Intelligent 2 year old - WHAT CAN WE DO?

[DaddyWise]

I have been told by many people including a health visitor that my daughter is well above average in many aspect. She is 2y and 4m and in some aspects she is up there with 4 year olds. Obviously I want to harness this in a way that will be beneficial to her. Looking at Spanish lessons which could be a good start I think? Obviously there are lots of things I can do at home but would like to know of any clubs or organisations that can help her. Thought of the congnitive tests but not sure if they do those for a child so young? Would love your thoughts please. Looking for something around the Leeds area. Thank you :)

I have 3 DCs-you can't tell now which one was very articulate and advanced at 2 years of age.

my advice is to focus on socialisation & interaction with other children.

If the kid needs, likes, wants to do Spanish lessons then what's the problem? I don't imagine the OP will be dragging her there against her will. How about some singing, dancing, music, drama type activities as well?

I would say that ability to communicate at a young age can very much be related to "brightness" but that doesn't necessarily mean that an inability to articulate at this age is related to a lack of "brightness".

oh dear. Let her be 2 for christ sake. There is plenty of time for her to be going to clubs etc
hth

I agree with Nigella - focus on helping her to be a well rounded individual.

Just let her play. Give her loads of outdoors time, don't even THINK about her in terms of being gifted - she may be, she may not be, you definitely can't tell at 2!!! Kids just develop at different rates.

fwiw, my ds2 couldn't speak at all until he was over 3. He turns out to be super-bright, particularly in language..... - I always thought he was a bit slow!

You can't screw a child up by letting them take the lead, you certainly can by pushing them, even with the very best of intentions.

Dd (who is also an extremely able child) at age 2 used to discuss her favourite composers - I remember her freaking a friend of mine out when she asked them if they preferred Rachmaninov or Prokofiev.....that came from just listening to the radio and going to a couple of concerts. In itself it didn't signify that she was v bright, just that she had a 'knack' for speech. What did show up as brightness was her total interest in EVERYTHING, and she has had many many happy hours getting covered in mud as she dug BIG HOLES in the garden!

at 2 children should be learning through play. talking about colours, sizes of things (long, longer, longest, tall taller, tallest, short, shorter, shortest.. eg can you build a taller tower? what colour bricks have you used? how tall is you tower?) ccount out bricks when you are playing, how many has she got when she adds one more brick to the tower? count out sandwiches/fruit/ sweeties/stairs/ toys. match cups/plates/knives/forks in teasets giving one of each to each toy.

read to her and share stories, talk about what is happening in the pictures, ask her what she thinks will happen next, giving her 2 options to choose from. tell her how the people are feeling in the stories. point to the words as you go. have alphabet puzzles, books, games available for her to play if she wants.

have colouring stuff available, chalks, crayons, wax crayons, paint, coloured paper of different shapes and sizes. shopping list pads, notebooks, etc. write he name on her drawings, or label her pictures (mummy, baby, my cat, a car) playdough and various tools to cut/mark it.

talk talk talk, sing rhymes, make up silly rhymes, clap rhythms, play music with pots, pans spoons, cheap instruments from the supermarket. (don't get the elc cymbals unless you buy earplugs, they are very LOUD )

play matching games.

go outside and explore the garden, look for minibeasties and flowers, the signs of spring, watch the leaves emerge, take photos on a digital camera, dig, build, collect, watch the weatherr, jump in puddles, look at the reflections, measure the depth up the wellies, see how far the splashes go, chalk on the path, play hopscotch, lie on the grass and look at the clouds for 2 nanoseconds paint the fence with a bucket of water.

ride trikes, run, jump, go to the park. roll on the grass, crawl about, throw/kick balls.

go out and about and look at the things you see in the street, cars/vans/lorries/lampposts/pillar boxes/brick walls/stonewalls/hedges) name them and describe them.. bumpy wall..

all the above, you can provide but let her be imaginative and lead the activities. (unless she is crayoning on the wallpaper of course... babywipes are good for removing crayon )

get her mixing socially...

if you want to learn spanish, try to find a native spanish speaker that will come and play.

