Useful new feature on our Teaching Clock resource
After a welcome user request we have been delighted to make an enhancement to our popular Teaching Clock resource.
Welcome to our blog
Latest News from Teaching Vacancies
Over 80% of state schools are now using the excellent Teaching Vacancies service.
Great New Maverick Reading Books
We've just finished reading the latest releases to Maverick Publishing's excellent Maverick Early Readers scheme and we've been delighted with them.
Free Online Autism training
The online course is funded by the UK government and is available in England. It is designed to help with the understanding of the spectrum of autistic disorders.
Christmas Jumper Designer
Check out our brand new Christmas Jumper Designer game which is just the thing for getting creative this festive season.
Caterpillar Ordering Enhancements
We love to get constructive feedback on our games and in response to one request we have improved our popular Caterpillar Ordering and Chinese Dragon Ordering games with sixteen additional modes.
Today's Number a New Early Years Game
We are excited to announce the launch of our latest maths game aimed at the early years age group. It is called Today's Number and it consists of several activities which focus on each of the numbers to 20.
Free Aquafresh Shine Bright Resources
Aquafresh Shine Bright aims to help children develop good oral health with free curriculum-linked resources suitable for 4 to 7 year olds.
Free Recycling Week Resources
To mark the start of Recycling Week which begins today, 20th September 2021, Recycle Now have launched some free, engaging resources for primary schools.
Super Poetry Competition
The Young Writers website has a great poetry competition called 'Peculiar Pets'. If you're a teacher of 7 to 11 year olds it's a great opportunity to inspire their creative imaginations.
Free Teaching Vacancies Service
Are you looking for a new teaching job? Teaching Vacancies Service is a free-to-use job listing service from the Department for Education. We think it's great that schools in England have an opportunity to save thousands of pounds in recruitment advertising.
Latest Readers from Maverick
We were really excited to receive the latest selection of Maverick Early Readers and Chapter Readers. We've been fans for some time of the engaging Maverick Early Readers titles, which are a stepping stones to the Chapter Readers, and the new titles certainly don't disappoint.
New Carroll Diagrams Multiples Game
Today we've added another new interactive Carroll Diagram game based on sorting pairs of multiples, to add to our others which focus on odd and even numbers and 2D shapes.
QR Codes on Topmarks
You may have noticed that some of our pages featuring our games have QR codes, which provide a faster and more intuitive way to load games than by entering the URLs manually.
New Balloon Phonics Game
We would like to introduce Balloon Phonics, our latest free literacy game. It provides an excellent introduction to decoding words for those children at the start of their journey in learning to read.
New Robot More or Less game launched
Today we've released our latest maths game, Robot More or Less. It's an addition and subtraction game that provides steady progression for students who are developing their mental maths skills.
Paint the Squares Updated
We've made our popular Paint the Squares resource even better adding more paint and hide number options, more grids including negative numbers and decimals, and also puzzles.
Lifebuoy’s Soaper Heroes
The National School's Partnership and Lifebouy have teamed up to launch a new hygiene education initiative called The Soaper Heroes.
Maverick Early Reader Books - New Releases
If you are a teacher looking to update or supplement the range of your reading schemes, then take a look at Maverick Publishing's Early Readers.
New Place Value Investigation launched
Bead Numbers is our latest online game which is designed to challenge children's understanding of place value.
Carroll Diagrams - Odd and Even
We've just launched Carroll Diagrams - Odd and Even which is an interactive game designed for 6 to 9 year olds.
New Carroll Diagrams Game Launched
We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new maths game called 2D Shapes Sorting Using Carroll Diagrams. It has been designed to help children's understanding of classifying data according to two variable criteria.
New Subtraction Game Launched
We've just launched Subtraction to 10, another free maths game for children aged 5 or 6 years of age. Each calculation features a subtraction within 10, along with a pictorial representation of the start number.
Yet Another New Addition Game Launched
We've just launched a second new addition game this week. It's called Robot Addition and it has three levels: Addition to 10, Addition to 15 and Addition to 20.
