School, whether preschool or big school, is a big stepping stone for our kids. Apparently, schools these days just won’t accept kids easily, regardless if you are an alumni or you know the owner of the preschool. One of the requirements you and your child has to comply with is the assessment.
I have to be honest: I don’t know what to expect on this. Two years ago, before I entered my eldest daughter in GPS, I was told that she needs to undergo an assessment first. An assessment is where the teacher will gauge your child’s skills, familiarity with basic concepts, and school-readiness based on their prepared exercises. As usual, my daughter (who is anti-social at that time), refused to participate that the teacher has to conduct the “test” while I was inside the room.
Fast forward today, my eldest daughter have to go through another assessment, this time for big school. Yes, she was still shy and refused to talk at first, but eventually gave in and felt at ease with the teachers.
Here’s the challenge: how to prepare our child for assessment. 
Here’s what I did:
1) Remember, it’s “assessment,” not “entrance exam.”
If there’s one thing I noticed, teachers use the term “assessment” instead of “entrance exam,” and I think that is a good thing. The term “entrance exam” can be intimidating and stressful, which we could pass on to our kids – and it won’t help them. After all, assessment, especially for preschools, rarely involves written exam and teachers simply want to assess if the school is fit for your child’s needs.
2) Talk to your child as part of the preparation.
Talking to your child and setting the mindset is another step to prepare your little one for assessment. Slowly, you prepare your child of what’s about to happen and at the same time, provide assurance that there is nothing to be afraid of.
Before the scheduled assessment, I talk to my daughter about it, tell her that we are going to a school, and the teachers will ask her questions about things she knows, like alphabet and numbers. I constantly remind her that the teachers in the school are nice and they just want to talk to her while mommy waits outside.
This leads me to the next tip.
3) Show your child the school.
My eldest daughter is the shy type and getting acquainted to a new place and new people takes time. As part of our preparation, I made it a point to show her the school where she will have her assessment. We usually pass by the school few times before the scheduled assessment and tell her “that’s the school.” Thankfully, she had positive responses and said she can’t wait to go there, which is a good start.
If possible, give your child a tour around the school and introduce him/her to the teachers. Make sure to pay attention to your child’s reactions so you can make necessary arrangements before the scheduled assessment.
4) Prepare the necessaries.
Assessment for preschool and kinder may be different, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare the kids. 
I usually extend learning in our home by buying workbooks and doing exercises to make my kids more familiar with the basic concepts. Practice writing, reciting the alphabet and number, and saying their name out loud. Keep in mind that schools conduct assessment differently. It won’t hurt to ask the school how the process of assessment is done, so make sure you ask. This could also help in preparing your child.
There is no need for a tutor since you can do the preparations at home. Just make sure you don’t put too much pressure on your child since kids learn at their own pace.
5) Two words: Be early.
Unlike in her preschool, my daughter was unable to go around the big school where we plan to enrol her. That is why I made sure we are early so she can get acquainted with the place and at the same time, a good chance to show her around. My daughter needs to warm up before she can function, so being early is a must.
6) Don’t nag after the assessment.
Admit it, mommas. We tend to “nag” our kids and ask them how their day went. If they didn’t answer, we keep on asking them until we find out.
With my two kids, I learned that it is important to let them tell about what happened at their own pace. I noticed that the more I ask them, the more they won’t answer. After the assessment, I just told my daughter to tell me everything that happened inside the room and she kept on blabbering about how she was able to read the words and write everything the teacher asked her. Avoid asking “How was the test?” or “Were you able to answer it?” and just direct your concerns to the teacher who conducted the assessment.
More importantly, we should be able to assure our kids that no matter what happens, we are still proud of them. Going to school is a big step and adjustment for them. Just be calm, relaxed, and focused, and surely, our kids will do well.
Ayi is a stay-at-home mom of two. When her kids are in their best state, she keeps up with chores, work, and ensuring that her sanity is intact. Join her as she navigates through this rollercoaster ride called motherhood.
Assessment allows the school to gauge if a child is ready for a particular school level. This is some sort of initial testing of a child’s learning and coping capabilities and the tips you just shared are all valuable. I love the idea of familiarizing your kid to a possible new school surroundings to make him/her comfortable. Nice tips mommy.
