How to Build Vocabulary Skills for the CogAT Verbal Battery

We know you’re on a mission to help your child succeed academically and unleash their full potential. But here’s the secret weapon you’ve been waiting for supercharging their vocabulary skills! That’s right, building extraordinary language skills not only enhances their communication powers but also boosts their reading comprehension and critical thinking abilities. Buckle up as with this blog you can dive into some game-changing strategies to help your little heroes build his/her vocabulary skills specifically for the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test).

The gifted test measures students’ cognitive and analytical abilities beyond their academic performance through three batteries – verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal, each one having three individual sections.

The verbal battery measures the child’s verbal reasoning ability. The battery consists of three subsets: picture analogies, picture classification, and sentence completion.

Here are some tips that can help you deal with you strengthen your child’s vocab skills:-

1. The habit of reading: Reading is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to build vocab skills. Encourage your child to read a wide variety of age-appropriate books and online articles. Engage in regular reading sessions together and discuss the meanings of unfamiliar words. Motivate your kid to maintain a personal vocabulary journal where he/she can jot down new words and their meanings.

2. Foster a diverse language-rich environment: Children are usually fast learners. So, expose your child to different languages from a young age. Empower your precious to express what is in his/her mind and listen attentively to what he/she says. This will make your kiddo feel important and inspired to try harder. As parents, you can also start using new words and a diverse range of vocabulary in daily conversation and your child may follow suit.

3. Have fun with word games: Make learning vocabulary an enjoyable experience by incorporating word games into your everyday routine. Games like scrabble and crossword puzzles not only make learning fun but also improve spelling and vocabulary. Uplift your child to compete with family members or friends to foster healthy competition and motivation.

4. Use technology but keep track: In this digital age, take advantage of various educational apps, online resources, and vocabulary-building websites. Many interactive tools and apps are designed specifically to enhance vocabulary skills. These platforms provide engaging activities, word quizzes, and flashcards to make learning interactive and exciting. It’s a great way to make your precious have fun while learning.

To simultaneously prepare your child for CogAT, you can play a challenging game using CogAT Gifted Test Prep App with your young one. Check how many answers he/she can figure out from the verbal battery questions while you count to 30. Have a star system such as 5 stars if he/she gets the right answer and 1 if the answer was wrong. Your superstar will love this and will strive hard to get a maximum of 5 stars. But, in all this, keep a watch on the content your youngster is watching and the screen time he/she has as it can go overboard.

5. Propel your child to write: Writing helps reinforce vocabulary skills. Inspire your junior to maintain a journal, write short stories, or even start a blog. Encourage creativity and usage of new words. This habit will help him/her to build the vocabulary and develop a better understanding of the word meanings. Provide constructive feedback at the end to improve your child’s writing skills further.

6. Create word-learning routines: Children usually mimic their parents, family, and surroundings. Have a daily or weekly word-learning routine at home where every family member shares 4-5 new words. Select a new word each day or week and challenge your child to incorporate that word into his/her conversations or writing. You can make it a family activity by choosing 3-4 new words and encouraging everyone to use them throughout the day.

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Building vocabulary skills is a gradual process that requires consistent effort and practice. By incorporating these strategies into your child’s daily routine, you can support his/her vocabulary development and enhance his/her performance in the CogAT verbal battery. The Gifted App has been on a mission to provide the best user-friendly experience by offering targeted practice and resources for your kiddo to excel in the CogAT test. With a large CogAT-specific Q-bank of 5500+ MCQs catering from kindergarten to grade 5.

The platform would be a one-stop solution for parents who want to see their geniuses give their best and not crawl but jump toward success.