Blog

While playtime becomes grossly undervalued in adulthood, it’s a crucial aspect of childhood. Playtime is an essential contributor to a child’s cognitive, physical, and emotional development. In addition, play offers parents an ideal opportunity for connecting with their children.

Here are five critical ways playtime contributes to child development.

1. Encourages Creativity

Playtime allows children to access their creative minds within a free environment. Playing make-believe or taking part in artistic expression encourages them to use their imagination. This teaches them to think more creatively, which creates the starting point for more advanced learning and enhanced problem-solving skills.

2. Cognitive Growth
Many studies show that engaging in playtime is critical for a child’s brain development. Playing freely will influence how the brain’s neural circuits are wired and, as a result, positively impact their neurological development. This will also result in better communication, intelligence, and confidence.

3. Emotional Stability

Regular playtime will not only act as a mood booster for children, but it can also reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety. It also creates more emotional flexibility, adaptability, and resilience. Through playtime, children can more easily process and understand life’s challenges and difficulties.

4. Builds Social Skills

Grouped playtime is a child’s introduction to socialization among their peers. This setting allows them the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to play cooperatively within groups. This form of playtime can also encourage self-control and help them become familiar with acceptable group behavior.

5. Greater Independence

Just as group play is essential for enhancing social skills, playtime in solitude can be just as valuable. By giving your child space to play alone, they can more easily prepare for socialization and gain a greater sense of independence while fostering creativity. In addition, kids who play alone in an open setting often become familiar with social cues as they observe other children interact with each other from a distance.

Your child is unique, and you want the best for them in schooling and life. The educational potential in children is boundless, but how do you measure your child’s potential during their learning years to give them the best opportunities for their skills, abilities, and desires?

Psycho-Educational Tests To Determine Educational Potential

Testing the educational potential in children isn’t simply about figuring out their intellectual strengths or weaknesses through a battery of tests. There’s much more to your child than being good at math and not so good at reading. And a learning disability doesn’t mean any doors closed to the educational potential in children either.

Whether your child is intellectually gifted in all areas or needs a more specialized path to learning, psycho-educational tests give us a bigger picture about what each child needs to succeed and flourish in society.

Let’s talk about how we accomplish this through testing methods like the following:

1. Stanford Binet-5 Intelligence Scales (SB-5) are cognitive ability tests. Measurements include working memory, quantitative reasoning (counting, logic, and problem-solving), fluid reasoning (how easily a child learns or comprehends something new), and visual-spatial processing (learning physical things or making sense of numbers and letters). 
2. Nelson Denny Reading Test was developed to gauge vocabulary and reading comprehension from adolescence into young adulthood.
3. Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive and Academic (WJ-III Ach and Cog) consists of “standard battery” tests and “extended battery” tests administered to children from their toddler years into young adulthood. The testing areas to determine educational potential in children include comprehension, memory, reading-writing, visual-spatial processing, listening, quantitative logic and problem solving, and learning new things.

Contact Us To Learn More About the Education Potential In Your Child

We welcome your questions and invite you to make an appointment. To learn more about our founder and director, Dr. Sanam Hafeez, please visit About Us or Our Treatment Center.

Academic performance encompasses both cognitive and non-cognitive skills in a complex and interdependent matrix where one begets the other.

While cognitive skills may be easier to measure, with schools around the globe utilizing standardized testing to evaluate the academic performance and proper advancement of students from one grade level to the next, current studies stress the importance of non-cognitive skills as equally important determinants of success in the academic world and beyond.

We will look at 5 popular tests that serve as excellent predictors of academic performance and, consequently, graduation rates, post-graduate education, and economic/vocational success.

Cognitive Skills

The most well-known measure of cognitive skills used worldwide is an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test, consisting of a series of questions that measure reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Test questions can be verbal or non-verbal, often testing intelligence in abstract yet universal ways, which is why IQ tests are so pervasively used. There have been countless studies that correlate IQ scores with intellectual intelligence and academic performance. Other intelligence tests include:

• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability.

The second form of cognitive skills tests is standardized tests that educators administer at every grade level to measure their students’ academic performance against other school districts. General math, reading, writing, and reasoning skills tests assess a student’s learning advancement from one year to the next, which predicts how well the student will continue to perform academically.