New Addition Game Launched
We are delighted to launch a brand new Addition to 10 game. It is aimed at young children who are being introduced to the concept of addition.
Storyline Online streams Children's Books and it's free!
A favourite website of ours is Storyline Online which streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading beautifully illustrated children’s books.
Free ebooks from Oxford Owl
Oxford Owl are expanding their range of free ebooks for the duration of the UK school closures so children between the ages of 3 and 11 can be supported at home with their reading.
Great Home Learning Resources
We've come across some super free home learning resources for primary-aged children...
Hit the Button app now available for Windows and Mac
We're excited to announce that our highly popular Hit the Button mental maths app is now also available for Windows, and for Mac!
Learn with Maverick Early Readers
It’s always exciting to see more new book releases from the Maverick Publishing house, and to know that there are more titles to inspire children into reading is great news!
Take part in Aldi's Kit for Schools campaign
This exciting new campaign from Aldi, in association with Team GB and the British Olympic Association, is part of the Get Set to Eat Fresh initiative that inspires children towards healthy food choices.
Into Film Festival 2019 - join in!
Taking place each year, the Into Film Festival is designed for 5-19 year olds, aiming to help teachers and other educators inspire young people to watch, understand and make film in new and creative ways.
Celebrate Roald Dahl Day 2019!
Who doesn’t love the fabulous stories of Roald Dahl? Young and old alike adore these rich stories to fire the imagination, so join in the celebrations for Roald Dahl Day, 2019.
Try the 10 Minute Shake Up
Change4Life and Disney inspire a new campaign called 10 Minute Shake Up to boost physical activity levels during the school day.
Have you tried our Topmarks font yet?
Downloads of the Topmarks fonts have hit 10,000! If you've not yet tried it, why not join the thousands of people already enjoying it?
MoneySense - Free Classroom Resources
The National Schools Partnership network has let us know about a free financial education programme from NatWest.
New book titles - Maverick Early Readers
With the help of a great guided reading program like Maverick Early Readers, children can make fantastic in-roads to becoming passionate readers
Get practising times tables
Are your children going to be tested under the new Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) assessment? Make sure you take advantage of Topmarks' Hit the Button game to help get them ready!
RE resources for Foundation and KS1
Make the most of a new set of open-access resources developed to encourage children to engage with the world around them, learning about different faiths.
FREE Teach Your Monster to Read App
This week there is a great promotion on for the learning app, Teach Your Monster to Read.
The Big Battery Hunt is back for 2019
Following a successful launch year, The Big Battery Hunt is back for 2019!
Maverick Early Readers - Review
Helping children learn to read is just the start on their journey to developing a life-long passion for reading!
Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut with STEM ideas
Have you seen the challenge programme, Mission X: Train Like and Astronaut 2019? Focusing on fitness and nutrition, it’s a great plan full of STEM activities to encourage pupils with training missions to improve strength, balance, coordination and more.
Hit the Button App Updated!
We've listened to your feedback and updated our popular Hit the Button App to make it even better.
Change4Life - ways to cut down on sugar
Topmarks has been exploring a new set of teaching resources, Sugar Smart World, from Change4Life, set to inspire teachers, parents and children to eat less sugar.
Maths worksheets for Christmas
Topmarks is excited to announce our brand new collection of maths worksheets, especially created with Christmas themes. Great to use in the run-up to the holiday season!
RSPB Big Schools' Birdwatch is coming!
Are you joining in with the Big Schools' Birdwatch project, early in 2019?
Christmas Patterns - brand new game for festive learning
As Christmas draws closer, enjoy this new idea for children's learning that is full of festive fun! Christmas Patterns is ideal for 3 to 8 year olds.
Vegetable Maths Masters Free App
Take a look at this recently launched maths learning app, which is called Vegetable Maths Masters, for school children!
New updates for learning - Chopper Squad
Topmarks is excited to reveal a new update to our popular primary-age 'more or less' maths game, Chopper Squad. Now, it has new levels for counting on grids up to 20.
Enjoy Happy Eggventures with The Happy Egg Co
Look out for this fun new resource – the Happy Eggventures - designed for Key Stage 2 pupils, from the National Schools Partnership and the happy egg company.
