Exciting Everyday Activities that Can Help with the NYC Gifted and Talented Test

We are welcoming guest author Lara from TestingMom.com. Today she is sharing about how to make test prep a fun, natural part of your day.

Today, we will be discussing how you can best integrate test prep for the NYC gifted and talented exams into your everyday routine. While the preparation process may initially appear daunting, or one that requires “super human” effort, a little bit of time each day can go very far. In fact, keeping it light and fun with a daily objective is far preferable to lengthy study periods. Not only will you enjoy the process more leading up to the testing day, but your child will approach the test with a greater sense of ease. Phrasing can be everything when discussing a test such as the gifted and talented with your child. For example, practice sessions could be referred to as “vocabulary blast”, “speed solving”, or “study rockstar”. These are friendly and fun names that may help to encourage your child to embrace the preparation process. 

Depending upon your child’s age, as well as the gifted and talented program they are applying to, he or she will take one of the traditional IQ/Full Scale Intelligence Quotient Exams. For the NYC Gifted and Talented Program, these consist of the NNAT®-2 or NNAT-3 (Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test) and the OLSAT® (Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test®, Eighth Edition). Because each of these tests emphasizes either a verbal, nonverbal or a combined approach, it is important that these activities target some of these different content areas. Below are some practical ideas for everyday activities that can help your child prepare for the Gifted and Talented Test.

Three Everyday Activities that Help Your Child with the Gifted and Talented Test

Just a word a day!

Let’s face it, at times learning and retaining vocabulary can be challenging for us all. Fortunately, the process of learning and properly using new words does not have to be a daunting endeavor. Vocabulary boosts verbal reasoning skills, which requires that the child be able to look at a series of visuals and demonstrate their language acquisition, comprehension and thinking skills in relation to what they see. When a child has a strong vocabulary “tool box”, she will experience a great deal of confidence on the verbal as well as written portions of an exam.

TestingMom.com just printed general knowledge flash cards, which cover concepts found on the OLSAT and other cards. Here’s a few examples of the cards:

The flash cards build the following skills:

●       Knowledge of Information

●       Comprehension

●       Classification

●       Vocabulary

●       School Readiness

●       Test Readiness

The flash cards are available on Amazon, and with Prime, too!

Another fantastic resource for all things vocabulary is Kids.Wordsmyth. This site offers students an accessible way to approach vocabulary. The site clearly separates words into categories such as “Everyday life”, “Natural environment”, “The Living World” and the “Human Body” (just to name a few). Additionally, the site offers clear ways to use each word in a sentence while offering a visual of the term. Each day, you or your child can choose one word from the site. When beginning it is best to start with easier words before working your way up to the more challenging ones. 

Make it into a game! Encourage your child to try her best to define the word, use it in a sentence and draw a picture of the term. When your child completes these tasks he or she can create personalized flashcards. Each day review with your child previously learned words before adding a new word to the list. She can even play a game of charades with the list of vocabulary words that she has already acquired. Acting out what he or she learns makes everything that much more fun. It also will give your child a strong sense of ownership over the knowledge that they developed. Ultimately, the child will be excited when they realize all the new and exciting terms that they learned in just one week!

Build Your Child’s Visual Skills!

Both the OLSAT and the NNAT are designed to assess your child’s visual thinking. The “Pattern matrix” subtest of the OLSAT emphasize your child’s ability to complete a pattern or sequence of figures. In that case, why not get your hands dirty and create your own homemade patterning activities. There are many ways to do this. Lay out raw materials such as marbles, stones, pinecones, rocks, or even buttons onto a table. Invite your child to create their own series of patterns from the materials that are on the table. Sensory objects such as these, often generate an even more inviting and experimental environment for learning. Additionally, you can create personalized templates for your child that feature patterns such as “ABAB”, “AABBAA”, or “ABCABC” sequences. A medium such as dot paint is a great way to practice using this patterning format. This activity is a fun way to combine artistic creativity with sequencing. There really is no limit to the materials that you can use to reinforce your child’s logic and attention to visual detail.

Plan trips that require an attention to direction

Successfully being able to follow directions can make or break your child’s test scores. No matter their age, understanding instructions can be challenging for just about anyone. Asking your child how to get from “point A to point B” is extremely useful in developing this skill.

Start by sitting down with your child and planning a trip to a favorite location or maybe even a new and exciting place that they’ve been wanting to go to. Once you have decided on the destination, print out or hand write a series of directions to get there. Depending upon the age of your child, this is a great opportunity to discuss and plan out a clear and concrete route. Next, start out on your adventure. Work together with your child to go step by step through the instructions. For example, if you are taking a train, ask them to remind you which train you need to get on, as well as which stop you will need to get off at. Using your own city or hometown is a great way to reinforce this skill. It also keeps them engaged and on their toes! This activity also models for them how carefully following directions leads to a successful result. Your child will be thrilled when they are able to reach their desired destination. More importantly, your child will experience a sense of confidence and excitement that she was able to get there herself! 

Conclusion

There’s no limit to the amount of everyday activities you can use to prepare for tests. I hope that these three activities will both improve the underlying skills necessary for test success while also being fun for your child. If you can think of any other fun “brain games”, “speed solving” or “study rockstar” strategies that you’ve found useful, let us know in the comments!