6 Tips for Hyper Kids Studying for the NNAT

As many parents know, it is hard to get children to calm down and study for the all-important NNAT exam, especially after a day of school and homework. But this study time is integral to their success in the NNAT exam. There are many different ways to calm down an hyper child. The first step is to try and figure out why your child is so hyper; too much sleep? Sugary drinks? Sat still for too long? Once you identify the reason for the energy outbursts, then you identify how best to calm your child down and then begin prepping for the NNAT. Here are tips on how to calm your child:

• Keep children away from soda and other sugary drinks. The sugar will add to their energy, leading to a frustrating NNAT study session
• Keep yourself calm. Children are very intoned to other’s emotions. Make sure you are calm as you start the NNAT preparation.
• Keep a strict sleeping system. Although not always possible, try to keep as consistent of a sleep pattern as possible. This will ensure your child is not under or over rested, and help for more productive NNAT study.
• Tell your children you get hyper too. Share with them the tips you use to calm down. This will help your children know that they can calm down and that others are like them. This will lay the path for a strong NNAT preparation.
• Teach your child to meditate. While children cannot meditate for long periods of time, they can learn to regulate their breathing and think about “nothing” for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. With other techniques, this can teach them how to calm down and concentrate on the NNAT.
• Take a walk. Walking burns off excess energy and concentrating on the physical walking can help the mind focus for the NNAT Test.

Another way to help your hyper child is let them loose in a “Boredom Box” where they can do whatever activity they want for 10 minutes. Include paints, coloring books, clay, puzzles or whatever your child likes to be creative with. You can also try yoga with your children. This is a good YouTube channel with children’s yoga lessons  Good luck studying for the NNAT test!

5 Ways to Help Your Disorganized Child Study for the NNAT2

You want to empower your child and show them that you trust their skills, especially in regards to the NNAT2. You want them to set study times for themselves for NNAT2 study, to be organized, because those are skills that they will need as adults. However, it is also your duty as a parent to teach them those organization skills for NNAT2, or any class, study. Here are 5 tips on teaching your child to be more organized

• Set times for Study: Teach your child to set specific time blocks aside for NNAT2 study. Then they can control when they will study the NNAT2, and learn to stick to a shedule.
• Make Lists: Teach your child the value of lists. They can make a list at which practice question sets they have completed for the NNAT2, or what skills they have conquered for the NNAT2. They will learn how to organize information and the satisfaction of finishing a task and getting to cross it out.
• Leave Notes: Notes can be written or drawn, any way to get the point across. These can serve as gentle reminders; such as if their study time is before playtime, leave a note about NNAT2 study time in the play area to remind them to study before they can play.
• Catalogue: Teach your child to organize their papers by giving them boxes, binders, or folders. They can organize their practice question sets for NNAT2 study, to keep track of what they have completed or still need to work on.
• Prepare the night before: Plan the next day before your child goes to bed. This will prevent confusion in the morning and allow your child to mentally prepare for all the tasks they have to complete. It is easier to sit down for a NNAT2 study session if they have known about it since the night before

Use these tips in order to have more organized and studious children. For tips on how to organize their bedrooms themselves, you can click here! Good luck on NNAT2 study!

How to Prepare for the NNAT

If your child is taking the NNAT test, also known as the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, you’re most likely wondering how to best prepare him for the big day.

The most obvious advice is also the most important: make sure he’s calm, well-rested, and well-fed the morning of the test. Losing just a few hours of sleep or eating an insufficient breakfast really can have a detrimental effect on your child’s score. Also, it’s important to tell your child not to spend too much time on an individual question, while also stressing not to rush through the test, either. Have your child look at each answer and consider it before choosing one — don’t let him gloss over any of the answer choices.

To prepare your child for the content and material that he’ll find on the NNAT test, there are a number of options you can take advantage of. One is practice workbooks, which can be found for sale at a number of sites on the web. One site that sells a number of workbooks specifically for the NNAT is AristotleCircle.com. There are also sites that offer practice questions and other preparatory material for the NNAT online, such as TestingMom.com. It is also a good idea to work with objects and materials that help your child strengthen his abstract logic and visual reasoning skills. Puzzles, blocks, and other pattern and identification tools are good for this purpose.

Finally, it is never too early to start. If your child is taking the NNAT next year, you should begin practicing now. Start out familiarizing your child with the format and general concepts on the test, and eventually move on to a more formalized schedule. It’s a good idea to spend as much time as possible preparing for the test, without burning your child out or overwhelming him. Preparing for the NNAT can be a stressful exercise, but if you keep it light hearted and fun your child will be well-prepared and he might even enjoy himself!

