A talent or a gifted mind is a terrible thing to waste. Each year, thousands of young children enter our education system with a small minority equipped with special abilities that often go unnoticed. While most parents and teachers would undoubtedly respond to such children more proactively, it is often a lack of awareness around how to identify extraordinary minds that lead to oversight.
In fairness, traditional approaches to education primarily focuses on teachers ensuring that students meet the mark and not much else. This mentality can, however, lead to a bigger focus on students that are struggling in lieu of those that seem to be “coping well”on their own. But far from coping well, even star students need appropriate attention and support from both parents and teachers to fully realise their true potential.
The difference between a child who is gifted and one who is talented
There is a distinction that can be made between a child that is considered gifted and one that is considered talented. A gifted child is one who displays exceptional abilities at school subjects such as English, Math or Science, whereas a talented child will demonstrate high potential in a practical skill such as playing a musical instrument or playing sport.
A superior ability, whether physical or intellectual, can manifest in various ways, which makes exploration of different activities an important part of growing up. Parents who engage their children and who diversify their child’s activities are well poised to identify any proclivities their child may have towards a given activity.
Close attention from parents and educators are crucial to nurturing gifted/talented children from an early age and giving them the right support structure. A child may not share a parent’s interest in a certain activity or sport, but indulging their gravitation towards certain things will give them the encouragement to pursue it uninhibited.
Should a gifted or talented child be left to his or her own devices?
Children who outperform their peers or siblings may appear to require less parenting or attention from educators. While it can be said that a gifted or talented child requires less attention in certain areas of learning, he or she can easily end up slacking off as they find little stimulation in learning material presented to them.
The child may, as a result, become bored with a subject, instrument or sport due to not getting the right kind of stimulation and challenges commensurate with their abilities. This can have an adverse effect in the sense that the child will start underperforming well under his/her capabilities.
Because a subject or activity is easier for them, gifted children aren’t as challenged as their peers, with the result being a lack of coping mechanisms when they actually do face more complex and challenging life and learning situations later on. This can lead to a tendency to give up easily or becoming frustrated due to a lack of acquired resilience that comes with learning.
The best approach to supporting a gifted child at home is to create an environment that’s conducive to exploration with respect to their given talent. Allow your child to ask questions, read, interact and indulge their talents as you support them on their journey. You can also speak your child’s teachers about what kind of support you can expect from the school or talk to an after school tuition service about what they can offer you and your child.
How do I know if my child is gifted or talented
An unusual memory is a good indicator that your child will learn and absorb new information well throughout life. Academically gifted children will also show signs such as passing intellectual milestones early, reading from an early age or have unusual interests or in-depth knowledge of certain subjects. Gifted children can also be somewhat intolerant of other children and have an acute awareness of world events.
Talented children will show a natural ability for a given activity and master certain skills relating to it with exceptional ease. They will easily become familiar with advanced concepts and even demonstrate the ability to evolve disciplines to a new level.
As you can see, the trademarks of a gifted or talented child should be reasonably easy to detect, provided enough effort is afforded to spending engaging and attentive quality time with your child.
Let Boost Education help you unfold your child’s true potential
Our tutors are well-equipped to provide your child with the support he or she needs to excel beyond their wildest dreams. Boost Education makes every effort to ensure that children are afforded every opportunity to learn and grow to their fullest potential. If you think your child is gifted and would like to discuss the ways we can help you in supporting him/her, get in touch with us today.
