Apps for CogAT Toddlers!

There are so many apps out there that can help your child prepare for the CogAT, you just need to know which ones are good! It can be difficult to navigate through the app store and find which one will really help your child study for the CogAT. I have found several different apps that will help your child improve in core skill areas, which will benefit them on their CogAT exam.

• Montessori Crosswords: This app is designed for the iPad and iPhone and is available for $2.99. While not directly for the CogAT test, this app focuses on the phonetic elements of reading. This app does a great job of teaching the child the sound of the letter, while including mini-games like crossword puzzles. Great reward for your child from CogAT preparation.
• TeachMe Toddler: This app is designed for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and is only $0.99! This app is great for core knowledge your toddler should know before the CogAT test. Covering letters, numbers, shapes and colors, this app can really help supplement CogAT study for a more fun alternative to practice questions. You can track your child’s progress and there is a simple interface for the child to work with.
•   Monkey Preschool Lunchbox: This app is designed for the iPod and iPad and is only 99 cents! You can practice directly for the CogAT exam with their puzzle feature, working on visual/spatial reasoning while on the road! This app also includes sorting, which is great for the CogAT skill of what belongs and recognizing objects. There is also shape and color recognition, which comes up on the CogAT exam.

There are a lot of good resources for children taking the CogAT. You can also help prepare your child for the CogAT with Testing Mom’s Space Baby Academy. This is the portion of the test prep site where children can work in Study Island, Reading Eggs, Manga High and more to improve their CogAT scores! You can check out the Space Baby Summer Enrichment program here. Good luck on your CogAT study!

Build Confidence in your CogAT Children

Build confidence in your children to improve their CogAT scores! Increasing the confidence in themselves can raise the results from your child’s CogAT exam. Higher confidence means that they will trust themselves more, will explore more and be more excited for learning and CogAT study! Building confidence is about more than just improving CogAT scores, it also helps your children be themselves and be able to lead a happy life. Here are some tips to improve your child’s confidence and their CogAT scores!

• This is Me! Have your children describe themselves, everything they love about themselves, then have the rest of the family do it for that child as well. It will show them how they are valued by others, and trust themselves more. This will contribute to more confidence while taking the CogAT, and can help lower stress.
• Chores: Assigning chores to your children may not seem to build confidence, but once a child can see that they can complete a task that Mommy used to do, they will be more confident in their ability to complete tasks. After a while, make their CogAT study part of their chores. Make sure to track their CogAT preparation, so they can see when their study improves their CogAT study.
• Let them find a solution: It is so easy to see your toddler struggle with a task and jump in right away to solve the problem. But if you let them find a solution on their own, this will build confidence in themselves and might even teach you a new solution to a problem. This will benefit them on the CogAT exam because they will be able to solve complex problems on their own.
• Be Silly: One of the best ways to boost confidence is by being silly. Let your children know they are perfect the way they are by encouraging them to be silly as often as possible. Their CogAT scores will improve with their confidence!

Have your children complete small crafts on their own, , to build their confidence. Good luck on the CogAT!

Sensory Play with Children taking the CogAT

Sensory Play is an important way for your child to prepare for the CogAT. Sensory play is any kind of play that involves your child’s senses, their sense of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing, which they will need for their CogAT exams. This encouragement and development of their sensory skills will help develop their cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, physical and creative abilities and will help their CogAT study. Sensory play in conjunction with CogAT preparation will teach your children the scientific process at a young age through their play, creation, investigation and exploration. This ability to question things and think through activities will benefit them while they take the CogAT exam, and help them work through questions. There are many activities that use sensory play to engage your children and help their CogAT practice.

• Fill a kiddie pool with Water: Water is a great material for sensory play. The water can be hot and cold, can have food coloring added to it, or to teach your children. Gather various toys that will sink and float, and before you put them in the water, as your child what they think. This will help develop critical thinking and will help their CogAT test.
• Fill a pallet with sand: Bury “dinosaur bones” and other items. Teach your children about archeology and have them dig up the “artifacts”. Give them different tools to clean the artifacts without breaking them. Teach them creative thinking and see how it affects their CogAT practice!
• Fill a bucket with beans: Bury different magnets in the beans and give your child a magnet wand. Have your child move the magnet wand above and in the beans to attract the magnets. Great for a lesson on magnets as well as CogAT preparation.

Crafts are a perfect example of sensory play that you and your child can do together and will help them do well on their CogAT exams. Here is a great youtube video of a craft you and your child can do together.  Good luck on your CogAT test!