Reading is fun! Teach Your Monster to Read
Special Offer! There's a great promotion on for the learning app, Teach Your Monster to Read.
Young Imagineers! Develop your problem-solving skills
Encourage the young inventors of tomorrow in your classroom. With this resource and competition from National Schools Partnership, called Young Imagineers, pupils' imaginations will really be firing!
Be inspired in this art competition from Co-op
Reinforcing messages about where food comes from is oh-so-important and Topmarks loves this new initiative from Co-op and the National Schools Partnership.
Get ready for National Poetry Day - coming soon!
This year's National Poetry Day will be here before we know it, coming up on 4 October 2018 – another fabulous chance to celebrate performing, reading and writing poetry!
Speak out Stay safe - NSPCC child safety campaign
Has your school received a visit from the NSPCC, encouraging children to seek help if they feel at risk or in danger? The charity's 'Speak out. Stay safe.' programme is FREE!
Toy Shop Money - learning game
Topmarks is excited to reveal a new update to our popular primary-age money game, 'Toy Shop Money Game'. Now, it's fully playable in GBP, AUD, USD and EUR currencies!
EconoME - lesson ideas for teaching decision making
Be prepared for the new term, with ready-made curriculum-linked lesson ideas to help with learning the importance of critical thinking and decision making – look out for the EconoME initiative.
Learn to tell the time - Teaching Clock
Topmarks is excited to announce a brand new resource, called Teaching Clock. It's great for primary age children, who are learning how to tell the time, in analogue and digital format.
Brand new maths game – Multiples and Factors
Ready for more fun learning with Topmarks? All aboard for a great new children's mental maths game that's called Multiples and Factors!
Get involved with the Big Butterfly Count 2018
Nature needs our help! Here's a real-life science project that everyone can help with – the big butterfly count is on now, running until 20 August 2018, so don't miss out
New updates for learning! Helicopter Rescue
Topmarks is excited to announce all-new ideas to help young children with identifying and working with numbers. We've added more levels to our Helicopter Rescue game to suit!
Topmarks' Coins Learning Game Gets Even Better
Get your children money-savvy with all-new updates to our Coins Game, with sorting, ordering and counting activities now in other currencies, as well as Pounds Sterling!
Sequencing and problem-solving - Shape Patterns game!
Look out for this brand new learning game from us at Topmarks, it's called Shape Patterns! It's designed for children aged 3-8 years to recognise shapes and solve patterns.
Rocket Rounding Blasts Off!
It's time for another new learning game from Topmarks. Not only did we release Mental Maths Train a few days ago, but by popular demand, now here's our Rocket Rounding game too. 3…2…1…Lift off!
New game to play! Mental Maths Train
Topmarks is excited to add a new game to our growing collection of learning resources – this one is called Mental Maths Train
Stay active with BBC Super Movers
The FIFA World Cup is on everyone's lips right now, so the message of getting active and staying healthy is fun to get across. But how can teachers keep that up? Take a look at the BBC's Super Movers campaign.
Be eco-friendly with Roots & Shoots
It's vital we do more to save planet Earth, and the issue of single-use plastic is a hot topic. Topmarks is loving the education programme at Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots site, helping to raise environmental awareness.
New learning ideas from My School Rocks!
Get toes tapping and fire children's creativity, with a new programme called My School Rocks! Inspired by the West End hit, School of Rock the Musical, it's sure to fuel everyone's imaginations.
Top 10 tips for exam revision
With exam season looming ever closer, Topmarks is here to help! It can be an anxious time, but follow these stress-free tips for revising, and you might find yourself at the top of the class.
Primary Maths Challenge 2018
Calling all maths coordinators, and teachers looking to boost maths confidence and motivation in their classrooms - try the Primary Maths Challenge in 2018!
Here comes the sun - time to Wrap, Splat, Hat!
As summer's marching ever closer, it's vital not to miss out on sun protection. Now's the time to make sure your 3-11 year-olds are ready, with Wrap, Splat, Hat!
