The LinkyThinks Blog
Tips, ideas and strategies to help your child at home, at school and beyond.
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Why success in English Is all about balance
When children struggle in English, it’s rarely because they lack ideas.
More often, it’s because those ideas are out of balance.
Success in English depends on proportion. On knowing how much of something to include, where to place it and how to blend it properly.
Want to improve your child’s writing? Start with speaking
If you want your child to become a better writer, one of the most effective places to start is with speaking.
That might sound surprising.
But strong speaking and strong writing are deeply connected.
Why speaking sharpens writing
When we speak clearly and fluently, something important is happening in the brain.
Our thoughts have to be organised before they leave our mouth. We have to structure ideas in real time. We have to think ahead.
Good speakers naturally develop a sense of:
Pace
Rhythm
Clarity
Logical flow
All of those qualities translate directly onto the page.
Writing is not just about vocabulary and punctuation. It’s about shaping ideas coherently. Speaking trains that skill in a dynamic way.
The words you use shape the world you see
Vocabulary isn’t just about sounding clever in an exam.
It shapes how we experience the world.
The words we choose don’t simply describe what’s happening around us. They influence how we interpret it. This idea is known as linguistic framing.
And it has far-reaching effects…
Exams don’t test what you know. They test your ability to communicate what you know.
There’s a common misunderstanding about exams.
People say exams test your knowledge.
They don’t. Not really.
Exams are not mind-reading machines. They cannot see what you understand or what you’ve memorised. They can only assess how well you communicate your understanding or knowledge.
And that difference matters.
One tiny word that causes big Comprehension problems
There’s one small word that regularly trips children up in comprehension.
It’s not a long, complicated word.
It’s why.
When we see why in a question, we know it means: give a reason.
But many children don’t actually answer the reason. They answer something else.
Children love spotting mistakes
Most children enjoy playing the role of teacher. They like feeling knowledgeable. Capable. Slightly superior, even.
When you intentionally make a mistake, you hand them that role.
Suddenly they are the expert.
They’re watching carefully. They’re analysing. They’re ready to correct you.
That process strengthens their understanding far more than passively listening to an explanation.
Try getting it wrong, to help them get it right
Here’s a counterintuitive idea.
If you want to help your child learn something new, even if you don’t feel confident in the subject yourself, one of the most effective things you can do is model the wrong way to do it.
Yes, deliberately get it wrong.
It sounds strange. It works remarkably well.
Children love spotting mistakes
Most children enjoy playing the role of teacher. They like feeling knowledgeable. Capable. Slightly superior, even.
When you intentionally make a mistake, you hand them that role.
Suddenly they are the expert.
They’re watching carefully. They’re analysing. They’re ready to correct you.
That process strengthens their understanding far more than passively listening to an explanation.
Five common myths about building your child’s vocabulary (and what to do instead)
We all want to help our children grow into confident, expressive communicators. But when it comes to vocabulary-building, it’s easy to fall into old traps and tired techniques. Let’s bust a few myths…