My child amazes me - or is it just me?

[tigerlillyd02]

DS is 2.2. I've known he's quite bright for a while but not anything 'out the ordinary' so to speak. At 18 months he knew his letters, what letter something begins with and the phonics (sounds) behind each letter. If you asked him what 'door' begins with he'll say D and then sound d d door as with anything else you ask him. As far as I have been aware he could not read many letters though.

I've not done a lot of counting with him but he can count to and count out 26 items (mummys age) and he recognises written numbers 0-9 (I didn't know this until he started pointing to page numbers in books). He's known all shapes and colours since around 15 months. He's always been quite a good talker. Most people who meet him are quite amazed with his ability and it's only more recently since going to toddler groups like singing / drama etc that I realised how bright he actually seemed compared with others.

He was rushed into hospital a few nights ago struggling to breathe (turned out to be croup). But in A&E he had an audience of nurses, docs, and the ambulance crew all gathered round intrigued by how much he knew which made me think perhaps it is a bit out of the ordinary then. He's my first so, to me, he's completely 'normal'. My mum, who has experience with 6 children and 5 grandchildren is more like "I told you so!" as she has said for a long time how bright he is. I just thought she was a bit precious over him.

So, today I decided to print off some dinosaur pictures for him to paint and colour. Above each dinosaur was the long name of which dinosaur it is. I was quite amazed that when he was painting an 'apatosaurus' he pointed to the 'a' and said what it was. So I asked him the rest of the letters and he knew them all. I was completely amazed! I did not know he knew these at all.

So then he got me thinking and I thought I'd teach him his name so printed off some hand and foot prints with names on - Nanny, Mommy and other childrens names we know, obviously including his own. As they were printing out he got quite excited and said "look, Nanny!" and then "Mommy" and "his-name". He did not know the other childrens names though.

But, I am stunned. Completely stunned! He's either reading my mind or he actually knows. Perhaps I'm not giving him enough credit.

I'm now sitting thinking that perhaps I need to be stimulating him a bit more than I do now. Should I be trying to see if I can teach him to read simple words and count up more than 26? Should I be doing more activities with him around these?

He's a long way off nursery. I cannot afford to send him privately. But they've changed the intakes around here so he isn't due to start for another 1 yr 8 months. This is quite a long time I think and maybe I need to be doing things at home with him? If so, what exactly (obviously other than the normal day to day activities)?

Or do I just leave him to pick things up himself? I really don't know. Someone please advise..

He sounds lovely
I would just take his lead,if he shows an interest by all means you can encourage him but i would'nt sit down and teach him iyswim.

He does sound very bright and I am sure you are doing all you can to encourage this, they are all so different at this age I doubt nursery could do much more than you are as it is very play centred.

However shocked at the A&E staff, DS1 has suffered from croup since 6 months old and even aged 4 he is too poorly to give them his name never mind impress them with his intelligence . It is a horrible illness for them to experience.

Ds started reading at 2. Obviously we were impressed and got him to do his 'trick' for relatives but we never sat and 'taught' him anything. He seemed to enjoy it and we never wanted to take that away from him.

He's 5.5 now and a free reader. He's just about to be put up a year group at school (we're abroad so he's been at school since he turned 3). I don't know how happy I am about this year change as I'm still being stubborn in thinking that if he enjoys doing something he should be allowed to enjoy it without being forced to do more. He stands out enough as 'the English kid' and I don't want him to stand out in any other way if possible.

Anyway, my point is, do stuff with him that is fun if you feel you need to do anything. Read books with him but let him choose which words he picks out if he wants to pick any out at all. But most of all, enjoy him and let him move at his own pace.

My DS2 is like this.

I actually commented on another thread that he is desperate to start school (he will start pre school in September and honestly CANNOT WAIT!)

FWIW, I WOULD sit down and teach him - if he's enjoying it. My DS2 loves nothing more than spelling and (basic) addition (I mean less than 20).
He loves having my attention and us doing 'lessons' together.

Do you have access to an Ipad or IPhone - there are some fantastic phonics apps on there (esp. the CVC ones) which are fun and educational.

Actually, even without an IPAD, I would recommend CVC phonics.

DS2 (2) is spelling loads of 3 letter words and they are fun!

I don't have any advice or experience but he sounds amazingly smart And you sound like a nice mum who wants to support him anyway you can . Hope somebody with advice comes along but can I say enjoy him and best of luck.