CogAT Test Prep Should be Fun

The CogAT Test, as an exam that plays a big role in gifted and talented program admission criteria these days, is a daunting prospect for many parents. In an effort to help with CogAT test prep, there are many parents that push their children like crazy to perform well, including practices like hiring special tutors and sending their kids through gifted and talented boot camps with the intention of boosting their score on the CogAT test.

While every parent wants the best for their children, the frenzy for CogAT test prep activities each year can take a turn for the worse. Kids can get bored with the activities. Worse yet, they can develop anxiety and other negative thinking regarding CogAT test prep or CogAT formal exams.

To prevent negative reactions and still allow your kids to benefits from CogAT test prep initiatives, you’ll want to ensure that activities remain lighthearted and fun. Kids learn best when they are comfortable and encouraged. CogAT test prep programs that emphasize enjoyment in learning are the most beneficial, especially for younger kids who don’t really understand yet what all the fuss is about with CogAT and other IQ exams.

Some good ways to keep test prep light while still making sure it’s preparing your child for the upcoming test:

• Online games and quizzes: There are several websites that offer interactive games and activities that closely mimic the questions your child will find on the CogAT. These can be much more fun than standard practice questions, since it feels more like a game and it may give your child instant feedback on how they’re doing.
• Flash cards: There are some good flash cards that test the same skills that your child will need to use on the CogAT test. These are fun because it feels like a game, rather than like work.
• Talking it out: Sometimes it’s helpful to just talk about the concepts that are measured on the test – and incorporate them into your everyday life! The next time you’re out and about with your child, ask them to find a square or circle – or make a math problem out of the cans on the grocery store shelf. This helps keep your child on their toes, while also showing that the test measures important skills that they need in their everyday life!

3 Tips to Help CogAT Children Play Together

Play is one of the most important learning tools a child can have, helping improve their CogAT scores by default. Play between children is the way they learn to share, be empathetic, how to interact in groups, and not be shy to meet new people. The CogAT is often given to groups of children and given by a proctor. The more comfortable your child is around other people, and the better able they are to interact with them, the better they will be able to concentrate on the CogAT. Here are tips to help improve play with your child:

• Have multiple similar toys to play with: Especially if your child is bad at sharing, two children can play with the same toy at the same time. This will familiarize your child with playing with someone else and will help them when they take the CogAT with other children.
• Keep playtime short: When your child is shy or wary of playing with others, keep the playtimes short at first. It is easier to get through a 30 to 45 minute play date than a whole day at the zoo. Also, leave the play date when your child is done. It is better to make sure your child has a good time, and then they will eventually be able to play for longer. Work up to longer play times, preferably the length of time of the CogAT test.
• Step in to negotiate between children: If you see your child getting frustrated, or a fight starting, step in before it becomes a big fight. You will be able to talk your child through their emotions, enabling them to better deal with them, and can hopefully prevent the other child from becoming upset either.

Children learn from each other, so it is important to instill in them the ability to work with other children. Here is a craft that you can have your children do together   Good luck on the CogAT test!

4 Tips to Improve Reading Skills in CogAT Kids

Reading is one of the building blocks of education and reading comprehension is essential in the CogAT. Children who are read to daily as a baby and a toddler tend to do better in school and can have a love of reading instilled in them. That love of reading will serve them well not only in education and in life, but on the CogAT exam. They will be able to comprehend the questions on the CogAT test better and succeed more on the test! Here are tips to help improve your child’s reading skills:

• Read aloud together with your child: Reading together with your child not only shows them that reading is important to you, but will also allow you to gauge their reading abilities, just in time for the CogAT.
• Build vocabulary lessons into daily life: Gardening, cooking, running errands, all can be opportunities to teach your child new vocabulary. A large vocabulary can help your child do well on the CogAT exam!
• Subscribe to magazines for your child: They will delight in having mail that comes directly to them, and is a great way to get reluctant readers to engage in the written word. Choose a topic your child is interested in, and be delighted that they want to read! This will encourage them to learn more as they delight in what they learn in their magazines, which will help them as they study for the CogAT.
• Encourage your child to have a pen pal:  This is another way to get a reluctant reader, and writer, involved in reading. They will love getting mail addressed to them and will be interested in reading the news from their friend. This will also improve their writing skills as they write back.

Improving reading skills is a great way to prepare your child for their CogAT test. They can also listen to books read on youtube, from this link  Good luck on the CogAT test!

