<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Many people may think of Mathnasium as a place to take kids when they are struggling with math; a tutorial center that helps kids grasp concepts better and at their own pace versus being pressured in a classroom. While that is all true – we love helping kids who are struggling reach and achieve their goals – Mathnasium is also a place for kids who are above where the rest of their class is in math. In classrooms, students often operate on many different comprehension levels, whether it’s in English, Science or Math. It can then be hard for teachers to challenge every student and sometimes those who are gifted end up not being challenged enough. Mathnasium is a place for kids who are extra talented at math to keep learning, instead of hitting the ceiling of where the rest of their class may be. </o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">So, how do you identify if your child is gifted and might need extra challenges? It can be tricky. We are all different as humans and our skills vary. Kids may be advanced in one specific area, but not others. For the purpose of this blog, when we refer to gifted, we’re mainly talking about kids who pick up things faster than others scholastically. You may notice this as a parent and other times educators may notice if your child is gifted and approach you about ways to keep your child challenged. Regardless, here are some signs that your child might be gifted:</o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> 1. They have a brilliant imagination. Most kids will pretend a lot when they are young, whether they’re playing with friends or just entertaining themselves. Gifted children will often take concepts they’ve learned and turn them into something original and unique. For instance, they might incorporate all the planets in our solar system into a song that they write or they might come up with a way to manipulate sand into the shape of veggies. Their process for creativity might be unconventional and without boundaries – thinking “outside of the box” as the saying goes. </o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2. They become frustrated with mundane activities. Gifted children do not generally like repetitious activities, especially when it comes to learning. Things like worksheets or redundant songs and sayings will bore them, and you might find them looking for new material, activities and books to seek out constant mental stimulation. </o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">3. They hold themselves and others to high standards. Gifted children are often seeking new things to learn and once they will practice those things until they have mastered them. They have a need to be one of the best at whatever their “craft” is – whatever it is that they are interested in and they will keep practicing until the succeed. They focus on improving themselves and they also want others to be virtuous individuals, as well, as they have a strong sense of justice at an early age. They long for the world to make sense and be fair. </o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">4. They reach developmental milestones early. As parents, we are asked to monitor our children’s development through-out their childhood, but especially during their early years. There are certain milestones that kids are supposed to hit involving physical, linguistic and coordination skills. Are kids become older, those milestones involve more scholastics progress like reading, writing and number sense. As gifted children develop, they tend to reach milestones sooner than other kids who are at their same age. For instance, you might notice that your child is speaking in full sentences sooner than other toddlers, or that your elementary school child is understanding their older brother’s algebra homework. These are good signs your child might be gifted. </o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">5. They love to read. And speaking of reaching milestones earlier, reading is one of the biggest indicators of gifted children. Children who read early and children who love to read are both in this category. Gifted children often enjoy reading to placate their insatiable need to learn more, but they also read simply for pleasure – to invoke imagination, not just to learn. They will likely be interested in fiction and non-fiction books regarding their favorite subjects. </o:p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">As great as it is to see a child developing and comprehending more and more, the challenge with having a gifted child is feeding them enough. In other words, gifted children need a lot of attention to make sure they have enough material at the right rate. When they don’t, especially in a classroom setting, they can become disciplinary problems, as they might act out if they are bored. It’s then important to pay attention to your children’s actions and behaviors. If you think your child might be gifted and they have not been identified for gifted and talented or other special programming that will help challenge them, reach out to their teachers and/or school administration to see what can be done to help. It takes a village to raise a child, gifted or not! </o:p>
