Why you must tell your child exactly what to expect on the day of their 4+
/Many parents tell me that they did not tell their child exactly what to expect on the day of their 4+ Assessments and those same parents tell me that they regret doing this.
Many parents tell me that their child won’t understand anyway or that it’s best they don’t know exactly what is happening or that they don’t want to worry them. I disagree with all of this.
Your child does fully understand what is going on.
Your child will fully know is happening on the day of their Assessment
They may or may not worry regardless of whether you tell them or not.
You must tell your child exactly what to expect in their 4+ Assessments if you would like them to actually pass their 4+ Assessments. Here is why…
1. They will be clear about the expectations.
By telling your child exactly what to expect, they will be clear about what is expected from them.
Telling them things like -
‘You will be collected by a teacher who works at the school and taken to a room/hall to take part in several different activities.’
‘You will follow their instructions and do exactly what they ask you to do.’
‘ You will be kind and polite to all adults and children in the room.’
‘You will share and take turns.’
etc.
2. They will be far less likely to not do what you don’t want them to do.
If you don’t tell your child exactly what to expect then don’t be surprised if they do go in and treat it like a ‘playdate’.
3. They will be 10x more confident
By knowing exactly what to expect your child will go in with 10x more confidence than if they didn’t know exactly what to expect.
Tell your child exactly what to expect on the day of the 4+ Assessments and if you don’t know what they will be expected to do, speak with someone who does.