Brand new maths game - Measuring in centimetres
Another new free game for you to enjoy! We hope you love our latest, tablet-friendly maths game called Measuring in Centimetres. It's designed for children aged 5 to 9, as an introduction to working with a ruler.
Shape Monsters - new learning game
Fantastic for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learners, Topmarks is excited to announce a new learning game. Helping young children recognise basic shapes, the Shape Monsters are here!
Get set - and safe - for summer: Soltan
It may not quite be heat wave season yet, but here at Topmarks, we are looking forward to summer sun! And along with that, it means staying skin-safe, of course.
STEM idea - Google Chrome Music Lab
Try this fun new idea for learning music, with a technology slant! Song Maker is a great new addition to the Chrome Music Lab suite.
RHS Campaign for School Gardening
Outdoor learning… Appreciating the fresh air and healthier lifestyles… Improving physical and mental well-being… A garden is a great way to teach young people about their environment, with many direct benefits!
The Mary Rose - Tudors learning topic
Are your class studying Henry VIII and the Tudors? It's a popular history topic and we want to share a great resource from the Mary Rose Museum that's sure to inspire!
Mother's Day Card
Are you looking for inspiration for a Mother's Day card for your class?
British Science Week: 9-18 March 2018
Look out for this celebration of all things STEM-related in the next couple of weeks, as schools and communities will be joining in with events and activities around science, technology, engineering and maths!
New game - Let's Compare
Have you seen the brand new learning game by Topmarks for early years' children? Let's Compare is out now!
Big Battery Hunt campaign
The Big Battery Hunt is a new initiative hoping to make a positive difference to our planet and the way that young people think about recycling batteries.
Be Prepared! Place Value for Year 1 numeracy lessons
Handy classroom ideas – here's a new update to our regular 'Be Prepared!' series to inspire you while lesson planning. We're here to help when time is scarce, so this idea's about upcoming numeracy lessons for Year 1 on place value...
New resource - STEM electricity circuits
Did you know we're constantly checking and updating the Topmarks' database of learning resources? Fully searchable, you can find a wealth of material across every curriculum area. Like this new STEM idea...
Be Prepared! Numeracy conversions
Here to help! We know the pressures of lesson planning, so we're starting a feature here on the Topmarks blog to help make your planning easier. Look out for our regular updates, "Be Prepared!"
Shakespeare Week: 12-18 March 2018
Have you heard of Shakespeare Week? Mark the date in your diary for 12-18 March 2018, for this national celebration of all things Shakespeare, for primary-age children.
Craft activity for Chinese New Year of the Dog 2018
Make a start on Chinese New Year classroom crafts. It's the Year of the Dog in 2018, beginning on 16 February, and children will love crafting this art picture to celebrate!
New game - Place Value Basketball
Our brand new counting game is all set to help children with place value. Understanding the concept of hundreds, tens and ones can be difficult, but this FREE game, called Place Value Basketball, is designed to make learning easy.
New goals for learning in 2018
With the start of a new year, it's a great time to set new targets for personal development.
Daily 10 Mental Maths Challenge Launched
Due to popular demand we have created a new free mental maths teaching resource called Daily 10. It spans all primary age groups, with levels corresponding to the curriculum requirements in England of year groups from 1 to 6.
Facebook Messenger Kids
Facebook has launched Messenger Kids which is a video calling and messenger app designed for children to connect with friends and family
Brilliant Maths Assessment Resources
White Rose Maths have released new free primary maths assessments, for Years 1 to 6, which are aligned to their excellent schemes of learning.
Free Books for Secondary Schools
Schools in England can sign up before 22 December to receive FREE school library packs of books to boost their school library or classroom stock. The offer is being administered by the Booktrust
Children and the news - Young Journalist Academy
The Young Journalist Academy, celebrating its 10th year, has announced a new trial scheme helping to raise children's awareness and engagement with news and current affairs.
New More or Less Game
Last week we launched another new game, Chopper Squad which is designed to help children learning the concept of one more or less and ten more or less.
Two New Maths Games Launched
This week we've added two new tablet friendly maths games: Coconut Odd or Even and Coconut Multiples. They are similar games but they cover different mathematical concepts.
