If you had an ‘academically’ bright preschooler, did they continue to be smart as they got older or does everyone catch up in the end and they are just regular for their age? Just wondering.

[luckycat888]

Stupid question really but basically wondering if being (somewhat) advanced now (I think) is an indication of being smart when they are older. DC very normal socially and is confident, gets in with others, happy to participate etc so no worries there.

Of my 3, 2 were at this age.

One of those two is now brighter side of average - above avg on the teacher's assessments but not top of the class.

The second was remarkably bright and still is, but his "specialist subjects" - i.e. knowing times tables and squared numbers aged 3.5 - have sort of flattened out. He is not as high above his peers as he was at preschool for sure.

And my 3rd is a little devil with no interest in school, for balance!

In my experience, the ones that appear brightest at first are those who pick up reading quickly. Reading opens doors to everything else.

Sometimes you get children who struggle with reading... but once they do get, perhaps a few years after the early bloomers, they can catch up and overtake.

However a big part of academic success is how driven a child is, not just how smart they are.

Mine was very bright when she was little - quick to read, advanced language etc. Obviously I still think she's fabulous, but academically, she panned out to be very average.

One of mine was reading at 4.
He excelled across the board academically right through to third level.
He loved learning. Reads all the time still.
So yes, the early signs were spot on

Mine was very ahead of his age preschool for vocabulary and speech and non verbal puzzles type stuff. But pretty average through school and uni. Now excelling in his grad entry scheme program due to his ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences and solution focused approach, common sense and work ethic

Yes, the academically gifted continued to be years ahead all through school. However, once they get to PhD, it all blends in.

Don't confused academic capacity for intelligence though. Some of the most academically successful people in the world failed school. It's not a system that suits everyone and performance doesn't necessarily reflect capacity, intelligence or later success.

I was very bright as a child and scenically way ahead of my peers for many years in primary. It soon levelled out and I have lived the rest of my life being very average and happy to be average.

I bave one DS who was very behind academically until the last year of 6th form when he suddenly woke up because he had seen a university he wanted to go to. He pulled it out of a hat to get amazing grades and is now very happy at a top uni doing very well.

I had two very bright pre schoolers and they are still very bright, in comparison to peers. Both got academic scholarships to independent secondary schools. I think as a PP said, reading is the key. If they’re early fluent readers they have access to so much information that advances their learning.
ETA I should mention that they’re both also very keen learners, so maybe that has more to do with it. They ask so many questions, research things they don’t know or have an interest in and generally just love to learn.

I read from a very young age, and always had a very high reading age. I remained at the top of my class throughout school, and academics come easily to me.

However is have absolutely 0 common sense, and my world implodes if I have to use a photocopier at work, or etc 😂

For me, it's my ADHD. My brain has an insatiable desire for constant stimulation through learning, so writing an essay on a topic I love is easy.

But I can't put a load of laundry in a machine or tidy my house without significant difficulty, I have wild mood swings, and I have very poor attention for verbal instruction 🙈

I'm book smart but come across away with the fairies/ditzy irl, because I do things like coming out with mismatched shoes, or only wearing one sock because I got distracted half way through.

Same. Mine was a genius when she started school. Her vocabulary in particular was very advanced. She’s definitely average now although she is doing English language at A level so maybe it was just words being her specialty l

My DC were very academically bright as little ones and stayed that way. Went to very good universities. But it doesn’t necessarily translate to getting a job!

There's no way of knowing. Some will stay ahead, others will level out. Just as some of those who are behind in the early years will stay behind, while others will blssom late and overtake their peers.

My dd was noticeably advanced as a toddler and stayed that way, but you can't read too much into anything at that age.

Research also suggests that emotional intelligence is more important to success than academic intelligence.

Having raised some academically gifted kids, I think the advice I'd have given is to expand them in areas that maybe don't come so naturally to them. If they're bright, the academics will take care of themselves.

Ime of looking after lots of kids the ones who were very bright early on were still very bright later on and into adulthood.

