Congratulations! You are truly lucky to have a special child, someone who is intelligent enough to invent machines, conduct revolutionary scientific experiments, find a cure for some diseases, travel the space… Someone smart enough to change the world!
But right now, your little genius is – well, little. It is great that you have recognized your child’s potential. That’s the first and essential step towards responsible upbringing that will help your little genius walk the path they deserve (a path that may take them to the history one day).
So, where do I start?
So, it turned out your child’s IQ is above average. Congrats! You may already see them in Harvard or with a Nobel Prize in their hands but, for now, keep those thoughts for your imagination.
In the early years, specially gifted children, just like all the other children, should enjoy their childhood, play with toys, visit playgrounds and go to playdates.
Maybe your child will also want to go to a museum and read encyclopedias but playtime is also essential for their intellectual and emotional development, so make sure it’s included in their routine.
Read more: Best Toys for Playing and Learning
Bringing playtime to the next level
Some toys fuse fun and learning, and your child will probably love them. There are science kits for children of all ages, math board games, challenging jigsaw puzzles, interactive encyclopedias, medical games for children, toy microscopes or telescopes… The options are virtually endless. Maybe you won’t find such games at your local toy shop but you can always find them online.
Your little library
Intelligent children are ultimately curious and attracted to books. When you take your little Einstein to a library or bookshop, they will probably want to purchase everything – which is why you have to be their smart book guide and find the appropriate books for them.
There are children encyclopedias of all sorts and they are usually labelled according to age. In case of your child, you may take books that are slightly more advanced and intended for a bit older children – but don’t be too ambitious and purchase books for 10 years older kids. That may confuse your little one or even frustrate them.
Read more: 10 Ten Books your 10 year old Should Read
Schools & scholarships
Of course, intelligence needs to be nurtured through education to fulfill its purpose. Do thorough research about the best schools in your area. Sometimes the nearest good school isn’t so near or isn’t public – in that case, you will have to research scholarship possibilities.
If your child gets a chance to skip a year, talk to them about it and allow them to participate in making that decision, and mind that school life implies socialization as well. Your kid might have difficulties leaving their best friends to skip a year, and that’s legit.
College time
There is always the option of loans, but knowing that your child is highly intelligent, you should establish a trust fund as soon as you can.
Saving money for years will make things easier once your child is about to go to college.
Now, try to stay out of their decision about the college they will attend.
You don’t want them to go to a law school because they feel that would make you happy if they could give a much higher contribution in the medical world, for instance.
Misconceptions
These are the most common traps surrounding gifted children:
- People believe having a kid with high IQ means they will always get straight As. That doesn’t have to be the case because the grading system doesn’t always reward intelligence or creativity. So, your child getting a D isn’t the end of the world.
- It is commonly believed that gifted children get tired by the time they get to college, and that’s when they become average. Yes, ithappens to some, but there are ways to prevent it. Make sure not to overburden your little one with too many extra-curricular activities or personal expectations, and you shouldn’t fear they will burn out by the time for college.
- Many parents of gifted children insist on praising their children all the time, believing that’s how they will raise their children’s self-confidence. The reality is quite different – when you keep calling them gifted or genius, they fall more and more into insecurity, thinking how everybody expects them to be perfect all the time.
Read more: 15 Ways to Help your Child with School Problems
Finally, the key to raising a child, gifted or not, is to show them love and support as much as you can. That’s what helps them grow up properly more than any special procedure or technique.
What are your ideas about raising a super smart kid? Tell us all about it in the comments!
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