Kindergarten has already begun for some children, but for others preparation is just beginning. Some parents prepare their children a few months in advance, others a year, and still others a couple of years, depending on where you live.
Testing for Kindergarten; Simple Strategies to Help your Child Ace the Tests for: Public School Placement, Private School Admissions, Gifted Program Qualification, by Karen Quinn is a must have for parents of pre-schoolers.
Karen Quinn knows first hand the struggles of preparing her children for schools and getting into the tough and sometimes "throw-down" competitive New York Schools, so she's a pretty amazing source if you ask me. I'm just glad she wrote a book with all of these tips and tricks on school.
The book contains chapters like, "The 7 Abilities of Highly Successful Kindergarteners," and "Sneak Learning into the Moments you Already Spend with your Child." My favorite segments since I have a three year old is chapter five, "What is on the Test?" This chapter has a number of different exercises showing what types of problems will be on the entrance exams. I really enjoyed testing Miss A and seeing what she knew and what she didn't. The Appendix also has another set of exercises, so this book is chocked full of ideas to encourage your child's development.
There's also a great section on what each age should know at ages three, four and five, so again you can use the checklist to be sure that your child in on track for their age, or jump with delight if they're a little advanced.
Among the pages of tips on admission, there are exercises and mini lesson plans to encourage your child's growth in fine motor skills, cognitive skills, spatial reasoning, mathematics and so much more. I could read and re-read this book because there's always something new to learn.
No school preparation book would be complete without a listing of recommended reading materials. In Testing for Kindergarten, Karen Quinn gives so many great book suggestions in different categories including picture books, starting off small.
Whether you're looking into private, public, magnet, or special-education schools, Testing for Kindergarten is chocked full of valuable information. I would recommend this for any parent with a child or children about to enter school.
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