WOW, just logged back on to see 34 comments, have you people nothing better to do?? :) JOKE

Thanks for all your comments, even the slightly cutting ones.

Just seeing if there is anything else that could be done to help her really. obviously there will be lots of things done at home and when she is out and about etc. Not going to sign her up for NASA training just yet.

YOUSANK- Thanks for your idea but she speak Cantonese twice a week with her Mum so got that covered :)

Seriously though, thanks for taking the time to comment :)

Of course the main thing she will have is LOVE :)

That is all she need DaddyWise-and parental involvement. Don't saddle her with labels at 2 yr olds-it is a lot to live up to.

Seriously, all she needs is to be a 2 year old with plenty of variety in her experiences. She doesn't need to do things like Spanish lessons.

Walks in the woods, chat about what you see, collect things which meet certain criteria (or even just what she fancies) do something with them when you get home... that kind of thing. Make scale models of the Taj Mahal out of play dough

My DS (18mo) can do some 'clever' things. (recognises numerals to 10 and sets of up to 3, knows shapes and colours and now about 15-20 letter sounds).

He's picking those things up all by himself, I'm barely involved. What I'm trying to do it's lots of fun play involving the things he's NOT so good at! For example, he can't kick a ball, walk up stairs and is generally quite physically cautious so I'm encouraging lots of gross motor play (I am the mummy in the park persuading her kid to climb stuff instead of pick out letters on the health&safety sign ). I would also agree with just having fun though. Your DD will pursue her own developmental needs through whatever real world opportunities you give her.

How does an 18 month old pick up letters and numbers by themselves?

I am confused, surely someone must have exposed him to letters and numbers?

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is good for that!

that was supposed to have a after it.
I am sure that the MM Clubhouse was why DS1 was so good at repeating patterns in FS2.

They pick up letter and numbers by themselves by reading and talking to them.

Yes but it is not by themselves is it?
It is with parental input or input from another source e.g. TV, interactive learning toys.
Learning through play so EBDteacher is very much involved!

The most helpful thing you can do is spend time with her, introduce her to different activities and experiences and be prepared to talk about them and explore with her.
Music, art, maths, languages, understanding what she is seeing on a daily basis in the world. If you study her and follow her lead, you will find what her specific strengths are and be able to ensure that she has fun whilst learning. All practical and no longer than her endurance and attention span can cope with.
Why put her into a class when she can have 1:1 with you or your partner?
She may indeed be exceptional, but try and ensure that her social skills and relationships with her chronological peers also get time and attention.
I have a very able daughter, it can be scary at times. Those moments when you look at her and an alien beyond your comprehension looks back. I'm glad that you love her so much, let her be happy.

If they are really bright they pick it up themselves, DH learnt to read by himself aged 3yrs-luckily no one went labelling him and thinking of 'stretching' him with lessons.

If your wife Cantonese, ie if her native tongue is Cantonese, she should only speak her native tongue to your daughter and not English. This will help her tremendously. I know a little girl who spoke fluent Spanish, English and Mandarin right from the word go (well as soon as she could talk).

Seriously, do NOT hothouse a 2 year old. It will happen on its own if it's going to. I would focus on socialisation and interaction in the first instance.

Learning through play is the best thing at this age. Stuff like the games made by Orchard where they're learning without realising while having fun. Lots of stories and lots of telling her stuff about the world around her. She will soak it up like a sponge!

No don't do it. Let her be a toddler.

When you ask DC4 (aged 4) what he is going to be when he grows up he replies 'a paediatric oncologist'

He came up with that all by himself, honest. he didnt I trained him

Seriously OP. Enjoy your clever 2 year old. Dont push her to do formal learning. She is too young. I am suprised that a bog standard HV 2 year check was able to tell you her development level so exactly though.

(and sorry to burst your bubble but 2yr + 4mths is not classed as advanced at all)

Daddywise, you have taken the piss taking in very good humour. I think your love and a good sense of humour will set her up nicely, just let her have fun and develop at her own pace. I'm sure she'll do brilliantly.