Parenting Gifted Children

Like any new, or even experienced parent, you've read about the developmental milestones your child will experience. You know what age to expect a first word, the first sentence, when the baby will begin to crawl, stand up, or walk.  If you've already had children, you might even measure the new baby's development against your other children, in terms of knowing when to expect these "firsts". But this baby surprises you. From infancy on, he or she seems very "alert". Walking, then exploring and investigating, occur at an earlier age that what you've read about or been told by the pediatrician. Perhaps the first words were a bit late in coming, but once they did, they were spoken in complete, coherent, sentences. Those toddler games and puzzles are quickly mastered, then discarded. Your child seeks to do things that are considered far beyond his or her age and ability level. Is it possible you have a gifted child?

There are certain signs from infancy on that your child might be gifted. Many of these signs may not have been recognized at the time as signs of a gifted child. In fact, they may be mistaken as signs of a fussy, colicky, baby. Your baby, unlike what seems like everyone else’s, sleeps less than what is considered average. Your sister tells you your nephew is sleeping through the night at two months of age, when your baby still wakes up after three or four hours and is nearly seven months old. The baby cries a lot, and you think "colic". Yet, when combined with early alertness and curiosity, it may simply be boredom, or sensitivity to certain things.

Gifted children, as infants, are often more sensitive to what is seen, smelled, felt, heard, and tasted. This may be manifested through a lot of crying. The gifted infant may cry when clothing "feels" bad, or a certain food you are cooking smells too strong. Yet, because they are infants, they are not yet ready to express what is wrong except through crying and fussiness.   Furthermore, they prefer the new, the unfamiliar, over items that are familiar to them. Ordinarily, a baby wants to play with the same toy over and over, or have the same book read time and again. The gifted child wants something new and different each time. Once developmental milestones are reached, often very early, the child becomes very active, though not in the sense of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The activity has a purpose.

The toddler has an unusually long attention span, too. There is always new information to be found. Even though the child may begin to do simple math, and learn to read by age three, not all gifted children begin this early. While early reading and arithmetic problem solving are signs of a gifted child, their absence does not mean your child is not gifted. Even without early reading, the child may be verbally advanced, using words normally not in a toddler's vocabulary, and understanding the use and meaning of those words.

When school begins, the gifted child learns more quickly than others, and is ready to move on earlier. Sometimes, these children get in trouble in school because they've mastered the tasks given so quickly they are bored, and nothing new is given to them for learning because that would put them "far ahead" of the rest of the class. Yet, they already are "far ahead" of the rest of the class.

Discipline may be hard to maintain at times, especially if the child is very verbally advanced. He or she often uses logic to "outsmart" a parent, and can easily learn to manipulate a parent's behavior through words. The parent needs to be aware of this, and be consistent, letting the child know what behaviors are acceptable. It is also important to allow a gifted child some time alone, rather than organizing all of his or her time. This way, the child has a chance to be creative, to learn on his or her own, and grow.

If you suspect your child may be gifted, what can you as a parent do? If you are uncertain as to whether or not your child is gifted, the child can be tested. But because testing is not recommended until the child is at least age four, and before the age of eight, one option is to enroll in a parenting course online.  These classes can help the primary caregiver by teaching how to nurture your child's intellectual as well as emotional needs. By learning how best to nurture your child's intelligence, your child will grow up a strong, capable individual, able to achieve almost anything he or she sets out to do.  Taking classes online is most beneficial to stay-at-home parents as you never have to leave the kids with a babysitter.  They are a self-paced, relaxed way to learn the latest skills on how to successfully parent your different types of children.