Free Film Screenings
The annual nationwide Into Film Festival is now open for free bookings. The Festival takes place during the weeks from 8-24 November 2017 and it is the world's largest free film and education event for young people.
Brand New Mental Maths Game - Helicopter Rescue
We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new maths game, Helicopter Rescue, which is based on number charts and is designed to help children get to grips with two-digit numbers.
New Maths Ordering Game Launched
Have you seen our new Coconut Ordering maths game yet? It's been designed to help children compare and order different numbers from the early basics to decimal numbers.
Blast Off Launched - Our new two-digit numbers game
We hope you love our new, tablet friendly maths game called Blast Off. It's for 5 to 8 year olds and it's designed to help children identify and work with two digit numbers beginning with the numbers 10 to 20.
Place Value Charts Update
We have added a United States variant to our popular Place Value Charts resource due to differing conventions in how numbers are presented in word form between the UK and the US.
New Coins Game Launched
In response to your requests we've launched a brand new Coins Game. It is designed for 4-10 year olds and as with all our own games it's tablet friendly.
A Free Tablet Friendly Number Charts Resource
We're delighted to release our latest free number charts resource. It's called Paint the Squares and it works really well both as a teacher demonstration tool or a resource for children to explore number patterns.
New £1 Coin for Toy Shop Money Game
Tomorrow, 28 March 2017, the new £1.00 coin comes into circulation in the UK. The good news is we've updated our Toy Shop Money game with the new coin.
Maths Planning Made Easy
The White Rose Maths site could save you hours in planning your maths lessons. Designed to support the National Curriculum requirements in England, experts have put together term by term maths planning from Reception to Year 9.
Superb Science Resource
We've been exploring ypte, the Young Person's Trust For the Environment, a charity website set up for the purpose of promoting young people's understanding of the environment and of the need for sustainability.
FuseSchool Free Learning Platform
FuseSchool is a superb free online learning platform managed and run by the Fuse Foundation. Available free of charge, FuseSchool is aimed at the secondary age group.
Fantastic Free 'Green' Teaching Resources
Sustainable Learning is a fantastic primary resource site with ideas about the natural world, to help teachers inspire children about sustainability through cross-curricular learning.
MoneySense Education Programme
Nat West's MoneySense Education Programme for schools in the UK and the Republic of Ireland offers lots of support and practical help for pupils learning about money in a real and relevant way.
Toy Shop Money Game Launched
We're delighted to have just launched our new primary money game called Toy Shop Money. It's suitable for 4 - 11 year olds and like all our maths games, it's tablet friendly.
Reach Out Reporter
Reach Out Reporter is a free online primary science news service, created by Tigtag and Imperial College, London, which helps teachers integrate topical science into everyday teaching and learning.
A Great Game for Learning French
We've been looking at the award-winning KLOO game called 'Race to Paris' which is designed for both beginners and pre-intermediate learners of French and we are very impressed.
Virtual Reality Field Trips from Google Expeditions
Google has just opened up their Google Expeditions Pioneer Programme to more schools across the UK. Imagine being able to take your students on immersive journeys to places you never thought possible.
New Great Fire of London Website
Exactly 350 years ago from September 2nd and September 5th 1666 the Great Fire of London was raging. To mark this milestone a new fantastic website has been created called The Great Fire of London.
New Number Fact Families Maths Game
We've been busy making more maths games this summer and our latest, Number Fact Families, is aimed at 6 to 11 year olds.
It's the Big Butterfly Count
If you're in the UK how about joining in the the Big Butterfly Count which runs from 15 July to Sunday 7 August, 2016?
Q-Files Online Children's Encylopedia
Q-Files is a superb, illustrated online encyclopedia for children. It is an ideal reference tool in primary schools as it is written in child friendly language and covers a wide range of subjects
New Subtraction Grids Maths Game
We've just launched a new tablet friendly mental maths game called Subtraction Grids which is ideal for 6 to 11 year olds.