Free Resources for NNAT Practice

Many people argue that the results of admission tests for gifted and talented programs, such as the NNAT or Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test, are corrupted by the performance of students whose parents can afford private tutors, expensive test preparation kits and other test prep materials. As a result, the argument goes, children from poorer families are underrepresented in gifted and talented programs at least partially due to the lack of adequate test prep resources for tests like the NNAT.

Not every parent will be able to secure a private tutor to help their child prepare for the NNAT or any similar test. This point is one of great contention, particularly when it comes to very competitive school districts in which only a small percentage of students are admitted to gifted and talented programs. It’s true that children who have such a tutor or access to a prestigious program will have an initial advantage.

However, there is good news to report. The NNAT has been chosen as one of the best tests for assessing large groups of students without regard to their background, sex, race, ethnicity, social or economic class, or any other distinguishing factors. Additionally, even if parents don’t have the resources to afford an expensive tutor or prep program, there are many free NNAT-2 test resources on the internet and from other sources that parents can use to give their children a head start in preparing for the test.

Parents who have worked to improve their children’s test performance have built online communities and resources to help other parents. Blogs and forum communities are among the best places to find these kinds of free NNAT-2 test resources. There are also many school districts that provide free NNAT-2 Test questions and other resources on the internet for any parent to access.

The NNAT is an Unbiased Test

A common — and valid — criticism of standardized tests is that they are biased against certain groups of children. The NNAT, or Naglieri Non-Verbal Abilities Test, however, is not one of those exams. The NNAT has been proven to accurately assess the abilities, potential and learning capability of children from all groups, without any specific biases.

The NNAT uses unique methods and assessment criteria that help bring stereotypes about gifted and talent students to an end. The NNAT shows profound results among all groups of students, regardless of sex, race, class or ethnicity. As a result, the NNAT is gaining many more minority students access to gifted and talented programs that were previously out of their reach due to out-dated and biased assessment tools.

Because of its ability to test children without regard to their background, the NNAT is being utilized by more and more schools across the country to determine the abilities and potential of their students. It is a good tool for identifying children who are eligible for a gifted or advanced program, as well as students who may need a little more help to reach their full academic potential. In this way, the NNAT is actually helping to level the playing field for children who are originally from a different cultural background from the majority of their peers, as well as for children from lower socioeconomic classes who may not have equal access to preparation materials and tutors as some of their wealthier peers.

The best way to prepare for the NNAT, especially if you are on a budget, is to make use of free practice questions and other resources. Many sites offer a free assessment or individual practice questions that mimic the format of the NNAT and contain content that is similar to that found on the actual test. An example can be found at http://www.aristotlecircle.com/blog/download-our-free-naglieri-nonverbal-ability-test-nnat-practice-test.

Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test- NNAT2

The NNAT2 is the new test being administered to the New York City Gifted and Talented program. The NNAT2 has only been administered for the admission to the NYC G&T program since Fall 2012. The pervious test was the Bracken School Readiness Assessment, which was a cognitive test featuring 308 fundamental items that children should learn from Pre-K to 2nd grade. The change in the test was designed to make the NYC G&T program more difficult to get accepted to. The abstract nature of the NNAT2 tests children’s reasoning skills better than the Bracken test did.

The NNAT2 test is the second version of the Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability test, which is shorted to NNAT2. The NNAT2 is an intelligence quotient test that measures non-verbal reasoning skills. The wide spread use of the NNAT2 is because of its unbiased format and the equal opportunity for children from all social, economic, racial, ethnic and primary language groups to do well on the exam. This is because the NNAT1 is geared to test the child’s non-verbal reasoning skills via graphic or image based formats. Some of the questions focus on pattern recognition, and others focus on spatial thinking skills or non-verbal reasoning skills. A common question for the NNAT2 will feature an image with a blank square in it, and 4 squares with various patterns below it. The child must choose which of the 4 bottom squares will complete the image above.

The change from the Bracken test to the NNAT2 test has caused much stress in the parents who are trying to prepare their children for the exam. It is always best to familiarize your child with the exam they are about to take, so they can do their best. Because of its abstract nature, it can be difficult to know how to start preparing your child for the exam. However, there are many online resources you can use to prepare your child for the NNAT2 test.