When I talk to parents about assessment, many express a common concern:
“When we tell her she’s getting tested, she’ll think something’s wrong with her!”
The idea of “testing” can put anyone on edge. Often we try to avoid these negative feelings by telling kids they’re just going to “play games and get prizes.”
But children already sense something is different. They just don’t know why.
If we’re not transparent about testing, kids start to develop their own narratives about why things are hard…and these narratives can be negative and harmful.
Testing is an opportunity to change the way children think about themselves and their relationship to learning.
How we talk to kids about testing matters.
Parent Handout: Preparing Your Child for Testing
The handouts below help parents explain testing to their child in a way that:
- Encourages curiosity and collaboration
- Helps kids ask their own assessment questions
- Frames testing as a discovery process (not a ‘what’s-wrong-with-you’ process)
- Validates any concerns – or resistance – they may have
These handouts are available in both English and Spanish. You are encouraged to edit them and make them your own! (I only ask that you keep the original citation at the bottom.)
Tools to Inspire Curiosity
In my practice, this handout is the first step to helping kids get curious about their unique brains.
You can explore additional curiosity-inspiring tools on www.BrainBuildingBook.com, including:
- Webinars and Podcasts to learn empowering assessment strategies,
- The Child Feedback Blog for positive, affirming language,
- and of course, The Brain Building Books!
The Brain Building Books are tools specifically designed to help kids understand and celebrate their unique brains.
These books inspire assessment questions, help children talk about their strengths and challenges, and ensure they walk away with a new, empowered understanding of what they need to thrive!
I hope this has been helpful for your practice. If this post could be useful to others you know, please share and tell them to subscribe.
Thank you for all you do to help children understand their amazing brains!
