I have come across several children in the past week who are ‘gifted’ and by coincidence I stumbled across an article this morning. I thought you might find it interesting because you may be questioning if your child is gifted and want to know how to help a gifted child of yours. There are a couple of children, in my life, whose parents say they are gifted but how do they know? This article shares the 15 signs a child will display if they are gifted. Have a read.
Looking down the list. Would you say your child is showing the signs? When I look at some of those children who I know are gifted, I remember them reading at such a young age and being able to do things my children were doing later on. Having a gifted child as with any other child means tailoring your parenting and their learning to suit them. Finding out your child is gifted inevitably leads to the question of what to do about it. Whether you noticed advanced behaviors in your child or others have pointed them out to you, chances are you are left wondering what, if anything, you should do about it. Some parents worry that they will do the wrong things or that they aren’t smart, talented, or educated enough to provide what their child needs. However, all it really takes is a little understanding and creativity. Here are some ideas to get you started.
What Can Parents Do To Help A Gifted Child?
- As parents, we need to make sure that children are challenged enough at school. That they don’t get bored as they find the work too easy and are being stretched. We need to make sure that the school allow them to work at their own pace.
- Sometimes a gifted child may lack social skills so need to be taught these. Teach them how to show interest in people and improve their conversational skills.
- Nurture their abilities. Nurturing is mostly feeding a child’s interests and exposing him or her to new ideas and experiences. For example, if you notice that your child is interested in dinosaurs, get toys and books about them. .
- Gifted children love to use their brains. They love to think and figure things out, so ask them questions. And, of course, gifted children have plenty of questions to ask themselves. How you answer their questions can help them think and learn to find answers. The way you answer your child’s questions can help keep their love of learning alive and teach them life-long skills to continue learning.
- A good way to nurture a child’s abilities is to provide some good toys and books. Gifted kids are often bored with typical toys and don’t always find the most popular books interesting. Finding the right toys and books for gifted kids can be a challenge, but not if you know what to look for. Gifted kids tend to enjoy toys that allow them to learn, to think, and to be creative. Their taste in books is similar.
You might worry that you are pushing your child and might be doing damage. We are told so often that we shouldn’t push our children. For peace of mind, you will want to understand the difference between nurturing and pushing.
For more insights into parenting and helping your child take a look at The Parent’s Toolkit.
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