What To Do If You Think Your Child Is Gifted

You as a parent know your child best. In fact, you are more likely to notice that your child may be gifted before anyone else.

Parents usually become aware that their children may be gifted within the first five years of their little one’s life. This means that as children come closer to the age of five, their parents may have more accurate assumptions on their child’s gifted status. This is when you start to wonder what to do if you think your child is gifted.

What Does Gifted Mean?

While there is no solid global definition of what a gifted child is, there are multiple definitions. Most of these definitions encompass certain children who are the most talented or skilled in a certain area.

For example, kids that have the most talent or skill in math, music, language and more. In other words, gifted children are those who have the ability to demonstrate exceptional levels of aptitude or competence in one or more areas of life.

These areas are also not just limited to academics. In fact, they can also include things like music, sports and more.

What are Unique Traits Gifted Children Possess?

Aside from displaying advanced accomplishment in specific areas, there are other specific characteristics that some gifted children can display. These traits are subject to several variables though so it is important to keep an open mind.

Curiosity and urge to learn
Exceptional intellectual abilities

Processes and learns information quickly
Thinks outside the box when it comes to different perspectives, relationships and connections
Ability to understand complex and abstract concepts

Extremely detailed memory
Intense love of reading
Advanced communication and vocabulary skills

Asks a lot of questions
Intensified passion in one area that can change over time
Ability to focus for long periods of time on things that interest them

These are just some of the characteristics that gifted children can display, and they may be different for each child.

How to Give Gifted Kids More Intellectual Stimulation

The truth is, many gifted kids aren’t receiving the learning opportunities they require. It is important that we as parents, keep our gifted children stimulated so they can reach their full potential.

In order to do this, you need to figure out what activities your child is interested in and feels challenged by. This is because the key to raising gifted children is embracing their opinions, uniqueness and ideology.

This does not mean pushing them to excel further in math and language. It means finding other areas they are interested in and facilitating that interest.

For example, if your gifted child is interested in chemistry, you can cook together. If your child is interested in math, enroll them in a music class.

Gifted teachers do not recommend pushing your child to get even further ahead in the core subjects but to instead find complementary activities to stimulate them. Lego clubs, robotics, art, and music can fulfill their brains need to push and stretch to new limits.

Pushing your gifted child in an entirely academic direction will not provide them with the stimulation they need. Truthfully, it will do the exact opposite. It is important to find ways to stimulate their brains with activities they enjoy.

If your little one is a preschooler or toddler, there are several different ways to keep the stimulated. Whether you do flashcards that focus on social and emotional learning or explore art and music with them, just remember to nurture their interests to keep them challenged.

If you are interested in flashcards for gifted children or other games check out Testing Moms Bestsellers for Gifted Learning.

When your gifted child is about to start school or is already in school, you can encourage them to expand upon their interests in fun and creative ways. Whether they join a chess club or learn a new language, it is important to facilitate their interests.

Should You Get Gifted Testing Done?

If you believe that your little one is gifted, testing will give you the insight you need to understand their learning needs.

Testing gives you the understanding of what your child’s learning strengths and weaknesses are. When you identify your child’s gifted status early on, it is more likely that your child can develop and expand upon their talents.

Testing is also a good idea if you are hoping to get your child involved in a gifted program at school.

To get help with the testing system look at the S.C.O.R.E System where students are 2x’s more likely to qualify for their schools gifted program.

These programs allow your children to develop their skills even further, helping them to learn to manage or improve upon any weaknesses they may have. In fact, getting gifted testing done can help to identify any learning disabilities they may have in other areas.

Without this testing, these weaknesses are often overlooked due to the fact that they excel so well in other areas. This information can help you advocate for your child and help them learn in a way that works for them.

If you believe that your child is gifted, getting the testing done can have many positive benefits. In fact, it can help to open doors for them in general.

Just remember, timing is important. Testing before the age of 6 can actually have inaccurate results, so take that into account when considering your options. It is also important that you find a tester who has experience working with children that are gifted to ensure that their views are accurate.

If you are wondering what to do if you believe your child to be gifted, it is important that you first understand the definition of gifted.

It is also important that you focus on the unique characteristics that they can possess. Remember, having a gifted child can be a blessing, but it can also require you to provide them with more intellectual stimulation.

Just make sure you are taking the right steps to keep them stimulated and get the appropriate testing done to identify other ways you can help.

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