5 Tips for the Day of Taking the CogAT

The day of the CogAT can be a very stressful day for children and parents alike. It is the day that you have been preparing for for weeks or months, in order to get into the program that is right for your child. There are many different tips to help you study for the CogAT, such as dedicated study areas in your house or working the skills the CogAT tests into daily life. But what happens on the day of the CogAT? Here are tips to share with your child to make sure they do their best on the CogAT.

• Be on time: Make sure to get to the testing area with enough time to spare before the CogAT. Being late to the test can stress and worry your child.
• Sit comfortably: Observe how your child sits while they take their practice tests. Are they hunched over the test or slouched down in their seat? If they sit properly, they will feel better while they take the CogAT.
• Read the directions: It is important to read the directions before any question on the test. Remind your child to take the time to read the directions, so they can properly answer any of the questions on the CogAT.
• Don’t get distracted: Does your child tend to get distracted by windows or other students? Identify these distractions and talk to your child about this before the test. Have them sit away from a window and remind them to concentrate on the CogAT for the best test.
• Focus on what you know: Let your child know that they will not know everything on the test. A question that they do not know the answer to can stress a child. Remind them before the CogAT to focus on what they know.

Preparation before the day of the test can also help reduce stress on the day of the CogAT. Children who prepped with Testing Mom averaged in the 96^th percentile. You can read about that here. The day of the CogAT is a stressful time, but with these day of test taking tips your child can be calm and focus on what they know.

6 Tips for Kids Studying for the CogAT in the Summer

As many parents know, it is hard to get children to calm down and study for the all-important CogAT exam, especially during summer. But this study time is integral to their success in the CogAT 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 CogAT. 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 CogAT study session
• Keep yourself calm. Children are very intoned to other’s emotions. Make sure you are calm as you start the CogAT 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 CogAT 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 CogAT 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 CogAT.
• Take a walk. Walking burns off excess energy and concentrating on the physical walking can help the mind focus for the CogAT 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 CogAT test!

6 Tips for Entertaining Children in the Summer

Summer is coming up, and that means that you will need to find activities to do with your children! Instead of focusing the entire time on COGAT study, you can entertain your children. Here are 6 tips on things to do with your children.

• Read a book: This is a great suggestion because it also helps your child for the COGAT exam. If they are too young to read alone, then you can read together, and spend some more time together.
• Act out a book: Does your child have a favorite book? You can re-enact it together on a rainy day. Have your child assign parts and they will learn confidence that will help them in the COGAT test.
• Make a blanket fort: Nothing makes a child happier than creating a blanket fort! They will be able to practice their visual-spatial skills, great for a child preparing for the COGAT.
• Have an indoor picnic or a tea party: Allow your child to create the menu and set the table. Your children will have fun sitting on the floor. Then they will be able to focus on COGAT study.
• Have them help you with chores: Sometimes younger children find it a blast to help mommy do her chores but even older children can benefit from helping mom around the house doing chores. They will learn that not everyday can be all fun and games, and that will benefit their COGAT preparation.
• Play dance party: A fun game that will stimulate your children and get some of their excess energy out. Play their favorite music and either play it while they dance or make it freeze dance. Whenever you stop the music, they must freeze! Great to teach your children how to follow direction, which is good for COGAT study.

Another idea to help a child in the summer is crafting. Here is a good youtube video that walks you through a good children’s craft  Soon your children will be ready for more COGAT studying.

Testing Tips for CogAT Kids

Taking the CogAT is an incredibley stressful event, both for the child and for the parent. The child, who is the one who will answer the CogAT questions, needs to be reassured and prepared correctly for the exam by their parents. However this process of having your child tested by the CogAT is stressful for parents too! I have compiled a list of testing tips to help prepare you and your child to go through the CogAT process.

• Try to stay calm during the testing process. Do not get too overwhelmed or anxious about the CogAT test, especially in front of your children. Children mimic what they see and can sense their parents emotions. So if the parent is stressed about the CogAT, the child can get stressed as well.
• Encourage your children. Make sure to praise their correct CogAT answers, and to tell them when they are mastering the skills it will take to pass the CogAT test.
• Meet with your child’s teachers. Keep in touch with the teachers your child has. They will be able to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses and help formulate CogAT preparation with you. Also the more involved you are in your child’s school, the more involved your child will be.
• Discuss the answers with your child. This is important to teaching your child how to master the structure of the CogAT test. You can figure out why they chose a wrong answer, such as if they did not hear the question correctly or did not understand the question correctly. This will give them a critical way to think about the test, and be more precise test takers.

The CogAT preparation process is a difficult one for children and parents alike! You can get more testing tips here in order to properly prepare your child for thee CogAT!