4 Tips for Internet Safety for Children Preparing for the NNAT

The Internet is a great resource for children, especially ones taking the NNAT. There are a variety of educational sites that will help them with their core skills and sites dedicated to the NNAT test to help them with the question types and format of the test. Your child should use all of the resources available in order to properly prepare for the NNAT. However, the Internet can also be a dangerous place that can trick your children. Here are some tips for your child taking the NNAT for internet safety.

• Do not give out personal information. For adults and people used to the internet, we know that we should not give out our personal information on the internet. But children, especially ones taking the NNAT for kindergarten entrance, do not know that. They need to be told what is personal information, full names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. and why they should not give it out.
• Be careful about online friends. Make sure that your child knows not to make plans with the friends they have made on the internet, and that they should not be talking to strangers, even on the internet.
• Do not download items with permission. Even if this item is for NNAT preparation, they should not download it until mom or dad tell them that it is ok.
• Bullying. Hopefully your child studying for the NNAT does not experience Internet bullying. But if they do receive an angry or hate filled message, tell them to show it to you right away. You will be able to protect your children from online bullying and let them use the Internet for NNAT preparation.

The Internet is a great resource for NNAT preparation, and does not have to be a harmful place for your children. Click here for a site that you can use for NNAT preparation. Good luck on your NNAT test!

NYC Gifted and Talented Oops!

For many of our parents, they are preparing their children to apply for the NYC Gifted and Talented program, studying for the CogAT and NNAT-2. For next fall’s admissions, the NYC G&T program changed their scoring system for prioritizing children’s admission to the various programs. They moved away from the percentile rankings and onto the composite score, of the CogAT and NNAT. However, when parents received their scores, they only had the percentile rankings, not composite rankings.

The next big oops from the NYC Gifted and Talented program was the “misplacement” of 400 kids tests! This is from the last winter, and these test, the CogAT and NNAT, have only been found now and are being scored by hand. These poor parents still do not know how their children fared on the tests. The worst part is that when these concerned parents called into the DOE for information, they were turned away with phrases such as “we’ll call you back when we know something” and “We’ll look into it.” These parents did not even know their child’s important tests, the CogAT and NNAT, had been misplaced until the story hit the news. THEN they got information from the DOE.

The third oops from the NYC Gifted and Talented program was the wrong calculations of 2,700 children’s scores. Those children and their parents had been told that they did not qualify for the G&T seats, and are not eligible, because of their CogAT and NNAT scores. The mistakes in scoring that were made are three-fold:

• The students ages, used to determine their percentile ranking against children of a similar age was listed in years and months and should have been listed in days to be precise
• The scoring tables that were used were incorrect
• Finally the formula that the G&T used to combine the two test scores, the CogAT and NNAT, into one percentile ranking also was incorrect and had an error!

If you are a NYC parent and your child took the CogAT and NNAT, look out for your child’s scores!

 

3 Tips to Avoid Tantrums during NNAT Preparation

Everyone understands why children throw temper tantrums, especially during NNAT study sessions. They are still learning impulse control and how to deal with their emotions. They do not yet have the coping mechanisms adults have had decades to perfect, and so it is the parents’ job to teach them. Here are tips to avoid tantrums and get back to NNAT preparation.

• Establish good communication with your child: Know your child’s moods and how they react to situations. Do they need a nap in order to work at their best, and have a good NNAT session? After they eat, do they need time to digest or else they get cranky? Do they have too much energy after sitting still for long periods of time? Once you know their natural trigger points, you can work with them to avoid tantrums. Tell them, “I see that you get antsy after you sit still in a long car ride, do you want to do a fun running activity to make you feel better?” This will also help illuminate your child on why they get upset.
• Treat your child with respect: Simply because you are their parent and the one tasked with taking care of them, your children still do deserve your respect. Do not dismiss their feelings or look down upon them because they are still learning simple tasks. Patience is required when helping a child to grow, especially during the difficult task of NNAT preparation.
• Check on yourself during tantrums: Make sure that you are responding in the correct way to your child’s tantrum. Do not bargain with your child, as that sends them a message that they can get away with things with you. Do not respond with anger or frustration, as that can add to your child’s tantrum and will only succeed in upsetting both of you. Ignore the tantrum, but not the child. Soon enough you can back to your NNAT study session!

Tantrums are hard on both children and adults, especially during NNAT season! If you child is incredibly worked up, try a craft to soothe them down  Good luck studying for the NNAT!

4 Tips for Positive Children’s Behavior Taking the NNAT

One of the most essential parts of test prep, especially for the NNAT exam, is positivity. Positivity helps inspire confidence and can improve your child’s outlook on the test. However, this can be hard to foster in young children. These positivity skills can not only help improve their NNAT exam, but also improve their lives. Here are tips to help improve positivity in your children to help bolster their NNAT preparation.

