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
- Brenda is a Sheep by Morag Hood
- My First Book of Birds illustrated by Zoë Ingram
- This is a Dog by Ross Collins
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.
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Game#2: Fun with numbers
Game#2: Fun with numbers
P1 bookbug bag whiteboard with pen and colourful number magnets
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!
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Game#3: Dominoes
Game#3: Dominoes
Game of dominoes being played on the whiteboard
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.
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Brenda is a Sheep
Game #1: Fancy dress
Game #1: Fancy dress
Cover of children's picture book Brenda is a Sheep by Morag Hood, showing a smiling wolf in a jumper
The sheep in the book all dress up as Brenda. See if your child can make a Brenda costume – what could they use to make a long pointy nose? A cardboard cone? How about a long fluffy tail? And of course they’ll need a nice woolly jumper too.
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Game #2: I'm a sheep
Game #2: I'm a sheep
Brenda does all the things that sheep do. What does your child think these things are? Would they like to be a sheep? What animal would they like to be?
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Game #3: Spot the jumper
Game #3: Spot the jumper
There are lots of woolly jumpers in the book! Can your child count how many? Maybe they could draw their own cosy jumper design?
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Game #4: Green kitchen
Game #4: Green kitchen
At the end of the story, the sheep make lots of different meals and snacks from grass. How about finding all the green things in your kitchen and seeing what you can make together. A green smoothie? Broccoli soup? A nice salad? You can use our recipe section for inspiration.
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Game #5: Counting sheep
Game #5: Counting sheep
Counting imaginary sheep jumping over a fence is a traditional way to help you get to sleep. You could talk about this with your wee one when they’re settling down for the night, especially if they say they can’t sleep. What other animals could they count? You can find more top tips for bedtime here.
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Game #6: Watch a film of this story
Game #6: Watch a film of this story
Your child can watch a film of Brenda is a Sheep being read aloud and join in with a special activity on the Scottish Book Trust website.
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My First Book of Birds
Game #1: Draw a bird
Game #1: Draw a bird
Children's picture book My First Book of Birds, with bird illustrations on the cover
There are lots of lovely pictures of birds in the book. Can your child draw their own bird? They could use the book for inspiration, or make their own bird up – the more colourful and exotic the better! If you have any craft supplies lying around, like feathers, pom-poms or glitter, they could use these to decorate their bird. Where would their bird live? What would its nest and eggs look like? They could even make up a wee story about their bird.
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Game #2: Bird spotting
Game #2: Bird spotting
The birds in the book are all birds that can be seen in Britain if you know where to look! How many can you spot together from your windows, or see in the park? Your little one can tick off the birds they see in the back of the book. Can they spot any birds that aren’t in the book? You could use the RSPB’s online bird identifier together to work out what they are.
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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.
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Game #4: Watch a film of this story
Game #4: Watch a film of this story
Your child can watch a film of My First Book of Birds being read aloud on the Scottish Book Trust website and then take part in a fun activity.
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This is a Dog
Game #1: Naming animals
Game #1: Naming animals
Children's picture book This is a Dog, featuring a dog with a pencil in its mouth
There are lots of different animals in the book. Can your little one think of an animal for every letter of the alphabet? Maybe they could practise writing out the letters, and then draw pictures of their favourite animals to illustrate them?
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Game #2: Animal races
Game #2: Animal races
The dog plays a trick on the other animals and they all run away. Ask your child which animals they think can run faster. What about other animals, like cheetahs, or hippos? (Hint – you can find a list of the fastest animals on Wikipedia if you want to seem super knowledgeable!)
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Game #3: Name that noise
Game #3: Name that noise
The different animals in the book all make different noises. Ask your wee one what you think those noises are. Can they spell them out or write them down? Woof and meow are fairly easy but what about the noise an elephant makes?!
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Game #4: Animal dress up
Game #4: Animal dress up
The dog in the book tries disguising itself as an elephant. Can your child make their own animal disguise? What kind of animal would they like to be? They could draw a mask, or make ears from cardboard and a tail from old socks or tights.
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Game #5: Watch a film of this story
Game #5: Watch a film of this story
Your child can watch a film of This is a Dog being read aloud on the Scottish Book Trust website, then try a fun activity at the end.
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Accessible versions of the P1 Bookbag books
If your child has a print disability, here are accessible versions of the P1 Bookbug books.