep section has tips that can help.
Game #4: Singalong
Game #4: Singalong
Arlo and Owl sing together to help them get to sleep. Can your child make up a tune for their song? You could record them singing it on your phone, then play it back at bedtime.
Game #5: Watch a film of this story
Game #5: Watch a film of this story
Your child can watch a film of Arlo being read aloud and join in with a special activity on the Scottish Book Trust website.
My First Book of Woodland Animals by Zoë Ingram
Game #1: Draw a woodland animal
Game #1: Draw a woodland animal
There are lots of lovely pictures of animals and insects in the book. Can your child draw their favourite? Have a chat together about the animal. What do their footprints look like? How about their poo?! They could even give their animal a name and make up a story about them.
Game #2: Animal spotting
Game #2: Animal spotting
The book is about animals that live in woodland, but you can see lots of them in towns and cities too, like grey squirrels and foxes. Next time you’re out and about together, see how many birds and animals your child can spot.
Game #3: Make a bird feeder
Game #3: Make a bird feeder
If you want to see more birds from your window, why not get your child to make a simple bird feeder to attract them? The RSPB has lots of great ideas for making bird feeders here. See if your child can follow the instructions on their own, to practise their reading.
Game #5: Watch a film of this story
Game #5: Watch a film of this story
Your child can watch a film of My First Book of Woodland Animals being read aloud on the Scottish Book Trust website and then take part in a fun activity.
Inch and Grub by Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts
Game #1: Hands up
Game #1: Hands up
There are lots of handprints in the book. Can your child make their own handprint, either using paint or by drawing round their hand with a pencil, pen or crayon? Can they turn their handprint into something else? This video from CBeebies shows them how to turn a picture of handprint into a rocket, like the one in the book.
Game #2: Feeling the feels
Game #2: Feeling the feels
Inch and Grub have lots of different feelings throughout the story. Have a look through the book with your child and see if they can work out how the two caveman are feeling from the expressions on their faces: cross, happy, surprised, worried? Can they make the same facial expressions? Or maybe draw an emoji-style picture to show the different feelings?
Game #3: Sharing is caring
Game #3: Sharing is caring
At the end of the book, Inch and Grub realise that being kind and sharing is more important than having lots of stuff. Why not have a chat to your child about this, and encourage them to do something kind for a friend or family member? They could draw them a picture, bake them a cake, or do something to help them.
Game #4: Watch a film of this story
Game #4: Watch a film of this story
Your child can watch a film of Inch and Grub being read aloud on the Scottish Book Trust website, then try a fun activity at the end.
Accessible versions of the P1 Bookbag books
If your child has a print disability, here are accessible versions of the P1 Bookbug books.