Finding out your child is gifted is exciting news, until you realize that you have no idea what to do next. From our experience, parents naturally gravitate towards nurturing the intellectual aspects of their gifted child’s abilities while placing less focus on social emotional aspects of development. A significant challenge is navigating the issues that arise from a gifted child’s difference between their intellectual age (often higher) and social emotional maturity (often more immature). Below are some well-rounded guidelines for nurturing gifted children.
Emotional support & interaction
Even though your child is gifted they may want to pursue areas of interests that differ from your expectations. Make sure you show love and appreciation for everything they do, not only their academic achievements. Being a vocal parent is even more important when your child is gifted because being intellectually advanced can cause unconventional social problems. If possible, provide opportunities for your child to make friends with other gifted children or children with similar interests to boost their social skills.
Activities
Parents do not need to find specially designed activities or lessons for their gifted child; they should instead focus on nurturing their interests. Gifted children tend to be a lot more observant and take more interest in their environment and surroundings. Parents can organize simple activities such as taking a walk outdoors and answering any questions they have.
Communication
As with any child, you should support their sense of agency by valuing and actively listening to their opinions. You could turn these interactions into opportunities to sharpen your child’s understanding of persuasion and reasoning skills. During times where your child’s requests are unreasonable, make sure to be firm with them without scolding them.
Choosing an appropriate education
Tutor Time’s LifeSmart curriculum ensures that each child’s ‘smarts’, otherwise known as strengths, are explored to their fullest potential. By using a cycle of intentional planning, teachers can evaluate how each child responds to the curriculum and make the necessary adjustments. It’s common to see children who are advanced in some areas while needing additional work in other areas. Tutor Time’s curriculum does the opposite of finding a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to education to ensure each child’s needs are met.
Sources
https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-do-i-nurture-my-gifted-child-1449265
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