In Texas, the state assessment is called STAAR.  What is it called in your state? I bet even though the names are different, the acronyms mean something similar!  You know, something about readiness and skills and such…. In this post, I want to give some advice to parents who want to help their kids do well on state testing.

1. Relax!  You chill and help your kids chill.  Reassure them they will be your wonderful child no matter the outcome of one test.  All you hope for them is to do their best and hopefully it will show all the growth they have made in one year!  That’s it! Their brains and hearts are so much more valuable than one test could ever measure.
2. Play Yahtzee!  Teach problem solving naturally!  Yahtzee is a fun way to help your child practice and reinforce addition skills, ratios, and problem solving. If you don’t already have a game night at home, watch what happens when you suggest one.  Your children will be ready to put down their screens and play with the person they love most!
3. Read books and watch movies together!  Talk about themes, plots, and lessons the characters learned. Compare to other books or movies.  Analyze how many points out of ten you’d rate it! Write a review together and post it on Facebook or Twitter and start a conversation.
4. Cook up a meal! Follow a recipe!  Take a picture and enjoy helping your child to trust their instincts, follow instructions, and build confidence.  Help them learn that even if the cookies were burnt, the dough still tasted heavenly and then start over. That’s what life is really all about; enjoying the ride and finding the sweet spot.

After more than a decade of proctoring these tests, I believe that exposure, experience, and conversation is the best thing we can do and give to help our children succeed in life and kick these state tests’ butts!  The beauty is that this kind of “studying” has the potential to grow the relationship between you and your child along the way, and when challenging times come, they are more than prepared to face them with you on their side!