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5 Quick and Easy Test-Free Ways to Test Your Child

February 7, 2019 By Shawna Wingert

Formal assessments can be painfully stressful for students. Try Shawna’s practical, quick, and easy ways to test your homeschool student without formal tests.

Written by Shawna Wingert of Not the Former Things.

I spoke to my best friend last week. As we caught up on life, she told me that her daughter was having a tough time and that she may need to jump off the phone.

When I asked why, her answer surprised me. “She has an important math test tomorrow, and she’s worried she doesn’t know the concepts.”

Her sweet little girl is in first grade.

5 Quick and Easy Test-Free Ways to Test Your Child

My friend handles this type of thing exceptionally well. Although her children are in a very competitive public school district, she consistently reinforces how not worried she is about test scores. She values their hearts above all else and seeks to cultivate their strengths.

She realizes that testing is just part of education these days.

When my oldest son was in school many years ago, we experienced the same thing. In second grade, he once came home worried because he had state testing the next day. His teacher had told the class they needed to eat eggs for breakfast the next day, so they had the protein to fuel their brains for the test period.

He started to sob as he relayed this to me. “I don’t like eggs. I don’t want to eat eggs, but I need to do well on this test.”

(Eggs, y’all.)

The truth is, tests can be stressful, even for the best students.

5 Easy Ways To Test Your Child Without The Stress Of A Test, Shawna Wingert, Not The Former Things

Both of my children are naturally prone to anxiety in general and test anxiety, specifically. Over the past eight years, I have sought ways to assess how they are doing academically without ever even uttering the “T” word. Try my five favorite quick and easy test-free ways to test your child.

1. Discussion

A discussion is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive way to assess my children’s comprehension and understanding. Unlike multiple choice questions, having a dialog with my child about what he has learned requires a level of mastery that a scantron form can’t duplicate.

If I am curious about how well my children are progressing through a particular unit of study, I ask them what they’ve learned so far. I ask who their favorite character is or what surprised them most about our history lesson. These open ended questions spur conversation and allow me to get a firm grasp of what they’ve learned.

5 Easy Ways To Test Your Child Without The Stress Of A Test, Shawna Wingert, Not The Former Things

2. Games

I love this option! Turning the test into a game is easy and more effective for all of us. For example, I often put up two pieces of paper in our backyard, one labeled true and the other false. Then, I ask my son the true or false questions in his textbook, and he fires a Nerf dart at the right answer.

It works, and we get a little fresh air while he has fun showing me what he knows.

5 Quick and Easy Test-Free Ways to Test Your Child

3. Presentations

The dollar store is my favorite for presentations. We head in, and my son picks up a posterboard (50 cents!) and anything else that catches his eye. When we get home, he puts together a poster board presentation to show everything he learned in a particular book or unit.

Not only is this a useful, practical “test,” but it’s also hands-on and creative.

5 Easy Ways To Test Your Child Without The Stress Of A Test, Shawna Wingert, Not The Former Things

4. Teach It

Similar to the poster board presentation, I will also often ask my boys to teach each other what they’ve learned. My oldest has taught my youngest everything there is to know about The Cold War (a particular interest of his) and my youngest re-told the entire Percy Jackson book series to his older brother.

Both proved proficiency and were more effective than any test.

5. Keep Notes

This one has nothing to do with my kids and everything to do with me. I have gotten into the habit of regularly recording our activities as well as any new learning in a simple weekly planner. One of the easiest ways for me to assess my boys’ progress is to simply look back over the year and see how much we have accomplished and how much they’ve learned.

It’s not a standard test, but it achieves the same result. I have an effective measure of progress, learning, and retention.

5 Easy Ways To Test Your Child Without The Stress Of A Test, Shawna Wingert, Not The Former Things

Not having to test all the things formally is an excellent benefit of homeschooling our kids and one that I am grateful to employ. Not only can we help our children learn in the ways that work best for their learning styles and needs, but we can find alternatives to testing as well.

Do you have anything you would add to this list? How do you assess your child’s progress without a test?

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About Shawna Wingert

Shawna Wingert is the creator of Not The Former Things, a blog dedicated to homeschooling children with learning differences and special needs. She loves finding out-of-the-box ways for out-of-the-box learners to thrive. She is the author of two books, Special Education at Home and Everyday Autism. You can follow Shawna and Not The Former Things on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.

Comments

  1. Natalie McCatty says

    February 8, 2019 at 5:32 pm

    Testing makes me so nervous! Thankfully, we aren’t required to test in CO until the 3rd grade. Thanks so much for the wisdom!

    Reply

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Kris Bales is the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest voice behind Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She and her husband of over 25 years are parents to three amazing kids - one high schooler and two homeschool grads - and one son-in-law. Kris has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. She also seems intent on becoming the crazy cat lady long before she's old and alone.

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