Preparation for the National Unified Elementary School Test for Kindergarten Seniors

When should you start taking the National Unified Elementary School Test?

Although it is called the National Unified Elementary School Test, you can take it starting from your senior year of kindergarten.
The subject matter is a fusion of arithmetic and Japanese language problems.

Honestly, it is often thought that starting in the senior year of kindergarten is too early, but
personally, I recommend taking it from the senior year of kindergarten.

Why is it better to take it from the senior year of kindergarten?

Of course, the best time varies depending on your family's educational policy and the child's characteristics, but the reasons why I think it is better to take it from the senior year of kindergarten are as follows:
・It is easier to aim for good grades
I believe the number of examinees in the senior year of kindergarten was around 7,000 to 8,000,
and it is easy to rank high with just a little preparation.
This is because the problems inevitably end up being similar every year, making them easy to prepare for.

・It builds the habit of sitting at a desk
I plan to introduce preparation workbooks later, but you can build the habit of sitting at a desk to do the workbooks.
The content is also more like puzzles, quizzes, and mazes rather than studying, so I think it can be done enjoyably.

However, if you leave it to the child just because it is fun, they won't do it, so I recommend doing it together as a parent and child. Rather than teaching them in a condescending way, if you pretend you don't understand a little, they will be motivated to solve it before their mom or dad.

・You can gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence
Regardless of the score, you can gain a sense of accomplishment from having prepared and completed the test.
If the results are good, it builds confidence that they can do it if they try, and if you keep the report card, you can use it when they hit a slump later in life by saying, "You were smart when you were little, so you can do it if you apply yourself."

What if they can't read or write yet?

It is okay if they cannot read characters.
It is a one-question-one-answer style where the teacher reads the problem text and they answer accordingly.

Of course, it is also okay if they cannot write characters.
The way to answer is to circle what you think is the correct answer.
Circle as many as you think are correct.

It is a problem format where you don't need to be able to write numbers or characters.

What kind of problems appear in the arithmetic-Japanese fusion test?

Arithmetic-Japanese fusion sounds difficult, but it is just content like educational workbooks.
There are various educational workbooks, but the one with the most similar level isthe intermediate level of elementary school entrance exam workbooksI have introduced a few at the bottom of the article, so please take a look if you are interested.

Finally
I think it is enough to take it if you feel like it.
If the results are good, it builds confidence.
Even if they are bad, they are still in the senior year of kindergarten. Scores can easily fluctuate by dozens of points depending on their physical condition that day and their compatibility with the problems.
If there is one in your neighborhood, why not try taking it casually?
By the way, I have taken it at about three places, but there was no solicitation for cram schools anywhere.
Everywhere just ended with some small talk about local entrance exam situations or stories about nearby junior high schools.

Preparation Workbooks

As for workbooks, this series from Koguma-kai is good.
The following are affiliate links.

There are various series, but since difficult IQ-test-like problems do not appear, I think you only need to do the comprehensive problems, but if I were to list specialized problems for detailed units, it would be around here.