• Show your love: Positive reinforcement is a great way to improve or foster positive behavior in children. Children naturally mirror the parents in their lives, so if you show them a positive attitude, they will most likely follow your lead. If you talk about how well your children are doing in NNAT prep and how well they will do on the NNAT, they will follow that lead.
• Accept your child for who they are: Do not expect your child to be a carbon copy of yourself. While you may be outgoing or spontaneous does not mean your child will inherit those traits. Accept them for who they are, and build their positivity and confidence in that way. That will contribute to better NNAT study sessions.
• Prioritize rules: Instead of having your child’s whole world become the word “No!” create a list of 5 (or so) rules and stick to them. Gear those rules towards the most important, safety and your sanity, and try to encourage good behavior in ways other than saying no. When they have a successful NNAT test prep session, tell them all the different ways they did well.
• Set a good example: If you want your child to be a positive child, then stay positive yourself. Stuck in bad traffic with your child in the back? They can hear you rant about the “stupid people” left out of the road. Plans ruined because of bad weather? Instead of lambasting the rain, turn it into an opportunity to play with your child in a way you have not before. Talk positively about NNAT test prep, and your child will hopefully follow suit.

Positivity is a trait that many adults struggle with, however is one trait that helps confidence and is great to foster in children. You can help foster this positivity in your children with the tips above, or this yoga for children’s video  Good luck studying for the NNAT!

3 Tips to Avoid Summer Slump for NNAT Kids

The summer is supposed to be a time when kids can run around and be free from learning and school, and especially tests like the NNAT. However, this lack of daily schoolwork creates something called the “summer slump” during which a child can lose an alarming amount of knowledge they gained during the school year. This is especially dangerous for children who need to take the NNAT in the fall. They need to practice their NNAT skills over the summer to keep them sharp. There are a lot of different options to keep the summer slump away for your children.  Here are 3 suggestions.

• Educational Camps: There is a huge selection for educational camps that will keep your child sharp, and thus NNAT ready, during the summer. Everything from summer camps to sewing camps to band camps are great for your child, to keep them striving towards knowledge.
• Workbooks: Workbooks are a great way to keep your child focused, especially on NNAT, during the summer. Purchase workbooks on the subjects your child took the school year before. Buy a workbook at the grade level they just completed, to reinforce the information, and buy a workbook at the grade level they are going into to, to prepare them for the new school year.
• Keep your children active: For good NNAT scores it is just as important to keep your children in shape as it is to educate them. You can set up a daily walk that you go on with your children. Keep a stash of outside toys, such as balls, hula hoops, and racquets, to encourage your children to play outside.

For a good NNAT score, you need to study with your child, but also be active with your child. An active body supports an active mind. You can see some more summer time tips here. Good luck on your NNAT preparation.

5 Summer Tips to Keep Your NNAT Child Safe

Summer is just around the corner and with it comes fun in the sun, at the beach, and in nature. You need to make sure your child is healthy for the NNAT exam. This freedom from school to go out and explore the world comes a possibility for everyone to hurt themselves. Here are tips to keep your child safe and healthy this summer, so they are ready for the NNAT exam.

• Carry around some bug repellent in order to keep your children from being eaten alive by the bugs that come out in the summer. Itchy bug bites can distract your child from their NNAT prep.
• Never leave your children alone or unsupervised around a pool. It does not matter their age or swimming ability, a person can drown silently in as little as a minute.
• Use sunscreen everyday. Even when it is cloudy out, you can get sunburn. Remember to reapply every 2 hours to keep your child from getting sunburn and being distracted from NNAT study.
• Make sure your children are well hydrated. Whether they are going to be out exercising or just playing in the sun, make sure your children as well hydrated before they start. Break every 15 minutes to half an hour for hydration depending on the activity and the heat outside. This will keep them hydrated and better able to concentrate on their NNAT prep.
• For playground safety, make sure their clothes are right. Avoid clothes with string hanging off of them, so they do not catch on playground equipment and hurt your child. Have your kids wear closed toe shoes in order to protect their feet.

For more information on how to keep your child safe, no matter the activity they are participating in this summer, check out this site. Good luck preparing for the NNAT!

8 Food Substitutions for NNAT Children

Proper nutrition is important for children who are preparing for the NNAT. In order to do their best on the NNAT, they need to eat properly. However this can be difficult when your child suffers from food allergies. Are they allergic to gluten or lactoce intolerant? It can be hard to keep your children happy when they cannot eat the same food as everyone else. Here are 8 food substitutions so you children can eat their favorite foods, and be ready for the NNAT test.

• For the lactose intolerant child, try to substitute cream in soups for potatoes, to make a smooth and creamy blended soup. Soup is a great meal for a hungry child just out of NNAT prep.
• Another substitution for the lactose intolerant child who is preparing for the NNAT exam. Substitute avocado for butter in baking.
• For a child who is allergic to gluten, but wants pizza, you can make pizza crust out of cauliflower!
• An allergy to gluten can seem to prevent a child from eating any pasta. However, for a NNAT child, there are a couple of pasta substitutes. You can peel zucchini into ribbons that look like spaghetti and tastes great with pasta sauce!
• For gluten free lasagna, thinly slice either zucchini or eggplant, which can serve as the “noodles”. A great-hearty meal to follow up studying for the NNAT.
• Try squash peeled into “spaghetti noodles” for almost any meal that calls for noodles.
• For gluten free baked chicken, try coating the chicken with almonds.
• For dessert, you can make a delicious chocolate pudding that is dairy-free with silken tofu and chocolate!

