2 year old gifted or bright?

[kezzy13]

My son is 2 years 5 months, he can count to 100 + and recognise any number given to him into the 1000s, he knows all colours, letters (both names and sounds) and shapes, he can identify shapes such as hexagons, octagons, dodecahedrons,, and parallelograms.

Not sure if he is classed as gifted, he starts nursery next month and they have told me they will keep an eye on him and let me know their opinion.

He is also quite slow physically, he is still in a cot as he's never tried to climb out, still wants to go most places in the pram, can't jump, refuses to attempt to dress himself and has no interest in potty training at all.

Can't tell if he's gifted or if I just have my 'first child' rose-tinted specs on

Xx

[Rustler74]

In order to be classed as gifted, one doesn’t necessarily need to score high at every single area of learning. Be aware that your kid may struggle in other areas if they have a hyper focus on a few areas. Gentle and therapeutic parenting techniques may be of use. Good luck with bringing along your kid’s general development x

[Blossombo]

Hi all, I can maybe give you a look into the future?

At the 2 year (ish) health visitor review my DD excelled. Little to my knowledge tbh I was 20 when I had her she is my only child.

She could do all the things asked and then the HV got another set of a activities out to ‘see’ and she was shocked. From what I can remember she could write her own name, draw a face, count quite high, do a puzzle quickly and speak in full sentences.

She would also be able to memorise things insanely (something she still can do!)

HV told me there and then that DD would pass the 11+. I was abit stunned tbh. I knew she was bright but obviously I thought she was amazing 🥰

We just carried on doing what we were doing. She sailed through primary school (although found friendships and relationships with others a tad tricky) and then last year she passed her 11+ with flying colours!! She is now in a grammar school and excelling. It’s all on her, she has an insane memory and loves to learn. Recently she has taken to language and is making excellent progress in French and German (again the memory helps I think)! She wants to be a vet when she grows up and has already selected different unis to apply for.

We used to watch child genius on the TV, she used to joke she is not that smart (and I don’t think she is!)

Don’t pressure them and don’t read into it. Just enjoy watching them succeed! ☺️

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

He does sound very bright! I couldn't have got my son to learn all that at 2, no matter what I did.

You don't need to do anything at this stage, just let him follow his interests and subtly work on the things he's not so good at (which he will get stronger in anyway).

[RussianSpy101]

@jaynep28 very normal for a 2 year old to know colours and speak in sentences, yes.

[jaynep28]

Hello

Our daughter is 24 months. We have been told she is advanced (she speaks in full sentences, can jump on the spot very confidently, knows her colours and can draw a face and seems to remember everything). Is this normal please?

[LimeFizz]

He sounds great. Sadly I reckon all nursery will care about is when he's potty trained though ime.

[NorfolkEnchance]

Wow. That's impressive! My 2.5 year old can only say about 10 words. He's much more physical though, running, jumping, and excellent fine motor skills. Your boy sounds super 😊

[MyschoolMyrules]

2.45? 2 and a half!

[MyschoolMyrules]

I am not sure what to say in order not to offend anyone here... ds hadn't even said his first word at 2.45 yet he is G&T in maths identified in year 2 (he is now in year 5) and is very good at all subjects (just top of the class but not officially G&T), and doing well at music. At 2 and a half he could make excellent mud pies though. It would have never had occurred to me to teach him 3D shapes. Making sandcastle yes. Teaching decagons no. Hasn't stopped him from excelling at school.

[user789653241]

We loved senteacher 3d models as well, richmal.
Especially the version which you can upload your own artwork and print a 3d models!
And they happened to have names of the bones too!

[Nongoddess]

I think he sounds amazingly interested in learning. My little one certainly wouldn't recall those things even if he did take an interest in them. Keep nurturing it, I'd say, and giving him all the opportunities to learn that you can... I do believe early confidence and pleasure in acquiring knowledge can have a really positive impact later on....

[JustRichmal]

Teaching her to count to 100 would test the patience of a saint!

When dd was young,, I used to dress maths up as games or play. They learn so much easier when it is made fun. Just playing shops can be an opportunity to learn counting and money.

For the 3D shapes, senteacher has nets on their free maths printable pages. If you print them on light cardboard you can cut them out with tabs and stick them together. They can help and can colour them in, talking about the faces, edges and vertices as you go.

There is so much you can do to make maths fun. Dd liked the Mythical Maths books, where you collect stickers to put onto a woodland scene.

[Xmasbaby11]

I think he sounds very advanced. Neither of my dc were anywhere near able to do those things, none of them!

People saying they are like sponges - I feel it's true to an extent but their interest varies greatly. Dd1 is 5 and still has no interest in numbers or shapes. Teaching her to count to 100 would test the patience of a saint!

[JustRichmal]

What you know is not necessarily a sign of being gifted, it all depends on if you have been taught it

I also agree. I have never claimed dd is gifted, just educated.

[Raaaaaah]

Blimey, that is advanced! My DCs were only just speaking at that age. He would have been eons ahead of any of the kids at my children's nurseries, even the brighter ones.

[Brokenbiscuit]

What you know is not necessarily a sign of being gifted, it all depends on if you have been taught it.

I agree.