The third set of cognitive tests are standardized college and graduate school entrance exams like the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, and LSAT. These tests measure a student’s academic potential. However, they have recently faced criticism for being better predictors of a student’s socio-economic background than raw academic performance.

Non-Cognitive Skills

To test non-cognitive skills, administrators and researchers use psychometric tests that assess character traits and measure emotional intelligence. There are many psychometric tests out there, but the consensus is that the top four character traits that predict academic and economic success are discipline, grit, conscientiousness, and self-efficacy.

We have chosen the Grit Scale, and the ACT Engage tests as two tests that aptly encompass the range of emotional and personal characteristics covered to get the best idea of emotional and motivational intelligence.

Cognitive and Non-cognitive Tests Are the Best Predictors

To conclude, cognitive and non-cognitive skills are both vital aspects of academic performance. While testing cognitive abilities have become a controversial topic, we will list the 5 types of cognitive and non-cognitive tests that have popularly served as the best predictors of academic performance:

• Intelligent Quotient (IQ)
• Standardized Testing
• College and Graduate Entrance Exams
• Grit Scale
• ACT Engage

With so many children spending most of their lives at home right now, it’s more important than ever to keep playtime for kids productive and meaningful. This will allow them to thrive and hit all of the appropriate developmental milestones during these challenging times.

Make Playtime for Kids Productive and Fun With These Tips

If you’re looking for a subtle way to add an educational or organizational element to playtime for your kids, then take a look at this brief list we’ve put together. With these handy tips, playtime for your kids will be both fun and intellectually stimulating.

Add an Interactive Element to Playtime

As infants grow into toddlers, they will begin to become more assertive and take an active lead in play. At this stage, toddlers want to choose their playtime activities, whether it is coloring or playing with blocks. When playtime comes, make sure that parents and siblings are involved and ensure that children play and choose their own activities.

Participate in Pretend and Make-Believe

Another effective way to stimulate intellectual development and critical thinking in toddlers and young children is to take an active role in playing pretend and make-believe. By encouraging your children to act and use their imaginations freely, you’re building empathy, because pretending always involves thinking about others’ feelings and perspectives.

Engage Toddlers and Babies in One-On-One Talk

The last item on our list is also the simplest and most basic way to make playtime for kids productive. At some point during the day, we encourage the parents of babies and toddlers to engage in a solo, one-on-one conversation with their kids. By taking the time to talk directly to your toddler or even simply making a funny face, you’re building neural pathways and stimulating intellectual development.

There are plenty of ADA accommodations that you can talk to your child’s school about to ensure that they’re getting the best possible education. These days, the ADA, or the Americans with Disabilities Act, protects children of all ages. Understanding your right under the law is the first step to ensuring that your child’s school is fully equipped to serve their needs.

It’s your right as a parent to record school meetings. Always ask in advance, and explain that you want to record these meetings to understand better what is happening with your child. This is especially true if you, yourself, have a disability like ADHD. Recording meetings will allow you to process them later, with a partner, if applicable.

If your child has a visual disability, you can request that school materials, including tests and other learning materials, be printed in a larger font. This includes pictures and any supplementary materials that apply to the class. Schools must accommodate all of their students, and you need to understand your rights in this regard.

Students with special needs or learning disabilities that cause them to lose concentration quickly can seat these children further away from windows, doors, or other distractions. You can request that your child be moved in the classroom if they are being distracted too easily by external stimuli.

If your child has a physical disability, such as if they are in a wheelchair, unique desks should be provided for them. They may also qualify for grace periods getting to and from class and be seated with the class instead of off to the side. This allows them to understand and experience all elements of learning thoroughly.

Whether your child seems to excel at math or has an impressive reading level, it’s not always easy to tell what their true educational potential is. However, with the right testing, you may be able to pinpoint what your kid could achieve, along with their strengths and their weaknesses.

At Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services (CCPS), we specialize in psycho-educational tests that can help determine your child’s educational potential.

What Kind of Tests Help Assess a Child’s Educational Potential?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to determining your child’s educational potential. At CCPS, we strive to look at the big picture – which means conducting psychological tests that look at the mental processes affecting their educational performances. Our psycho-educational tests measure their academic abilities, intelligence, math achievement, reading, and writing skills.