Science and Plants for Schools
We have just added Science and Plants for Schools to our search engine. It is a brilliant site which supports the teaching of plant science for age groups from 4 to 18 years.
Free Online Classical 100 Music Resource
Classical 100 is a free music resource for use in primary schools that is already being used by 2500 schools and is now available throughout the UK.
Hit the Button App now Available for Kindle Fires
We are delighted to announce that due to popular demand our best selling Hit the Button Maths app is now available on Kindle Fire tablets, from the Amazon Appstore.
Hit the Button Gets Even Better!
Have you noticed? A few days ago we updated our free Hit the Button online game to include times tables up to 12 in line with new curriculum requirements in England.
Tried the Primary Maths Challenge yet?
Have you tried the Primary Maths Challenge in your school yet?
Free Barefoot Computing Programme for Teachers
If you're a primary school teacher in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the Barefoot Computing Programme provides free, high-quality resources to boost your confidence with the computer science elements of the computing curriculum.
Reach Out Free Science Resources
The BETT show 2016 produced a very worthy award winner in the Reach Out Continuing Professional Development site which we first featured in our blog post last June.
Two New Chinese New Year Resources
It will be Chinese New Year in 17 days on 8 February 2016! Chinese New Year always proves to be a really popular topic in primary schools and this year we have added two new craft activities to our existing resources.
New Symmetry Games
We hope you enjoy our newly launched Symmetry Sorting maths game which we have created to complement our new Symmetry Matching game. Both games involve recognising reflective symmetry.
New free Symmetry Matching Game
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new free Symmetry Matching game for 4-8 year olds.
The Early Humans History Pack
Earlier this month we reviewed the fantastic Teaching Packs website. The Early Humans History Pack is a brand new addition to the Teaching Packs range and it's brilliant!
Hit the Button Maths App Hits the iPad Charts!
We are absolutely blown away and thrilled that our new Hit the Button Maths app has reached #2 in the Education iPad charts in the UK!
Fantastic Teaching Packs to save you time!
With all the stresses of the new term any ideas to reduce teachers' workload are very welcome. Various sites have sprung up over the last few years with printable resources for primary schools which are ideal to dip into when you need display resources.
Two Useful Place Value Teaching Resources
Here are two useful place value teaching tools that work together really well. They're ideal for demonstration on an interactive whiteboard too. The first is our own Place Value Charts resource...
The Hit the Button Maths App is Here!
We're always being asked whether we have an apps for iPads and Android tablets. Well, we have now! Our brand new Hit the Button Maths app builds upon our popular web game with some extra features...
Hit the Button App Coming Soon
We hope you're enjoying a good summer break and have recharged your batteries. Meanwhile we have been beavering away to bring you a brand new app which we are really excited to tell you about.
Free Film Screenings for Schools and Youth Groups
Have you heard of the free film screenings for schools and youth groups called the Into Film Festival?
Free Topmarks Fonts are Launched!
We are thrilled to launch brand new, freely downloadable Topmarks fonts which are ideal for use by early years and primary school teachers.
Free Online Course in Teaching Computing
Do you feel confident in delivering the Computing curriculum that was introduced in England in September 2014? If not you may be interested in a free online course designed especially for primary and Key Stage 3 secondary school teachers.
Free Science CPD for UK Primary Teachers
Do you teach primary science? If so you may be interested in Reach Out, a free Continuing Professional Development online resource designed especially to support teachers in the UK with the science curriculum.
Learn Computer Coding with Code.org
One recent brilliant addition to our search engine is Code.org, a site which gives a fantastic introduction to computer coding. It has lots of free tutorials...
Free Online Courses
FutureLearn offers a diverse selection of free courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world.
Great Free App for Place Value, Addition and Subtraction
Number Pieces Basic, designed for primary students, is freely available for the iPad with no in-app purchases so is ideal for school use.
A Brilliant Behaviour Management Idea
Recently we learned of a brilliant class behaviour management idea which works really well in primary classrooms. It's known as Mystery Walker and is aimed at improving pupils' behaviour when moving round school.
