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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Gifted or highly able, how to support?

79 replies

knopka · 04/04/2024 17:56

Not a bragging space but asking for advice.
DC has always been ahead of peers in development; is multilingual and for example, learnt to read in English by watching alphablocks. Not highly unusual in the family context but clearly the child is very inquisitive, eager to learn, driven etc. Not just academically but also in other areas. Child is aged 6 and is in Y1.
Small independent school doesnt have gifted and talented policy and I am not entirely sure that they can support the child to achieve their best, overall the child is happy with learning at school but complains of being bored sometimes. No behavioral issues.
The school did do a GL based assesment earlier in the year and they came back very high but nothing was suggested and I feel like one of those pushy parents but all I want is for my DC to be happy and progressing at her pace rather than being held back.
WWYD? Is there such a thing as a test for giftedness that allows to support child's learning journey?

OP posts:
Mischance · 05/04/2024 22:54

And music is something you can do with others - cooperating to make a lovely sound. That has to be good for her.

badgeronthedrums · 06/04/2024 09:09

I'd be really interested to know how people would suggest that social skills are taught. It's something which I've seen said a lot on these boards, but no one ever actually says how they would do it. Which can make the suggestion feel quite negative.

Medschoolmum · 06/04/2024 13:04

badgeronthedrums · 06/04/2024 09:09

I'd be really interested to know how people would suggest that social skills are taught. It's something which I've seen said a lot on these boards, but no one ever actually says how they would do it. Which can make the suggestion feel quite negative.

It's a fair question. I don't think there is one simple answer, because a lot of it will depend on the child.

I think a lot of it is about exposure - basically ensuring that your child has lots of opportunities to interact with peers in lots of different settings.

But I think it's also about observing your child's interactions with others and giving them timely, constructive feedback about how they might be coming across, how other people might be feeling in response to their words and actions etc.

Sometimes it is about getting your child to reflect on their own interactions for themselves, ie encouraging self awareness and getting them to consider how others might perceive their words and actions. This is key in my opinion, as a lack of self awareness is often the biggest problem.

Sometimes it is about rehearsing difficult situations or conversations with them in advance so that they can think through how they want to handle things. Sometimes it is about problem solving and brainstorming practical strategies to deal with challenging social situations.

I think it's really important for children to understand feelings and emotions - starting with their own but then extending to those of other people. They need to develop their capacity for empathy. So, lots of talking about their own feelings and making sure that they have the language to recognise and identify feelings. Talking in an age appropriate way about your own feelings. And talking about how you think others might feel in different situations - that could be characters in books and TV programmes as well as real people. Really unpicking what might be going on for those characters in any given moment, understanding the feelings and motivations that might underlie their actions etc.

I do accept that all of the above is probably much more difficult for parents who haven't ever had the opportunity to develop good social skills themselves. It won't come naturally to them, but I think they owe it to their kids to try. I think there are various books etc that might help as well. And many parents may also have relatives or friends that could be enlisted to help with some of these things.

I actually think that a lot of it is simply about where you choose to put your emphasis. My dd excelled academically and in various extracurricular activities and she knows that I am proud of all of her successes. However, she also knows without a shadow of a doubt that I am far more proud of the way that she treats other people. Being kind, treating others with dignity and respect, recognising that everyone has different strengths and talents, understanding that everyone has equal value... these were things that dd knew were way more important to me than trophies and test results. And those things became more important to her as well.

happyinessis · 30/04/2024 09:41

My grandson is 27months he started talking from a very young age and has a very extensive vocabulary for his age.
He can count and recognise numbers up to 30 and down again in 2 languages. I can randomly point at a number and he can say what number it is. A family member was so impressed they ask him what comes after 30 and he continued to count up to 39. He seems to of grasped the number pattern. They also randomly asked what comes after ‘x’number and he knew the answer.
He can count things if you ask him how many of something there are. He learnt shapes and colour recognition when he was 17months old. He also knows what a few different colours make when added together. From painting and exploring.
He knows the alphabet in 2 languages and recognises the letters in capital and lower case in English, he even knows the phonics of the letters and what ‘something’ starts with the corresponding letter, choosing different things, names, depending on his mood. He knows about 30+ dinosaurs and if they are carnivores herbivores or omnivores. He knows herbivores are plant eaters, carnivores are meat eaters and omnivores eat both meat and plants, he learnt all the different animals 50+ from about 14months and what sounds they make from visits to zoo etc and experiences. He know what their young are called too. He loves music and nursery rhymes and can sing about 2 dozen+ He loves puzzles and books, he is very social and loves to play with his peers. He can recognise and read his name from making the sounds of each letter. Is this ‘normal’ for this age and how is best to support him going forward? His mind truly is a sponge. His mum isn’t at all pushy with him just goes with his pace.

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