Don’t tell your children about the substitutions until they say they like the food. Then surprise them with how good Silken Tofu chocolate pudding can be! The full recipe for the pudding can be found here. Good luck preparing for the NNAT test!

4 Tips for Raising a Shy Child taking the NNAT

Raising a shy child has its own unique challenges. Your child loves your and trusts you, and you enjoy them being so close to their parents. But with your child having to take the NNAT proctored by a stranger, or having to go into a classroom full of new children, can be stressful for your child. Here are tips on how to ease your shy child into the classroom or into a NNAT testing situation.

• Encourage them to make eye contact: When your children are around people they are comfortable with, tell them to make eye contact with that person. This will help them to be comfortable making eye contact, and can apply that to making eye contact with people they do not know. This can help them feel more comfortable with their NNAT proctor.
• Be a role model for your children: Make sure that you are very friendly and open with everyone you meet, especially if you are in front of your child. You can show them that talking to strangers is not a scary feat and inspire confidence in themselves about talking to people they do not know. This will help them with their NNAT test.
• Gradual Exposure: If you know your child is incredibly shy and they need to start a new day care or are going to take the NNAT test, visit the new place. Visiting several times with mom or dad present can make the child feel more comfortable in this new environment. See if they can meet their new day care provider or some kids in the program and explain anything they do not understand. This will help them feel comfortable and be able to flourish.
• Appreciate them for who they are: It is easy to get discouraged with a shy or introverted child and not see the special talents they have. Shy or introverted children often have great passions for certain subjects. Encourage them to study those things that peak their interest and listen as they explain what they know to you.

Shy children are a blessing all on their own. They love being home with their parents and have deep and varied interests. Do activities together, such as this craft  Good luck on your NNAT preparation!

4 Tips for Productive Homework for NNAT Kids

A good way to show your child that NNAT preparation is important is to have productive homework sessions. Good homework skills need to be developed in children, and good homework skills can be translated to good NNAT study skills. Follow these tips for more focused homework and study sessions:

• Set up a homework area: A desk set up in a quiet area of the house with extra pens, paper and whatever study materials your child needs is a great way to focus your child. Just by being in a less distracting environment will put your child in a homework, or NNAT preparation, mood.
• Make sure your child does the work: Your children have to be the ones to do the work, and trusting them to finish their work will teach them responsibility. Check when assignments are due and make sure your child completes them on time, but make sure the children know their good grades depend on them. This will teach them personal responsibility that they can apply to their NNAT studies.
• Set a good example: Make sure your children see you doing work as well, whether it is cleaning up around the house, balancing the budget, or reading a book. If you are working, then that distracts your child less, and sets a good example of how to work hard. This will allow them to focus on NNAT preparation as well.
• Let your child take the reins: If your child is struggling with a concept or assignment, ask them what is wrong. Have them explain everything they know and then chime in with a clear explanation or a suggestion oh how to proceed. They will gain confidence in their knowledge and not be afraid to ask questions in the future, great for NNAT studying.

If none of these tips work, try to calm down your child before their homework session with some meditation or yoga. You can check out a good children’s yoga video here on youtube  Good luck on your child’s NNAT preparation!

4 Tips for Raising a Preschooler Taking the NNAT

Children ages 3 to 5 are at a crucial and often times difficult age to parent. They learn and grow and develop every day, and need to be nurtured and disciplined in order to become productive members of society. This need to nurture and discipline is even more prevalent with a child that will have to take the NNAT exam, or any other exam to get into a Gifted and Talented program. Here are some parenting tips to raise a preschooler:

• Consistency is key: When you are not consistent in your schedule or in your reactions to events or actions, you can confuse your preschooler and have them act out more or throw more tantrums. Be consistent in their bedtime, the amount of time they spend at the park, or how much NNAT prep they do in a day to not confuse your preschooler.
• Do not dwell on the negative: It is difficult to not only communicate with your children about what they are doing wrong. But this can decrease their confidence levels, so remember to praise their good behaviors as well. This will boost their confidence and in turn make more productive NNAT study sessions.
• Expect more from your preschooler: Children often live up to your expectations of them, so if you expect them to put away their toys, or study for 10 minutes a day for their NNAT test, they will. It may take some time to get the extended routine down, and your child may rebel against new chores, if you expect them to do their work, they will eventually do it.
• Do not re-do what they have done: This shows that you are not confident in their ability to work on their own. You want to raise an independent and confident child who can do tasks correctly. If they have done a task wrong, ask them if they think they did the task correctly, point out what they did do wrong, and then suggest how to complete the rest of the task (in the right way). This does not discourage them from working independently, but also sets them on the right path, which benefits their NNAT preparation.

Remember that raising your child should be fun too! Do not take life too seriously and remember to have fun with your child. Here is a fun craft you can do together  Good luck preparing for the NNAT!