Three Cool Websites for Practical Science
Do you sometimes need inspiration for practical science ideas in the primary classroom? If so you may like to check out these cool websites which are bursting with exciting ideas and ideal to try with primary aged children.
YouTube without the Ads and Comments!
If you use YouTube either at home or school then you will have noticed the distraction of ads that play before the content and comments below the video that can be inappropriate for a young audience. This is where SafeShare.TV comes into its own.
Area Builder Maths Resource
We've just added an exceptional maths site to our search engine called Area Builder. We love it because it has a teaching section which is ideal for...
The first day of Spring and a Solar Eclipse in the UK
It's one of those rare days today, 20th March 2015, where several celestial events occur. Not only is it the spring equinox, the first day of spring, the date when the hours of day and night are the same, but there is a solar eclipse and a supermoon too.
Resources for Shakespeare Week
Did you know it's Shakespeare Week, a national annual celebration designed to introduce primary school children to Shakespeare's life, work and times in a fun way? The official Shakespeare Week site, coordinated by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, has free downloadable resources for educators.
Free Primary Maths App - Pattern Shapes
The fantastic primary maths iOS app called Pattern Shapes is free with no in-app purchases, so downloading it is a no-brainer. It's very versatile and can be used throughout the primary age range.
Explore our free Easter Resources
Easter will soon be upon us! We've lots of Easter themed primary age classroom resources which include an illustrated Easter story, Easter traditions such as the Easter Bunny, and Easter craftables and recipes.
A Clever Classroom Idea for Dice Games
We want to share a great idea for the primary classroom, one which is so simple we wish we had thought of it. It's the use of dice in small, see-through containers when playing maths games in the primary classroom.
Full of the Joys of Spring?
Are you full of the joys of spring? Well maybe not if you are back at school tomorrow after half-term. However, spring is just round the corner and if you're planning a topic on the spring season then our comprehensive All about Spring topic may be just the thing you're looking for.
It's Chinese New Year of the Goat!
Happy Chinese New Year to all those celebrating today! It's now the Year of the Goat (Sheep or Ram), which is the eighth animal in the Chinese Zodiac cycle.
Number Rack - Free on the Web and iPad
A cracking teaching resource that we've added to our search engine recently is Number Rack. It's available either on the web or as a free app on iPad and iPhone.
Free Mini-book Templates for Lapbooks
Following our recent popular post suggesting lapbooks for topic work we've created additional mini-book templates which you are welcome to download below for free.
Chinese Dragon Game
Have you seen our tablet friendly Chinese Dragon Game which involves ordering and sequencing numbers and that we designed especially with Chinese New Year in mind?
How to Inspire Young Scientists
We love The Royal Institution's science site called ExperRimental and it's just one of the latest additions to our search engine. It has fabulous short films of science experiments for children. Just the thing to spark an interest in science in youngsters.
DK Findout! Looks Fabulous
We are delighted to have added a link in our search engine to a fabulous children's online encyclopaedia called 'DKfindout!' from DK (formerly Dorling Kindersley). The good news is that it is free!
New Teaching Resources for Chinese New Year
We've been busy making additions to our Chinese New Year pages for 2015.
An End to the Mountain of Paperwork?
Ask any teacher what the worst things about the job are, and our guess is that the mountain paperwork that you accumulate over time, will be on the list. We think help may be at hand...
Learn a Language for Free with Duolingo
We think Duolingo is a fabulous free languages site. So if you fancy learning a language, and there are a growing number to choose from, how about joining 50 million people around the world who have been doing just that with Duolingo?
Lapbooks for Topic Work
Lately I've been seeing topic work displayed in lapbooks, which may be called layer books or flap books. They are basically folders containing topic work in different formats of 'mini-books' such as pockets, flap books, facts and pictures.
It's Chinese New Year on 19 Feb 2015
It's Chinese New Year on 19 February 2015 when it will be the Year of the Goat. The number of people looking at our Chinese New Year resources is starting to really ramp up.
Welcome to The Topmarks Blog
We're very excited to welcome you to our new blog! We will of course be sharing fantastic teaching and learning resources with you including new content on Topmarks, the best recent additions to our search engine and our latest maths games.