He seems to be doing fine as he is so tbh I'd just follow his lead.

Glad he made a very quick recovery from croup, its terrible.

Ahh thank you for your replies. I'm still sitting here in a bit of shock - I suppose it's because I had no idea he knew these things so came as a big surprise.

BreeVanDerTramp Yes the croup is awful isn't it? It's the first time I'd experienced anything like it - I'd not even heard of it. But he woke an hour after going to bed (when he was perfectly fine) really struggling to breathe and he was really scared himself. It scared me so much I called an ambulance who blue-lighted him in to hospital. But he was fine in himself and after being given some steroids (I think!) recovered in about 20 mins so they sent him home (much to my annoyance at the time, but he was perfectly fine, thank goodness).

I was thinking about it and, although I don't feel like I'm actively teaching him anything, I obviously am but in a more fun way - like counting stairs and reading books etc which is probably why he's picking up up well. Maybe sitting down and learning would be less fun and so less effective? I suppose I could put something to him and see if he enjoys it then go from there.

We go to lots of groups each weekday - ice skating, drama, singing, gymnastics, as I've been concentrating on preparing him socially for nursery since he turned 2 (didn't know about the change of intakes then).

He's quite well behaved (at the moment!), really enjoys talking to other people and has to be centre of attention! He's certainly not shy. Yet, at the same time he can play for many hours on his own (played on his own for 5.5 hours solid yesterday - he plays pretending games) and I do allow him to if that's what he wants. I just follow his lead to be honest. If he wants to do something, I'm here. If not, I'll get on with my own thing while he does his.

billynomateswontbemyfriend Thank you for that suggestion. I don't have an Ipad but will look for the CVC phonics. Perhaps we'll be able to do some together on the laptop? He's always after my computer and I never let him but it might be another fun way to teach him :)

Both my children have Ipads (aged 2 and 3) and they both adore them.

I cannot recommend them highly enough.

I can give you some fab app ideas if you would like them.

My DD (23mo) does all of this. TBH I assume it's quite normal. It's fascinating and you never expect them to pick up so much so soon, but I'm pretty sure it's fairly standard.

at Ipads at 2 and 3. Aren't they about £500 quid a piece?

Aww bless he sounds just like DS with croup I knew what it was, have treated children with it but also called paramedics when DS had it the first time . You may find he will get it more than once I now keep steroids at home for emergencies. DS has stopped breathing and had hospital stays before so always trust your instincts if it happens again and you want him to be observed for longer, some medics do not treat it as the serious illness it can be.

I thought this was normal when my first knew all letters at 18 months and could play i spy etc without my ever having having taught them. My 3 subsequent DC's have had to be taught numbers/letters etc at age 3 or 4 as it did not come naturally so I perceived them as very behind however pre school and reception say that is not behing and they are quite advanced. However health is far more important as I am sure you realize.

'nurses, docs, and ambulance crew all gathered round intrigued by how much he knew' Yeah right. Instead of handing your son over, doing the paperwork, tests, getting him stabilised etc they were asking him how to spell 'precocious' ? .

Billynomateswontbemyfriend That would be fabulous, thank you! I don't think I'll be forking out for an ipad but if you know of any online activities, that'd be wonderful.

Iamnotminterested The ambulance crew were sitting in the cubical with him doing their paperwork - one was doing the paperwork as he was too busy dealing with DS in the ambulance to do it then while the other was attempting to play with him to stop him being scared. And, if you've ever had experience of croup, it is worse while they're upset so it's best to distract them to calm them down and stop them crying which is what they were doing. There was a nurse in the room to begin with and a doctor as they were watching him to monitor his breathing after being given steriods. They didn't initially start off asking him such questions. It became obvious when he pointed to things like the scales and said square and the 'ABC' artwork on the wall and knew the letters. So when they commented on how bright he was I then said "if you give him a letter of the alphabet he'll tell you something that begins with that letter". So, she (ambulance person) run all through it with him and as such they were all very intigued and surprised. And as it was mentioned to every 'new' nurse that came in he then had an audience (about 6/7 people in the room I think), which he loved and so wanted to do it all the more. There's nothing disbelieving about it (other than I was surprised that they were surprised). But a lot can be said for watching how a child interacts and plays in determining how poorly they are. As a result he was sent home about 45 mins or so after being taken in as the meds worked very quickly (as is expected apparently).

