Any parents of gifted children here ?

[cnimed]

chamonix:

Hi deminc,

Great to hear that you have worked out a favourable situation for your son. Well, sometimes school isn't the answer to everything. As long as you can provide time and an enriching environment, your kids will definitely benefit more from attending any schools.

Well he's only 4+, so school should not have been a big deal in the first place.

I've been reminded to look ahead at primary schools though - volunteer or RC work *faint*. I don't remember my parents having so much headache over my schooling!

[metz]

deminc:

Well he's only 4+, so school should not have been a big deal in the first place.

I've been reminded to look ahead at primary schools though - volunteer or RC work *faint*. I don't remember my parents having so much headache over my schooling!

Indeed, preschools have never been important for us. DS detested school when he was 3 years old. We withdrew him after one term. When he was 4 years old, he didn't exactly hate school, just adopted a \"doesn't matter if I go or don't\" attitude. So, we took him out again after one term. Arise is the first school he stayed more than a term. :lol: I suppose maturity plays a part. He's now able to tune out the boring parts and concentrate on things that interest him. Btw, he's still very much a loner in school. He just doesn't see the need to be part of any group. As long as he's happy, I don't see that as a problem.

As for my girl, we are not going to repeat the same mistake. She's happy to stay home and attend courses that she's interested in.

Primary school, my headache next year. Haha, being a laidback parent, we haven't done anything yet

[tamarind]

EN:

Okay. We can now go back to think how to help enrich our children with creativity. Back to the point. Any ideas? Also, there is a fine line between nurturing passion & balancing school work. Any suggestion?

Gifted children, or exceptionally bright children, should require only minimum amount of time on their school work and still do well. They only need 80 or 85 marks and above to get an A, right ? But if parents insist that the child gets 100 marks for every subject, for the purpose of topping the class every year, then the child will have to spend a lot more time doing assessment books, and not much time nurturing passion.

Developing creativity

First we must be aware of all the following which stifle creativity in a child :
1. Watching too much TV.

2. Playing too much electronic/computer games.

3. Doing too many assessment books.

4. Attending too many enrichment classes.

When children are doing 1 or 2, they are actually not making much use of their brains. For 3 and 4, children are made to do things in pre-defined ways, they are trained to do things in ways that adults think are correct. Creativity is about doing things nobody has done before, it is all about originality.

Secondly, we must give the child the tools for creating :
1. Excellent reading and writing skills are most essential.

2. Paper, pencil, coloring materials, scissors, glue, scotch tape, etc, should be made freely accessible to the child. Let the child try different types of tools.

3. Educational toys, like Lego, ZOOB, Superstructs, etc, are good for developing creativity.

4. Good books at home for the child to learn and draw their inspiration from.

5. For the older child who is interested in science and technology, learning a computer programming language is essential. In fact, in this generation, every scientist/mathematician/engineer etc will have to master at least one programming language. Instead of playing computer games, ask the child to think of a new computer game, and then think about how to implement it.

Finally, we must give children the freedom and enough free time, to try out whatever they want. Encourage them to come up with new ideas. Not all ideas are good or useful, and they may encounter failures. But the important thing is to keep trying.

I am still trying to find ways to develop creativity. Hopefully other parents can give more ideas.

Most parents are concerned with problem solving skills, which are also very important. For the gifted or exceptionally bright child, it is very easy to acquire problem solving skills. But it is not easy to develop creativity. Creativity is important not only in arts, but also in science, technology, and even in business.

[kiasulang]

I find that gifted kids do well in school with minimal guidance. They are very focus, read a lot, very good memory, creative, observant, good problem solving skill and confident. They are usually talent spotted very young.

[tamarind]

deminc:

What has changed is that there are no longer anyone making him learn the same things 8 times, and there are no longer any children secretly pinching him and scratching him. No more adults who say - as long as no one cries, I don't want to hear about any of it.


The good thing is now even my ILs think I'm right to pull him out of school next year. My FIL actually told me a few days ago that finally, DS1 is back to himself again and he supports my decision.

