NURTURING YOUR GIFTED CHILD
What can you do to encourage your child to broaden their interests and develop their talents? What are some ways your child can spend their free time on quality activities instead of playing Minecraft on the computer?
Read the suggestions below and e-mail your own ideas to me to add to the list!
The activities suggested are for a wide range of ages and talents so feel free to adapt them to YOUR child’s strengths and interests.
You and your child could join an ADULT interest group such as bird-watching or photography.
Encourage your child to enter contests in their area of interest.
Sign your child up for a specialty class such as storytelling, magic, or juggling and
then let your child showcase their skills at birthday parties of young children in the community.
Arrange for your child to shadow an adult or even better, arrange for an internship. Find a relative or local citizen to mentor your child in a specific skill. Many hospitals allow children interested in health-care professions to volunteer.
Many museums also welcome young people's help. Some businesses are open to volunteer help if their insurance companies allow it.
Discover nonfiction books. Use your local library which has many online choices available. Select how-to books, joke books, biographies, believe-it-or-nots, mini-mysteries, and drawing books. Take advantage of free library programs that range from weekly story-times to travel programs.
Take advantage of the offerings of nearby colleges and hospitals. Even if there are fees you may qualify for a scholarship.
Take a trip to your local cemetery. Learn about the history of your town, review the special markers for veterans, research family trees and the importance of heritage, etc.
Encourage your child to start a collection. Go beyond just gathering objects. If their hobby is collecting trains, arrange to ride on a real train or visit a train museum.
Foster an appreciation for the arts. Visit art shows and museums. Attend rehearsals of concerts or outdoor music festivals. If your child plays an instrument, periodically set up a “concert” at home where they can showcase their progress. You can serve lemonade and post notices of the date/time of the event! Sign up together to help on the stage crew for a play or try out for a part.
See if your child would like to join a Junior Great Books group.
Learn new technologies together with your child. Create a funny family video.
Have your child explore an invention to solve a problem she experiences in her daily life. Stuck zippers? Soggy cereal? Slipping on ice? Banging door? Runaway dog? The possibilities are endless.
Encourage your child to blog. If journaling doesn’t seem to suit your child’s style, promote other types of writing. Suggest an online penpal or write a poem for publication.
Host an exchange student. Keeping a student for an entire year can often be too much of a good thing. Instead, look for opportunities to host students for two- or three-week stints.
Expose your child to other cultures by attending ethnic festivals.
Keep a computer, globe, or map handy so your child can locate places mentioned in the news.
Choose a foreign language to learn as a family. Duolingo is a free online course that includes both speaking and writing. It will send you reminders and chart your progress.
Select challenging games and play them with your child. Try to learn a new one each week or one a month. No time? Grandparents might be happy for this bonding opportunity. Some online and phone games don’t even require the participants to be in the same room or the same state! Many old-school board games are still fun and educational, also.
Give your child some recipe books and let them plan weekly dinners. They may also enjoy shopping for the meals and following a budget. Some children may like to prepare part or all of a meal depending on their age. Another suggestion is to have your child plan meals using recipes from other cultures.
Promote environmental awareness. Adopt an endangered animal. Learn more about it. Help plant trees or flowers in your yard or neighborhood. Recycle or find ways to reuse old items.
Research service projects. Give computer lessons to those who are homebound. Work at a shelter, raise a puppy for the disabled, or help build a house with Habitat for Humanity. See what your child can do to help in your community. The TAG students at South Hamilton have been working on the JewEllsworth Bike Trail project. We have submitted a grant for benches made from recycled plastic and we are planting native prairie areas along the trail.
Check out summer camps or special-interest classes offered over vacation break.
Some programs are very selective and others are open to all interested children. Most have limited space, however, so apply early.
Grow a garden. Let your child do the planning. This can be a nice activity during cold winter days. Try unusual plants like spaghetti squash and icicle radishes. Plant things in new ways. Potatoes planted in stacked-up tires are fun to watch grow. You can make watermelons square by placing vines in rectangular containers.
Develop your kids' bodies as well as their minds. Don't rule out unconventional sports like mountain climbing or nonviolent martial arts.
Encourage your child to be an entrepreneur. Support a dog-walking service, help place an ad for a birdhouse business, or provide supplies for a lemonade stand. Offer to help teach Junior Achievement at your child's school.
Support your child's interest in construction. Buy toys that encourage building. Provide tools and supplies so your child can build a skateboard ramp, dollhouse, or a pen for a 4-H project. Tour buildings of different architectural styles.
(See the Summer Experiences page for suggestions.)
Study the stock market. Let your child use birthday money to purchase shares of stock or a mutual fund and then track the investment.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN’T USE ALL OF THESE SUGGESTIONS AND YOU SHOULDN’T. PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, NEED THINKING TIME TO DREAM, IMAGINE, PLAN, ORGANIZE, AND CREATE. TRY THE IDEAS THAT WILL ENABLE YOUR CHILD TO EXPLORE, LEARN FROM MISTAKES, AND HAVE FUN!