Sounds very gifted to me. Good luck with your journey - it can be delightful and traumatic, a blessing and a curse, but only because of societies attitudes.

Aww, he sounds amazing and lovely :)

TBH it doesn't sound like you need to 'do' anything! Just keep going with all the playing, and make sure he gets lots of outdoor time and opportunities to play with others.

My DS is older than yours and can't even talk yet.

he sounds v sweet. ds1 was called 'golden wonderboy' by folk on the estate at the same age, and dd1 could do the letters tricks too. we didn't know about dd2 as she was non-verbal due to cerebral palsy until three, but in yr r she tested between 2 and 7 years ahead. so it's all kinda normal around here. they've all started school at the normal age and chugged along, but it's pretty amazing when they first surprise you with what they know. i remember watching dd2 interpreting charts and table at 4 and thinking 'how the feck does she know that?' it isn't the sort of thing that crops up normnally. i often think that kids are a lot more capable than we give them credit for.

you don't need to do anything special. he's 2. playing in the mud and crashing his trcuks are just as important. probably more so, right now.

My view, and it is only my view from my own experience of my own children, is that every child has talents or something they are very good at from a very young age. If it is letters/numbers it tends to suprise/amaze in a more obvious way, but if you look closely every child will have something they are amazing at. With my DS2 for example it was directions, he could find his way to and from somewhere at a very young age, definitely helped me out on a few occasions!

It is wonderful to be enthusiastic and encourage it, you are doing all the right things. I would not stress about nursery/teaching too much I would just continue as you are doing - he will not lose that enthusiasm/ability if it is something it is "within".

Looking back I can see now that all my children had a "special" ability they kept since they were 18months/2 years old, it is so heart warming to see it develop - good luck and enjoy him, he sounds lovely!!!

He sounds lovely and very bright. I think you are doing a great job already, he is developing beautifully. Try to have the confidence to follow his lead rather than marshal him into a genius child programme which will become a chore for you both.

And (I'm sure you are) keep it rounded, keep doing outdoor play and music and toddler games rather than make his life all about achievement focus.

Thing is, being super-bright is great and all but that's pretty much the sum of it. It doesn't guarantee a successful life, a high-paid job, or any respect. It just means you're bright.

My younger brother was like this and actually really struggled with structured learning at school - insisted on wearing pyjamas to school etc. He is now very successful in his field (creative) and, most of all, a v happy person. And I think that's probably what we want for our kids isn't it, for them to enjoy life and cope with everything it serves up.

All the best.

He sounds lovely and very bright. I, too, have a clever one and I remember when it dawned on me that what she was able to do, her attention span and her ability to learn were not in the 'normal' range. It can feel quite daunting. There are lots of resources online for parents of gifted children - www.hoagiesgifted.org in particular, while not the most 'beautiful' site, has lots of very useful information and some amusing anecdotes.
Starfall.com is a fun, free site that my DD enjoyed at his age. She also loved her chalkboard and learning to write on it, puzzles, and playing games like 'snakes and ladders' and 'I Spy'. I hope you have lots of fun playing with and enjoying him - our DD has been such a joy to learn alongside. I spend a lot of time googling to answer questions. :)

Thanks everyone!

I have done lots of thinking about it and decided to get some 'teacher' material online. It's aimed at reception age children - but covers a range of topics and thought I'd include bits of it alongside our regular weekend arts and crafts sessions. Therefore, I'm offering some stimulation but not so much that it seems too much, if that makes sense? We've done a bit and he loved it.

Because we attend toddler sessions (ice skating, gymnastics, music/drama etc..) in the week I think he has plenty going on already, given his age so don't want to overload him and put pressure on. I think keeping it fun is very important.

I can see now that he probably is bright, much more so than I've given him credit for. That said, I don't think it means he's a genuis at all and know there's every chance he could slow down and level out with his peers once he starts school. But I might as well encourage a little bit while he is very interested. I'll probably be begging him to learn and do his homework etc at some point in the future :)

If he does turn out to be gifted he won't level out and others won't catch up,unless he becomes bored and under challenged.

he sounds very bright, I would not get caught up in stretching him, just let him do what he wants. at his age dd was counting to 100 and doing similar to your ds, I did not stretch her any further than she naturally developed.

Uuum, sound pretty normal, but whatever.

I thought this was going to be a sarcastic thread from the title.

Then I read the OP and realised it was one of those threads people get sarcastic about.