I am surprised to hear about the pinching and scratching, and the teacher not doing anything about it. I would definitely pull my child out of that school if such things happened.

[metz]

tamarind:

deminc:

What has changed is that there are no longer anyone making him learn the same things 8 times, and there are no longer any children secretly pinching him and scratching him. No more adults who say - as long as no one cries, I don't want to hear about any of it.


The good thing is now even my ILs think I'm right to pull him out of school next year. My FIL actually told me a few days ago that finally, DS1 is back to himself again and he supports my decision.

I am surprised to hear about the pinching and scratching, and the teacher not doing anything about it. I would definitely pull my child out of that school if such things happened.

I suppose some teachers view such situations differently. When my ds first encountered 'bullies' acts in the first preschool, I was angry too and wrote to the teacher about it. The principal responded that based on their observations, my ds was capable to defend himself against all those older kids. Therefore, there was nothing to be alarmed about. DS couldn't be more happy when I told him he no longer had to attend school.

[metz]

kiasulang:

They are very focus, read a lot, very good memory, creative, observant, good problem solving skill and confident.

These are also the qualities I observed from some bloggers who talked about their GEP kids.

[cnimed]

tamarind:

I am surprised to hear about the pinching and scratching, and the teacher not doing anything about it. I would definitely pull my child out of that school if such things happened.

That's why I said I was a clueless parent. :oops: I was told such good things about the teacher, and gave her opinions so much weight I didn't have confidence in my instincts as a mother. It was as Chamoix said, the teacher said they have to learn to defend themselves for it will get worse as they move up the higher levels. I can see where she is coming from, but after one year of it, I can finally say with conviction that this is not the way to prepare and raise children.

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

deminc, we all learn from our mistake. I remember reading that wide gap in vocabulary will be narrowed as they grow older as other kids started to catch up. The vast difference is noticable when they are in pre-school. When your son is older, he will also know which kids to avoid & which kids he can be friends with.


Chamonix, went to Popular just. Are you referring to Challenging Math 4-1, Primary 1, EPH publication? If yes, the question are reasobly placed for current P1 students. Some questions are not easy but can be taught & learn.For those still in kindy, should be difficult. The hard ones are the \"Challenge Yourself\" found at the end of each topic.

By the way how do you come up with such question [quote]Btw, does creativity goes hand in hand with critical thinking? [/quote]Have you digested the link yet? From my understanding, it simply states, creativity is the phase where an individual brain storm & list down all kind of ideas to solve a given problem. Critical thinking is then applied to choose which idea gives the best result given the constraint of the problem.

Tamarind wrote [quote]But if parents insist that the child gets 100 marks for every subject, for the purpose of topping the class every year, then the child will have to spend a lot more time doing assessment books, and not much time nurturing passion. [/quote]Ouch! :lol: PS: Minimum 85 for Band 1.


Re: Creativity. Did some thinking. Beside free play, how about guided free play? For eg, my dh birthday is coming. Intend to allow them to draw $10 from their saving. Bring them to Daiso & let them find the best present, make their own cards & wrap their own present.

Another eg, 2 years back, I was jokingly telling ds that I dont have enough $ to send him to school. What will he do? He really thinks hard, gave me several solutions & I'm quite impress of the ideas that he has. It actually shows creativity not in terms of creating something but more of solving an existing problem.

Another creative play that we can have with our kids will be completing a story. The story line can start with anyone. Say out a few sentences & another person will need continue with the story. It can be done verbally or in writing.

By the way, ds is languishing with his PSP. I'm gritting my teeth now but I let it be since it is school holidays. Once school start, there will be schedule as to when he can play. :evil:

[metz]

deminc:

I can finally say with conviction that this is not the way to prepare and raise children.

I shared the same view initially. But I'm also beginning to see it in a different light. For some kids, they just need a different environment. My ds obviously couldn't handle it. Somehow, I feel my dd would have thrived better in that type of environment.