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Original poster

To think my friend's toddler is a genius

316 replies

flowerpowerr · 13/09/2019 14:05

I went to visit a friend yesterday. I was shocked and impressed to hear her 26 month old DD already counting to 20 and identifying different colours! Is that normal at such an early age or is the child a genius? My friend and her DH are both bright.

OP posts:
CecilyP · 14/09/2019 10:36

I can't remember what age DD could count to 20 by ... but I do remember it took me quite a while to persuade her that 'dig and delve' were not the numbers that lay between 12 and 13.

I can remember learning to count t 20 and always left 16 out because it didn’t sound right - like a piece of poetry that didn’t scan!

FurnitureAndBackgammon · 14/09/2019 10:54

My second DD could count to 100 by 2 and at 18 months pointed to a clock and said, “Where’s 13 o’clock?”

Now I think that's really clever - to get the actual understanding behind the numbers and not just repeat like a parrot 👏🏻

CecilyP · 14/09/2019 10:54

Genuinely laughing at all the ‘it’s normal’ brigade. You lot are completely bonkers, you really are.

Totally agree with this! The DC sounds like a bright little button - just not a genius.

Aprillygirl · 14/09/2019 11:02

Jesus I thought you were going to say he could read, tell the time or do simple mathematics or something lol. As it is, no he is very average I'm afraid.

CecilyP · 14/09/2019 11:04

Well I wish I hadn't opened this thread. My dd is 3 and can't count to ten yet!

But when she learns to count, she may be learning to count actual numbers IYSWIM, rather than parroting a meaningless list.

seven201 · 14/09/2019 11:14

Thanks @CecilyP that's good to hear

Nat6999 · 14/09/2019 11:23

Mine by his second birthday could name every bus number & route in the city, he collected bus timetables, I wondered if I had a genius, no I didnt, just a boy with ASD. we have been through buses, planes & are now mad on trains at 15, he is sat on the platform at the station now taking pictures of trains, he is looking at applying for an apprenticeship to be a train driver & he spends all his spare money travelling all over the country by train, not bothered about looking round where he travels to, it's the journey that is important to him. He can name every train he sees, where it goes to, how it is powered, how many carriages, which rail company. He entered a competition with pictures he has taken of trains recently & came third, first & second prize winners were professional photographers. If your child has any kind of special interest, encourage them, you never know where it may lead.

Shesellsseashellsontheseashore · 14/09/2019 11:24

Erm normal. My children were counting etc and speaking well at this age too. They are both doing well and on track academically but by far from being a genius.

Henhophouse · 14/09/2019 12:00

Honestly, it’s still going on - it’s not normal. It’s bright and above average. Seriously, to all the PP who are talking absolute shite about it being average, go outside and give your heads a wobble.
This site is an absolute magnet for the worst sort of delusional parent.

HandsOffMyRights · 14/09/2019 12:10

To the posters who say this thread has made them feel bad/that their toddler is behind, don't worry.

I have summer born male twins. They were usually the last to reach milestones and had delayed speech (saw a speech therapist). I felt bad because others would brag about how advanced their child was at crawling/walking/pooing into a toilet....

Then they caught up. Then they really came into their own and both are academic (at 2.5 they were probably running round with pants on their head).

Children develop at different stages. I was reading newspapers at 3 and way ahead at reading throughout primary. Then I became distinctly average!

ddl1 · 14/09/2019 12:11

She is advanced; but it is far too early to say whether she is a 'genius'. That depends on so much more than how early you start doing things, Also, many young children can count to 20, but don't really know what the number-words mean, at least beyond 5 or so: the words may be just part of a chant. And there are also children who are delayed in learning the count-words, but have a good understanding of the quantities. In any case, it sounds as though she is developing well.

dottiedodah · 14/09/2019 13:00

I think this is fairly average TBH.I worked in a Nursery ,and had a little girl 2.4 ask whether I had any Brothers /Sisters and how old they were!.I think we spend so much time hoping our child will be a genius ,that we miss out on playtime for its own sake!.My Son was fairly bright but found he was quiet at Junior School,However he found his mark at Secondary School and has a Masters Degree in Chemistry now!

