Do you prep your preK kids for the WPPSI?

[Anonymous]

I think it's odd that this question is never discussed on DCUM (I checked the archives, too). It can be done, and I wonder, why does no one talk about this given the anonymity of DCUM and, let's be frank, some of the frenzied threads about Getting Your Kid In.

[Anonymous]

Actually, no. Wasn't aware that it could be done. Kid did just fine (and was accepted) without prepping.

[Anonymous]

No. Honestly never occurred to me. Scores were above the 99th percentile anyway.

[Anonymous]

I admit fully that we were complacent, BTW. Our family members have many shortcomings but have always excelled on standardized tests. I can see that you would give this more thought if if you had reason to believe the test might not fairly evaluate your child's abilities.

[Anonymous]

I think we might have, but had no idea how. Kid did fine anyway, 99th percentile like eveyone else in the metro area.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean "prep your kid for WPSI?"

Please don't tell me they've started Kaplan for this group....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we might have, but had no idea how. Kid did fine anyway, 99th percentile like eveyone else in the metro area.

This makes me laugh-- are we living in Lake Wobegon?

[Anonymous]

I've had that thought too . in many zipcodes around here, all our children *are* exceptional like those in Lake Wobegon.

[Anonymous]

My child did not test in the 99th and still got into a top private. We also know children who supposedly did test in 99th and did NOT get in anywhere. The schools repeatedly say that test scores are only a small portion of the consideration and this really is true. People need to calm down about this.

[Anonymous]

Any time you read to/with your child, help dc sound out words, learn shapes and colors, ask "what doesn't belong here?" types of questions, encourage them to draw shapes or write letters and numbers, etc., then you are "prepping" your dc for these kinds of tests. Some parents also like to use the Brain Quest activities and other similar things, like workbooks and mazes and puzzles. In other words, much of what many parents with college and advanced degrees do and consider simply "parenting" would be termed "prepping" by some. There is nothing wrong or shameful about it - and many people do it without recognize that the term "prepping" applies to those activities.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP. Prepping your DC are the things you should do as a parent. We did all those things with DC and DC scored in the 86% and yes was accepted at a top school in the area. I did not think DC had a shot because of the score but obviously the score is not as important as folks on this site stress.

[Anonymous]

Biggest prep work starts at birth with reading to your child, interacting with them, and familiarizing them with colors, basic and geometric shapes, and basic age appropriate logic and sequencing activities.

[Anonymous]

No way. If you wait until birth, you've already total missed the boat. I say you have to start prepping them in vitro for the Apgar. My son got a 10. No one else in the nursery that night even came close.

[Anonymous]

My son got a 9 on the Apgar the 1st time - but the 2nd time got a 10. We were thrilled that they did the test a 2nd time and thought it was a much better assessment of him.

[Anonymous]

Oh goodness, we should think of reading to our children as prepping them? Get workbooks for them? This is all bunk. A child's job is to play and explore her environment. Sitting them down and sticking these types of activities in their faces just takes time away from what they need to do developmentally. (Reading is different). The scores will be the scores but if you start obsessing about this sort of thing now, you have a long and tortured road ahead of you.