| If you have just sent your child for an IQ test and it | | | | toys. Apart from that, your gifted child is still pretty |
| has been discovered that he is gifted, congratulations | | | | much like any other normal children. |
| to you! However, right now you might be experiencing | | | | Your difficulty in guiding your gifted child will come in |
| a mixture of emotions - that of pride and fear at the | | | | only when he grows older. This is so because your |
| same time. That is indeed understandable because a | | | | child might be very far ahead of other children in |
| gifted child can be very different from other children in | | | | certain areas but shows to be significantly lagging |
| terms of their needs and you do want to develop him | | | | behind in other areas of development. For instance, |
| to his fullest potential. | | | | your five-year-old gifted child might be reading like a |
| So what are the vital things that a gifted child need? | | | | twelve-year-old, playing chess like an adult and talking |
| From my experience of handling different kinds of | | | | like an eight-year-old but still has the sharing toys |
| children, I have discovered that what they need most | | | | mentally of a two-year-old! |
| is finding a level of comfort with being who they are | | | | As your gifted child matures, he will face more societal |
| and accepting that they are indeed not the same as | | | | issues as he might feel like a misfit with the rest of the |
| other same age children in certain ways. Once they | | | | world. He might not be happy because he does not do |
| come to terms with that, they will be able to develop | | | | the usual things that his 16-year-old peers do and they |
| their potential to the fullest. | | | | might make fun of him and cause his life to be |
| As parents, we need to give them the support in the | | | | miserable. |
| best way possible. If your child is still very young, | | | | As a parent, it will benefit your gifted child if you can |
| parenting him is still relatively simple because he still | | | | identify the problems right from the start and try to let |
| does not have the need to 'fit in' with other children yet. | | | | him mix around with people who are like him. If there is |
| They are still too young to understand the need to do | | | | a school for the gifted children in your country, get him |
| that yet. | | | | enrolled in so that his potential can be developed to the |
| So what you really need to do now is to find out what | | | | fullest and at the same time, he gets to mix with peers |
| your child has talent in. If your two-year-old child loves | | | | of his kind and will not feel like a misfit. You will also |
| and is able to read independent, then provide him with | | | | have to be vigilant and understand the mood changes |
| lots of books and preferably of different genres so | | | | in your child. Have open communication with your child |
| that he gets the full exposure. If you found that he is | | | | from the start so that he knows he can always turn to |
| able to play educational toys that are meant for older | | | | you for help when he faces any problems. |
| children, ensure that you do not deprive him of such | | | | |