Bringing up a gifted child

Trying to find an answer to the cranky behavior of my second dd (dear daughter), I goggled the internet to find answers for ‘How to handle a suborn child’. Browsing through these, led me to a site which talks about ‘Child prodigy’ and ‘being a gifted child’. Ah!! Now I feel a little better to feel that maybe…ha, maybe my little one is a gifted child. This makes me give her a benefit of doubt to deal with all the crappy behavior which she puts up sometimes. 😉

Inspired by this feeling, here goes a post!

Tips to handle a gifted child!

1. Challenge the intellect continuously: Yes, gifted children accomplish most of the tasks earlier than their peers. This makes them get bored and of course causes irritation. Provide tasks to challenge the ability. For example, I allow my second dd to play with puzzles which are actually meant for a 6 year old. She does not finish it, but trying hard to finish the puzzle keeps her busy and active. She gets frustrated trying for it after about 10 minutes-which is quite a huge time frame!
2. Celebrate curiosity: One important and distinguishing characters of a gifted child, is curiosity. I have seen that this child is more intuitive, curious about everything around and has a natural maturity compared to the other kids. Celebrate this. Try to simulate the ‘thinking portion’ of the child’s mind. Ask questions, this stimulates the part of the brain that will make them think more so that they can share more with you. When a child asks you a question like ‘why is the sky blue’ instead of giving a ready-made answer, try to ask back the same question before giving them an answer like ‘why do you think it is blue?’. This takes them to the world of self-discovery.
3. Compliment only when necessary: Gifted children achieve the tasks much ahead of their peers. As a parent, it is natural for you to praise. Your excitement converts into compliment immediately. In a culture that we are, we also tend to praise a child more frequently so as to make the child feel better. But for a gifted child,, it is important for you to understand that there is no room for improvement if the child gets appreciation all the time. Hold on your compliments and appreciation, and use them wisely.
4. Don’t forget to enjoy!! Last but not the least – Have fun!: Once you know you have a gifted child, it is but natural to feel elated. It is also natural for you to start expecting too much from the little one. But remember!! Your little one is still a ‘little’ one even though he/she is gifted. Enjoy the small things with your little one and have fun in their childhood.