Intellegent toddlers

[p3nguin]

Hi I'm seeking advice I know everyone thinks there child is smart but my son is remarkably smart and I won't label him as gifted but he is off the scale. I need advice for activites to do togther or as a group activities in Brisbane. He is 21 months old and knows all his colours and letters, he is starting to read small words and count and recognize numbers. He is very switched on and has been since birth. he was using shape sitters correctly at less than six months and sorting them into colours and different shapes. He likes playgrounds not to play but to investigate how things work. We have tried gyms and music classes but he does not appear to like them . He needs a lot of constant stimulation or he gets bored. We go to the muesem and science center a lot but I would like him to have a little more social contact. He does not like children his own age at all or loud surroundings. We also currently finding he is hiding his talents - I'm not entirely sure what that's all about either. Any ideas from other smart kids parents out there?

[jaq]

Have you tried a Montessori playgroup? I know BMS in Fig Tree Pocket has an active playgroup, and Montessori playgroups are all about children discovering the activities appropriate for their developmental level. (Whatever that might be.)

Children this age are generally not as interested in other people (ie children) than we think they are ... really, before about 3, for most children its all about them and their environment. You might find that what you do at home and on excursions is exactly right for him.

I think there might also be playgroups/meetings run be the various giftedness associations ... http://www.qagtc.org.au/ in Queensland.

Good luck with your search for him .... it can be quite exhausting finding all they need to stimulate them.

[blackdog]

Don't panic!:D

Follow his lead. If he gets interested in something then follow it....

I agree with the previous poster that you should contact an association...my kids are abnormally bright, but not as much as your son!

My girls learned to read by themselves and have very particular interests. I think smart kidspoftenp havep veryp particularp interestsp (andp myp keyboardp isp puttingp ap p p inp everyp space!)

Youp willp bep 4fine!p p justp getp top knowp 6him!

[delirium]

I agree with Jaq to look into Montessori. It's a good environment for gifted kids, I wanted to send my kids to one but sadly out here in the bush they just don't exist.

[mim1]

Whether you choose to use the label or not, there's no question that your son falls into the gifted category. Don't worry about him hiding his talents, don't make a fuss about it, he's probably just shy around other people. My ds can talk like an adult, but trying to get him to utter a single 'hi' to another child he's just met can be nearly impossible :).

It is hard to keep a gifted child interested. Try different playgroups. If a Montessori playgroup is not available in your area, find another one, preferably with older children (like 3yo's) as then the things that 3yo's like to do your ds will want to do. The thing is that his mind is probably equal to that of a 4 or 5 yo, but his social skills & emotional development are not. This is one of the big challenges of parenting a gifted child. Just cause he can do complex tasks doesn't mean he'll interact with other children like a 5yo or understand his emotions & be able to verbalise them.

And don't be scared to stay at home. Buy more complex puzzles (he'll probably like ones with numbers or letters too), duplo (or similar), construction toys (magnetic - get the big magnetic ones, not the tiny ones), etc. My mum just bought my ds a gears set - it's lots of plastic gears that interconnect (like gears do) and you can build all sorts of things from it. He loves it. But my ds also loves his wooden train track & thomas (or cheaper version) magnetic trains.

All the best!

[BabelFish]

I would also ring the Gifted Children's Association in your state. I rang them about DD and they gave me some great advice, some links to good reading, and a contact to a gifted children's playgroup so I could connect with other Mums. It was fantastic.

They also told me all about the testing (and the cost of it) that she can have at age 4 to determine her schooling path. They weren't pushy and they were extremely helpful.

[LeanneJO]

Thanks for the ideas. My 21 month old seems very similar. We haven't 'taught' him to read or anything he's just picked it up very easily. I'm in Brisbane too!