FrauHaribo · 14/09/2019 13:40

This site is an absolute magnet for the worst sort of delusional parent.

you mean parents who don't believe they have geniuses because their kids develop completely normally and achieved various milestones and levels in the completely normal range? Grin

One counts early, the other climbs a tree as the speed of light, ... they're just kids, they're fine.

Who cares about having a genius anyway? It doesn't make YOU the genius or mean you are a great parent. I feel so sorry for some of the kids!

Chewysmum · 14/09/2019 14:01

My 16month is counting to 8 and knows the colours, shapes and animals, first child so I just figured that was normal, also the only other child I know well is 12 months old and is probably the most advanced I've met, I thought my DS was slow compared to her lol.

Gulsink · 14/09/2019 15:04

There was a thread on here a while ago about 2 year Olds who can read. With people saying it was quite common. I'm still flabbergasted at that.

Danglingmod · 14/09/2019 15:25

Of course reading and writing at 2/3/4 is unusual and very to fairly advanced, but I don't think knowing colours and reciting to 20 at 2/2.5 is. I think that's completely normal and so do all the nursery staff who've posted on this thread!

Gladimnotcampinginthisweather · 14/09/2019 15:28

Is the child counting objects, or just saying the numbers?

Blueoasis · 14/09/2019 16:16

Not a genius but bright.

A genius would be more along the realms of someone like Sheldon Cooper, as an example. Learning by themselves, questioning things, investigating things, experimenting, showing logic and reasoning skills to a high level. It's not about teaching them yourself, that is just getting them to remember. A genius will go and do it all by themselves and be already either along the same levels as their parents or ahead of them (depending on the parents). It's having an above average working memory, where they remember things, can use those things to deduce a conclusion or solution and show an understanding of that information, but with a lot more information than normal.

Very few people are geniuses. You would know for certain if you met an actual child genius.

ddl1 · 14/09/2019 17:36

'I can remember learning to count t 20 and always left 16 out because it didn’t sound right - like a piece of poetry that didn’t scan!'

I'm told that when I was about 4, I could count but took against the number 10 for some reason - I can't think of any obvious negative association, so think it might be just that 10 at the end of a count sequence had an implication of 'the end'. So for a while I'd go '7, 8, 9, 11,12' etc.

happycamper11 · 14/09/2019 17:43

DD could do that in 2 languages by 2. She’s bright enough but certainly no genius. I think it’s fairly standard.
She’s actually quite severely dyslexic and terrible at maths as well as spelling.

Kate0902900908 · 14/09/2019 17:44

My niece could have a full and frank conversation with you at 2. She was/is so advanced she wasn't really like a child super intelligent only had to tell her something once.. Would correct you if she knew the correct answer etc.
She has just done her gcse’s 1 year early.

Might be too much information but

I recall having a miscarriage when she was 2 and a half and she had known there was a baby in my belly and when she was 5 she asked me why the baby never arrived and she had been wondering?? She tells me she can also remember going to Spain at 2 years old and she also.could use a sewing machine at 5

Toooldfornonsense · 14/09/2019 17:44

My oldest child was able to count to 50 at 24 months old and could tell you the make of any car we saw. Children pick up a lot from what you show them. It’s not surprising if she’s spent a lot of time showing her child lots of different things...

cacboi · 14/09/2019 17:56

Having worked in pre-school and reception classes, I'm more impressed if a child of that age can find and use a tissue for their snotty nose, wipe their own bottom, put on their coat and shoes on etc.

hardyloveit · 14/09/2019 18:14

My eldest knew the alphabet at 23 months and could have a full blown conversation!
She knew colours and shapes etc counted to around 50. Nursery didn't believe me when she joined at 22 months and thought I was "one of those parents" but realised she was bright! When she started school at 4 the teacher was very impressed she could count to 1000 (she had been doing this for a year) but I thought that was normal as I didn't have any other children to know what was on par. 🤷‍♀️

ethelfleda · 14/09/2019 18:34

It’s normal. My 22 month old counts to ten - almost has it to 20 and can almost recite the whole alphabet. Also knows all his colours and shapes! He has been counting to ten since 20 months old Smile