Two year old Niece

[Unintentionallycausingoffence]

My Niece is two and has the language skills of a three to five year old. Her words are often in context. She can do jigsaws for three year olds with help, DS is a teacher and is teaching her counting up to ten and to spell simple words. Her motor skills and social emotional skills are that of a two year old. Would she qualify as Gifted and Talented?

She sounds delightful, and definitely bright, but nothing you've mentioned sounds that out of the ordinary.

No. That’s normal.

Honestly, my eldest son was like this. I definitely thought he was something special!

But now he's 7, he's pretty much on par with his peers. Maybe slightly above average but nothing remarkable.

No. S teacher will undoubtedly have an influence as she's teaching her stuff, but kids even out by the time they are 7 or 8. My friend tried 'hot housing' her kid, yes she knew the alphabet and counting and reading etc but being taught these things early didn't make her more intelligent.

She sounds fairly normal, Kids at that age know what you teach them (obviously some pick it up quicker than others). My friend taught her ds all his phonics sounds when he was three and then he spent his entire reception year bored because he knew everything already. He's now a fairly average 6 year old.

Kids don’t actually all even out - plenty who are advanced remain so.

It really depends on what you mean by gifted. This sounds a bit advanced but not very for a child being taught preschool skills like this. It also matters if she’s just turned two or nearly three as at this age there is a big difference.

Continue encouraging her though and following her interests!

My friend taught her ds all his phonics sounds when he was three and then he spent his entire reception year bored because he knew everything already. He's now a fairly average 6 year old.

I'd taught me self to read before school, I am in no way outstanding now. And I was definitely bored at Primary whilst the other kids were being taught to read.

So when I had my own I concentrated on skills like using a knife and fork, dressing themselves and using the toilet. Learning was in nature or fun games. They do enough formal learning in school.

she sounds a lot like my son who I think is very bright, but it’s so hard to diagnoses giftedness in children as young as two. She’s obviously a very sharp cookie and time will tell with giftedness. My son is 4 and I wouldn’t feel confident yet diagnosing him as gifted (as opposed to just very clever).

definitely keep encouraging her and fuelling her interests through play and fun - she may well be gifted and the best foundation for her is to have had a lot of playful engagement and attention from her caregivers.

Counting at that age is normal isn’t it? My niece will be 2 in September and she’s been counting up to 10 for months now.