Some of the tests we may use during this assessment include:

• Stanford Binet-5 Intelligence Scales (SB-5): The SB5 measures five areas of your child’s cognitive abilities: quantitative reasoning, fluid reasoning, knowledge, visual-spatial processing, and working memory. The SB5 can give a rounded look at your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
• Nelson Denny Reading Test: This reading test provides insight into reading and vocabulary comprehension.
• Woodcock Johnson Cognitive and Academic Batteries (WJ-III Ach and Cog): This battery of tests includes eighteen different assessments that provide further insight into a child’s cognitive abilities and academic potential.
• Test of Written Language (TOWL-4): This test assesses an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in their writing ability.

Everyone is unique, and when it comes to testing a child’s educational potential, their assessment needs to be unique too. From well-rounded tests like the WJ-III Ach and Cog to more narrow assessments like the TOWL-4, testing your child’s educational potential at CCPS can give you plenty of insight as to what they may achieve.

Death and grief are inevitable parts of life, but most parents hope that their children won’t have to experience these emotions until they are fully grown. Unfortunately, as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, many families have had to have difficult conversations about loss and trauma. If you have recently lost a loved one, these tactics may help you provide support and comfort to the young ones in your life.

Explain Honestly and Simply

Children aren’t always mentally prepared to handle difficult concepts, but that doesn’t mean that they should have the truth hidden from them. If someone in their family dies, it’s important to explain what happened as honestly as possible while still using language that the child can understand.

One of the biggest mistakes that many parents make is mincing words around the death of a family member. Phrases like “moved on” or “passed away” may make the adults feel better, but they tend to leave children incredibly confused. Instead, tell the child that someone has died; then, explain to them what dying is and that the person won’t be returning to their life.

Be Prepared for Negative Emotions

Grieving is a skill that needs to be taught. A child who has never experienced loss before might go through anything from sorrow to anger to shock. Even if your child doesn’t react right away, you can expect to see changes in their behavior as they begin to process the news.

No matter what emotions your child has regarding the loss, be accepting, understanding, and willing to talk. Understand that you will need to guide your child through the process of channeling their emotions in a healthy way that will prepare them for similar situations in the future.

Prepare for Your Own Grief

If a family member dies, the children will not be the only ones grieving. You should accept that your own turbulent emotions might impede your ability to manage your duties as a parent; in the same way, the grief is also likely to affect your spouse. However, even if the grief has made your daily life difficult, it’s important to make sure that your child doesn’t try to take the responsibility of cheering the family up onto themselves.

Every family handles mourning differently. Cultural traditions such as burning candles or dressing in black may be helpful because they show a division between grieving and normal life. If both parents are struggling greatly with the loss, asking friends and family members to help take care of the house may also be a good idea.

As the aftermath of the death calms down, remember that grieving is not a speedy process. A child who goes quiet after a death may break down into tears months or even years later. Be patient with your kids, and let them know that your love and affection is available whenever they need.

Final exams are no joke, especially for students who have only had to face high-tension situations a few times across their lives. If you want your kids to perform well, try using these tricks to reduce their stress and encourage them to have a great exam day.

Plan the Right Meals

Good nutrition is incredibly important to help combat stress. In the time leading up to exam day, make sure that your family is eating balanced meals on a regular schedule. As you’re making meal plans, try to incorporate important nutrients like proteins, healthy fats, and green vegetables.

In addition to regular meals, you’ll also want to provide snacks to give your kids a little extra energy and motivation while they work. Avoid junk food like chips and candy bars. Instead, try to find healthy options like protein bars, fruit, or even trail mix.

Balance Study Sessions

One thing that many parents don’t realize is that their kids may not know how to study for an exam. Instead of dropping your kids off with a pile of textbooks, go out of your way to show them how to read their notes, focus on valuable information, and get ready for the upcoming test.

Another thing that kids need help with is learning how to balance study time and break time. Children probably shouldn’t spend more than one or two hours on their homework in one sitting, especially if they have school the next day. Remind your kids to take frequent breaks, and make sure that studying doesn’t cut into their precious sleep schedule.