But the advantage does lessen as others catch up. For example, there is a massive observable difference between a three year old who can read fluently and the rest of their peer group who are just getting started with phonics. The difference between someone with an A* in A-level English and someone with a B is much less stark (because they can both read and write to a good level).

Also, as they age other factors come into play much more...work ethic, social skills, common sense, other non+academic skills, luck.

I was an early reader. Reading Gerald Durrell books independently at age 7/8. A* - B grades at GCSE, but flattened out to a 2.1 at uni due to not being driven enough 🤣

I think I was considered so bright at high school due to being in a small minority of quiet/smart kids at a shitty comprehensive. Top set for everything. And got into a top 10 university. But then I joined uni and saw the knowledge and confidence that the private school kids had… I think it dented my confidence a little! I didn’t feel hugely bright there, though I could have pushed myself for a first. Just liked partying too much!

Now earn close to £60k so pretty average. I do think I could have done better. But I’m happy :)

Thanks for all the comments. Did you do anything to encourage (without pushing) or just leave it up to the teachers? DC is 4 and seems to be big on reading and maths but less so / interested in creative arts. Should I sit back and watch what happens or increase exposure to creative things (e.g. take her to galleries, theatre shows, do more crafts with her?) I don’t want to be pushy. I would rather be led by the child but if she’s young she doesn’t necessarily know what’s out there…

We just lived our lives. We took them to galleries/museums etc but that’s because we would have done it anyway, not just as a way of advancing them.

I think a lot has to do with how much effort you have put in. If you've spent a lot of time teaching them phonics and letters, of course they will be able to read by the age of 4 and that doesn't mean they are smarter than other children whose parents have not had the time or knowledge to engage in the same way. By the time they get to senior school though, results are more tied to grit and effort than sheer talent.

Mine have slightly reversed. The one who seemed brighter at 4 is average now and the one who was average at 4 is a high flyer in senior school. I think it's down to attitude and effort.

Again, the one who was less creative at 4, got an art scholarship for senior schools. The one who was more creative now does zero art. Expose her to as much as possible and see what sticks would be my advice!

Ds was reasonably advanced from preschool onwards, and is now doing a science degree at Cambridge. He's one of the ones where academic intelligence goes along with common sense and a level head.

I am a very very big believer in the importance of music in education. I think it turbocharges other abilities. That starts with nursery rhymes and soundmaking at an early age. Ds was incredibly lucky to be at the local primary school when the father of a classmate (who has brought up 3 professional musicians in one family) single handedly revolutionised the music offer at the school. Ds benefited enormously.

I think reading to them is as important as reading with them. Talk about things. Visit interesting places. Curiosity is the thing. Finding out more. Not just rote learning times tables.

Same here. She was just a very able communicator very young.

My massively bright child who was reading at four ,he loves books,went to Lancaster and is an ecologist,he is deep and sensitive guy . Working in Oz as bush ranger,earning crap money but happy.
My other two very academic and got 1sts at University.
One is a SW and absolutely skint and struggling with two children.My third had a game plan from birth ,always liked the good things in life and now working for a Canadian company,earning a lot of money and happy.
Out of my three I would have thought my bush ranger would have been the highest earner as a child ! You really cannot predict,down to personality,interests and aspirations.
As a Mum the main priority is that they are happy human beings as adults.

Mine were in special giftedness programs, but only because they had the interest to be, as well as the capability. The academics were easy enough, I also made sure they had music, sports and plenty of time in natural environments. I made sure they had plenty of social time.

They were eventually diagnosed autistic in their teens and that has where our challenges have been.

I was too of my class throughout primary school. Passed the 11+ and within a week of starting grammar school, realised I wasn't going to be too any more and just stopped bothering. Endeded up getting very average O and A level results.

My eldest also was ahead of her peers for primary school, and at the top end at secondary. But several of her friends who'd just been reasonably bright at primary, then started to overtake her. She's always been bright and got a first from a good uni, but it was her friends who'd been unremarkable in the earlier years who ended up with the PhDs etc.