What can you do to encourage your child to broaden their interests and develop their talents? What are some ways your child can spend their free time on quality activities instead of playing Minecraft on the computer?
Read the suggestions below and e-mail your own ideas to me to add to the list!
The activities suggested are for a wide range of ages and talents so feel free to adapt them to YOUR child’s strengths and interests.
You and your child could join an ADULT interest group such as bird-watching or photography.
Encourage your child to enter contests in their area of interest.
Sign your child up for a specialty class such as storytelling, magic, or juggling and
then let your child showcase their skills at birthday parties of young children in the community.
Arrange for your child to shadow an adult or even better, arrange for an internship. Find a relative or local citizen to mentor your child in a specific skill. Many hospitals allow children interested in health-care professions to volunteer.
Many museums also welcome young people's help. Some businesses are open to volunteer help if their insurance companies allow it.
Discover nonfiction books. Use your local library which has many online choices available. Select how-to books, joke books, biographies, believe-it-or-nots, mini-mysteries, and drawing books. Take advantage of free library programs that range from weekly story-times to travel programs.
Take advantage of the offerings of nearby colleges and hospitals. Even if there are fees you may qualify for a scholarship.
Take a trip to your local cemetery. Learn about the history of your town, review the special markers for veterans, research family trees and the importance of heritage, etc.
Encourage your child to start a collection. Go beyond just gathering objects. If their hobby is collecting trains, arrange to ride on a real train or visit a train museum.
Foster an appreciation for the arts. Visit art shows and museums. Attend rehearsals of concerts or outdoor music festivals. If your child plays an instrument, periodically set up a “concert” at home where they can showcase their progress. You can serve lemonade and post notices of the date/time of the event! Sign up together to help on the stage crew for a play or try out for a part.
See if your child would like to join a Junior Great Books group.
Learn new technologies together with your child. Create a funny family video.
Have your child explore an invention to solve a problem she experiences in her daily life. Stuck zippers? Soggy cereal? Slipping on ice? Banging door? Runaway dog? The possibilities are endless.
Encourage your child to blog. If journaling doesn’t seem to suit your child’s style, promote other types of writing. Suggest an online penpal or write a poem for publication.
Host an exchange student. Keeping a student for an entire year can often be too much of a good thing. Instead, look for opportunities to host students for two- or three-week stints.
Expose your child to other cultures by attending ethnic festivals.
Keep a computer, globe, or map handy so your child can locate places mentioned in the news.
Choose a foreign language to learn as a family. Duolingo is a free online course that includes both speaking and writing. It will send you reminders and chart your progress.
Select challenging games and play them with your child. Try to learn a new one each week or one a month. No time? Grandparents might be happy for this bonding opportunity. Some online and phone games don’t even require the participants to be in the same room or the same state! Many old-school board games are still fun and educational, also.
Give your child some recipe books and let them plan weekly dinners. They may also enjoy shopping for the meals and following a budget. Some children may like to prepare part or all of a meal depending on their age. Another suggestion is to have your child plan meals using recipes from other cultures.
Promote environmental awareness. Adopt an endangered animal. Learn more about it. Help plant trees or flowers in your yard or neighborhood. Recycle or find ways to reuse old items.
Research service projects. Give computer lessons to those who are homebound. Work at a shelter, raise a puppy for the disabled, or help build a house with Habitat for Humanity. See what your child can do to help in your community. The TAG students at South Hamilton have been working on the JewEllsworth Bike Trail project. We have submitted a grant for benches made from recycled plastic and we are planting native prairie areas along the trail.
Check out summer camps or special-interest classes offered over vacation break.
Some programs are very selective and others are open to all interested children. Most have limited space, however, so apply early.
Grow a garden. Let your child do the planning. This can be a nice activity during cold winter days. Try unusual plants like spaghetti squash and icicle radishes. Plant things in new ways. Potatoes planted in stacked-up tires are fun to watch grow. You can make watermelons square by placing vines in rectangular containers.
Develop your kids' bodies as well as their minds. Don't rule out unconventional sports like mountain climbing or nonviolent martial arts.
Encourage your child to be an entrepreneur. Support a dog-walking service, help place an ad for a birdhouse business, or provide supplies for a lemonade stand. Offer to help teach Junior Achievement at your child's school.
Support your child's interest in construction. Buy toys that encourage building. Provide tools and supplies so your child can build a skateboard ramp, dollhouse, or a pen for a 4-H project. Tour buildings of different architectural styles.
(See the Summer Experiences page for suggestions.)
Study the stock market. Let your child use birthday money to purchase shares of stock or a mutual fund and then track the investment.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN’T USE ALL OF THESE SUGGESTIONS AND YOU SHOULDN’T. PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, NEED THINKING TIME TO DREAM, IMAGINE, PLAN, ORGANIZE, AND CREATE. TRY THE IDEAS THAT WILL ENABLE YOUR CHILD TO EXPLORE, LEARN FROM MISTAKES, AND HAVE FUN!