[startwig1982]

I know what the binomial expansion is as I was taught it when I was at school. And I have a maths degree

What you know is not necessarily a sign of being gifted, it all depends on if you have been taught it.

My ds, 5, unsurprisingly enjoys and is very good at, maths. This is partly due to my enjoyment and ability as I talk about it with him. He also has a large knowledge of science as DH has a chemistry degree. Does that make him gifted? I don't think so even though he is clever and at the top of his class.

[JustRichmal]

Surely it's better to try and give them more breadth of knowledge, and opportunities to learn about stuff that they would never do at school?

I think you do whatever the child likes lerning. Dd likes maths and science.

....BUT BUT BUT on the end they all catch up. It's not like you meet an adult who doesn't know their numbers or shapes or colours

They do move on to other things once they have mastered the easy stuff. For instance how may adults do you know who know what binomial expansion is? Dd did this at 12.

[Mishmishmish]

Interesting thread. My 2.4 son is the same, knows all the shapes even ones I am not sure of, is onto 3D shapes. Amazing memory of numbers etc if he spots a certain bus number never forgets it etc. Beginning to read 3 letter words. He's at nursery. I think it's v sweet he loves leaving and he's def ahead of some peers e.g some are just getting to grasp with numbers 1-10....BUT BUT BUT on the end they all catch up. It's not like you meet an adult who doesn't know their numbers or shapes or colours :)

[sirfredfredgeorge]

Why do you think those are self limiting, sirfred?

Because once you can read, you can read, once you can count, you can count, once you can recognise a dodecagon you can recognise a dodecagon. Those skills of course are essential in accessing other things later, but in themselves they have a limit. Just like riding a bike may lead you to race at the olympics, or being able to run and jump may make you a ninja warrior, but in themselves they are just skills that end.

So that's why you encourage what you can achieve with those basic skills (creating stories, engineering, programming, social science or whatever) rather than "reading" or "writing".

I'm answering why encouraging the basic academic skills is not promoted as much as music/sport/art, because they are so basic, and they're promoting different things - if you were talking about poetry, programming, or literary criticism then they would be as encouraged as much as the music/sport/art.

[Brokenbiscuit]

I'm of the minority view on MN that educating a child in a subject will make a difference to their ability in that subject.

I don't dispute that, actually, but how far ahead is desirable, I wonder? Some children will be working significantly ahead of their peer group without any teaching at home. I'm not sure if it really benefits them to be pushed even further ahead than where they already are. Surely it's better to try and give them more breadth of knowledge, and opportunities to learn about stuff that they would never do at school?

[JustRichmal]

I have come to the conclusion that there are parents who do think teaching very young children is a good thing and those who do not think teaching very young children is a good thing.

As someone who chose to teach dd from a very young age, I obviously saw it as a good thing. There is the assumption that if you teach your child, this is all you do with them. However this seems as silly as assuming those who say you should let children play in mud have children who spend every waking hour caked in soil. There are lots of hours in a day and lots of time to do different activities. A balance of social skills from their going to play groups, physical activity from parks or woodlands, and just basic, left alone time to daydream and do their own thing is IMO best. Spending some of the time on academic skills is then not a problem.

There is also the assumption that others will catch up, so what is the point? This has not happened with dd. She is still well above average and a long way ahead in maths.

Then there is the thought that they will end up unhappy in the long run. I know people who have not got good qualifications who are unhappy in later life.

So, I think the OP is doing well at raising her child and in a way she wants to. I'm of the minority view on MN that educating a child in a subject will make a difference to their ability in that subject.

[5moreminutes]

Irvine I used to teach in a school where the children sat a standardised cognitive ability tests in year 7 and just labelled the children who got the top 10% of scores as "gifted and talented"

It was such absolute nonsense - the top 10% of scorers were obviously bright, but that didn't mean they had any particular "gift" or "talent" and it meant that children who wrote amazing poetry or had fantastic critical insight or enquiring journalistic minds missed out on the English extension activities, fantastic truly gifted artists and musicians and linguists were not included in the "talented" label, the dyslexic child who was streets ahead even of the teacher in maths was allegedly not "gifted and talented" either - instead all the extension activities were targeted at the across the board bright children, many of whom were not actually "gifted" or "talented", just able and bright...

The word gifted has lost its original meaning and become synonymous with bright since misguided "G&T" schemes set up with the ubiquitous aim of ticking boxes and impressing OFSTED.

[BrieAndChilli]

It sounds like he has a great memory, which will serve him well.
For him to be truly gifted I would say he would need to be able to add and subtract numbers (2 or 3 digits) etc and be able to understand and use concepts

DS1 was assessed when he was 4 with a reading and spelling age of 14+, he also had good maths skills but he had lacked in social skills which in my opinion are just as important for overall success and happiness.

[user789653241]

Somehow, I wouldn't use the word either myself, but I can sort of see op's pov.
First time I encountered the word "gifted" was from nursery teacher, (especially, I am foreign), so I used the term, to describe my ds, not knowing any consequences for using that word!
I didn't really understand the resentment for word gifted until I found MN.
I think England has tarnished the meaning of word "gifted", when they introduced the scheme to determine top 10% of class as gifted.
At least, people wouldn't use the word in my native language, unless they are truly exceptional.