Thanks for these tips. I am sure many mom’s of incoming school aged kids will find this helpful.
I agree, it’s really important for us moms or parents to show our love and support to our kids when they go to school. Yung thought lang na iiwan naten sila sa school na wala silang kilala, they already feel scared. My son is already going to preschool and it’s nice that his school have an app and they get to update my son’s activity and photos there. 🙂
I am also preparing my daughter for an assessment at her kuya’s school. Right now, she is currently enrolled at a learning center and I want her to experience the big school where there is more activities and be surrounded with more group of people.
My daughter was also very shy and have her own “warm-up” time before mingling with others. So, yes… being there at the assessment, as early, will be very helpful to help her familiarize first with the surroundings.
I remember as a child before that I was too excited to go to the school and enter pre-school classes formally because my Mama is also a teacher at the same school. I guess it helped me a lot to be well-adjusted knowing that she’s just around the area, doing her work, so then I see learning just as fun as any play activity is. Also since Mama is a teacher, she’s influenced us a lot in writing and reading before. Now that I am a mother as well, I think it will be a bit challenging for me when the time comes that my son will be entering school already. Especially nowadays that children are being assessed first before being allowed to enter school. Well, for one thing, I think assessments are good as it tests the readiness of a child for school.
I remember when my eldest had her assessment for big school..She was asked to read and write her name. We’re planning to enroll our bunso sa Daycare Center for him to be ready sa pre-school assessment.
We need this! Thanks for the very informative and helpful tips! 🙂
I still can’t relate to this since yet but I kinda have an idea of how it feels because I was with my stepson when he took an assessment for a bigger school.
Very helpful and timely. The last one is a reminder. I forget it most of the time especially my husband. 🙂 My son might take an adsessment soon. 🙂
Great tips! Although we’re planning on homeschooling, our son will have to take assessments too. But when he does enter a regular school, these will come in handy. 🙂
My son is moving up in 2 years. Will keep these tips in mind!
During my kids time parang entrance exam ang dating. XD
assestment is not based on their knowledge but on the basis on how they can adapt
for my son, that was the case
These are pretty good share of tips for kids assessment. I cannot remember the time during my kids assessment but i think its important to prepare them emotionally too..
Thanks for the tips! It’s important to ensure our kids are comfortable before entering a school so that they can show their full potential.
I remember my kids assessment and I did all those that was written here on your tips. She was very excited.
With my eldest, I was pretty confident about him doing well in the assessment. With my youngest however, I was a bit skeptical because he was younger when we enrolled and a lot more shy. Good thing though that he was able to answer properly when asked. Whew! 🙂
Nice tips. We’ve experienced this several times before because we’ve had to transfer our kids to different schools after moving several times. Now we don’t need to do it anymore with our son coz he’s homeschooled and already enrolled in a homeschool provider. We have a few more years until he needs to undergo assessment in a school again.
These are helpful tips fot first time parents. Like you I exposed my child to doing colorful and illustrated activity sheets with other children. In so doing, she was excited to be in a real school when it was time.
I’ve always had the right idea about assessment, so I guess I was never really stressed about it. Must be my homeschooling mindset that oriented me with it. But yeah, basically it’s just checking out where to meet your child so the teachers can help them better.
I don’t remember my son undergoing assessment before entering big school. We only brought him to school for the entrance test. Anyway, this seems to be a good move to help the kids better cope with their new environment.
Oh I didn’t know they now have assessments before entering school. This is very timely since I’m planning to enroll my son in preschool this year. Thanks for sharing mommy. 🙂
Nice tips! We just completed the assessment of my two kids to a new school. We’re glad they both passed.
These are great tips mum, especially for those who are eyeing to have their children assessed for the incoming school year. I must also agree, it is best to wait for the children to say something about how their experience went instead of nagging them. It also pays to wait until the child is ready to have them assessed.
My twins are three years old and might have to undergo assessment when they transfer to a more formal school this year. I studied language and literacy education for my Master’s to prepare me for this but I don’t know if I can survive it. Hahaha! Thanks for this tips Dear. Will definitely keep them in mind.
My son had three assessment before, same as you I talked to him about it and I prepared him for that day. Thanks for the helpful tips