Keep the Pressure Down

Many children complain that the most stressful part of finals week is the constant study reminders from their parents. You may be reasonably concerned about your child’s grades, but you should also recognize that too much pressure will ruin their ability to focus.

Instead of regularly reminding your kids that something stressful is on the horizon, go out of your way to stay quiet about the topic until it’s time for homework. As the adult, you can help maintain a healthy schedule that will make sure they pass the class.

The best ways to reduce stress generally involve living a healthy and balanced life style. From eating the right food to studying at the right times, the way you manage your home can have an amazing impact on your child’s shot at success.

Every good school wants to be able to offer their educational services to as many students as possible. However, some students struggle with unique needs that make learning difficult, especially in a classroom environment. As an educator, here are a few ways that you can make your institution more accommodating.

Follow Disability Guidelines

Whether you’re trying to make room for children who can’t see, can’t hear, or having a learning disability, it’s important to follow the guidelines laid down by the organization that matches those students’ specific conditions. Only by following modern standards can you be sure that you’re offering the best care possible.

Many institutions satisfy themselves by relying on semi-yearly inspections to make sure that their school is up to standards. However, if you really want the students in your care to thrive, you’ll make sure that you’re constantly updating to the latest and best ways to accommodate those with extra needs.

Hire Additional Staff

One of the biggest mistakes that many academic leaders make is expecting normal staff to be able to make disability accommodations. Learning to care for those with educational disabilities is a career in and of itself; if you try to push this work onto teachers, you’ll quickly watch your doctorate-level educator turn into a normal untrained professional.

Start by having trained staff on-hand to assist directly with students who have learning disabilities. You’ll also want to have extra tutors, child care experts, and any other staff members who can reduce the workload and that your school’s budget can reasonably afford.

Be Patient and Compassionate

Students with learning and functional disabilities are still children and still need to be raised in a loving and respectful environment. It’s tempting to turn accommodation into a checklist of things that have been changed to help the child without actually paying attention to their individual personality or needs. That’s why the best advice that any educator can receive is to be patient and kind with every child who ends up in their classroom.

No matter what your guidebook says, take time to get to know each of your students individually. Ask the child or their parents about their unique needs. Be willing to adjust the pace on course materials, and generally maintain an air of flexibility and understanding. If you can master these elements, you should have no problem interacting with every student who comes your way.

Being an educator isn’t easy, but continuing to care about the success of your students will help guarantee that you succeed. No matter what skills a student starts out with, a good teacher will help them reach the next stage of growth.

Between online schooling, video games, and staying in touch with long distance friends, the truth is that more and more kids are spending a significant amount of their time looking at a screen. In the past, concerns have been raised about how screen interaction impacts a child’s mental health. As screens become an unavoidable part of daily life, the question stops being whether children should be kept from using computers and becomes about whether there are any negative effects that should be mitigated to keep your child mentally healthy.

Is Screen Time Bad for Children

The impacts that screen time has on a child’s psychology are generally related to attention span and physical health. Using screens has been shown to decrease a child’s ability to hold up conversations or sit quietly for extended periods in direct correlation to the amount of time that they have spent using a computer instead of publicly socializing.

At first glance, these kinds of results can sound like they doom computers as part of a child’s life. However, the decrease in socialization skills makes sense from an educational standpoint; it just might not be the future that many parents were expecting from their children. The more that kids use screens, the better they are at using screens. Those skills have to come from somewhere, which is why children who spend more time on screens might be worse at other commonly expected social skills.

Helping Your Kids Have Healthy Screen Time Habits

Modern students need to use screens. If you want to make sure that your child develops other skills on a healthy schedule, try helping them have some of the following healthy habits:

• Take breaks. Get up from the desk at least once an hour to give your mind a chance to reset.
• Change posture. Spending hours hunched over a laptop isn’t good for your back or your psychology. Make sure you’re sitting in a good posture and that you move around every 20-30 minutes.
• Spend time together. Social skills are taught by social interaction. Combat the effects of computer use by spending time interacting together as a family.
• Turn screens off before bed. Screen use can delay your ability to fall asleep. Set a standard of turning off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime.

As screens become an expected part of society, the standards for healthy development will change. Parents can help make sure their children succeed by encouraging positive habits and general overall physical good health.