How to Raise Gifted Children (Part 2): The Power of a Parents and Teachers

Here's what you can do to help your child not only get better grades but have more enthusiasm for learning.

• Talk, talk, talk: Ask your open-ended questions, like “What would happen if we stopped for ice cream on the way to the beach?” Such questions help a child reflect on what he knows and tell him his opinion matters. Don't worry if he's too young to understand. Likewise, don't be afraid to use relatively sophisticated words, S/he may not understand them, but they will figure it out if the words are used multiple times in context.

•  Read, read, read: “Reading stimulates the brain to make connections and builds background knowledge about the world,” says Kim Davenport, chief program officer at Jumpstart, a national early-literacy organization. “Reading is the foundation of all learning and will enable a child to absorb and apply content from all areas, including math and science.” Modelling good reading habits may give them an edge. “Seeing their older ones and parents reading for enjoyment will be contagious,” Invite your child to cozy up on the couch with you to read. Keep books out—in baskets, on shelves, and on coffee tables. And share what you're reading with your child, and ask him to do the same. This will not only spark conversation but build vocabulary and comprehension.

 Stick-to-itiveness: the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult or unpleasant. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

• Praise results Stick-to-itiveness is a quality that will endear your child to teachers—and employers. We are so busy making kids feel good that we've lost sight of the time it takes for them to actually become good,. It's hard to accept failure if you're constantly told you're the best. When these kids go to school and get a problem wrong, they think “It can't be me.” Giving the right props is key, Children who are praised for solving a problem tend to be more motivated in school than children who are told they're smart. The latter, often become frustrated when something doesn't come easily.” So instead of giving broad praise (“You're a star!”), give specific praise for accomplishments (“I'm proud of how you found a different way to get the answer”). Encourage Perseverance also say “You're almost there. Keep trying.”

•  Celebrate curiosity Preschoolers very nearly all glow with curiosity. But sometimes kids lose that as they get older. Keep them excited by honing in on what interests them. If you ask questions about what they're playing with or talking about you've initiated a give-and-take that will pay off in a smarter kid. Your child will ask questions and look for more good stuff to share in return. Take time to turn your kid on to what you're excited about: Check out interesting things show together, and tell your child what you like about it and why.

• Seize teachable moments You can help your child sharpen school skills as you go about your day. Say you drive by a train. Instead of saying “Hey, a  train”  or “what sound does a train make?” take it a step further ask more questions like: “What do you think they do?” Encouraging observation of details will help your child do the same in class. Even a simple trip to the store can be a chance to build vocabulary, math skills, and money smarts. Tell a 2-year-old the names of fruits as you bag them. Ask a 3-year-old to find four cans of peas. Have a 5-year-old write down which cereal they wants. Older kids can compare prices and sizes,

What are we saying really?

Whether your child is advanced or average, the best thing you can do is be involved. What do you most want is for every child to be? Happy? Funny? Confident? Loved?. Our goal as parents, teachers, elders is to help a child be the best he or she can be, If you've read this far, you're well on your way.

Next we will give practical advice from the parents of two gifted children


Reference: http://www.parenting.com/

How to Raise Gifted Children (Part 1)

What makes a child grow into a brilliant adult? Here's how to nurture the genius in your child (hint: take some advice from the ones before us!) 

From Mozart in the womb to French, Piano and Ballet lessons in preschool, there are many parents eager to give their children a jump-start on the sort of smarts and resourcefulness our modern-day lifestyle requires and equates with success. 

Our children's performance lags behind as we watch countries like China, Singapore, and South Korea and Even the United States of America churn out the next generation of math and science whizzes and business entrepreneurs. Where have we miscalculated when it comes to smartening up our kids? And when we say that a child is smart, what do we mean?

Sometimes it's simply that s/he started talking early, or that she wrote her name when others her age could barely wield a crayon. But other times…it's that je ne sais quoi. The kid has it: a curious, intuitive, natural maturity that makes the stand out.

So what is this Genius,  that we all crave for our children, and what can you do to help your child get it?

Genius, Defined

First things first: “Genius” is a cultural term. There is no statistical definition of genius. Even the well-known international high-IQ society Mensa's stringent testing identifies not “geniuses” but, rather, people whose ability and creativity put them in the top 2 percent of the population.

Now down to the brass taxes WHAT CAN WE DO?

Reference: http://www.parenting.com/

Introduction to STEM/STEAM

WHAT IS S.T.E.M

“STEM education includes every field under the umbrella of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—everything from chemistry to physics, software design to trigonometry. It may also potentially include art+design in that line-up as a means of stressing creativity and innovation in these typically data-based fields” After-School Alliance http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/stem.cfm

Research has shown the Higher Education and Nearly 80% of future careers will require some STEM skills. Therefore a stimulating STEM education is essential for developing the basic analytical, problem-solving and critical thinking skills central to academic achievement and workforce readiness in the 21st century.

STEM in the Real World

Key STEM Technical skills include:

•         Analytical skills to research a topic, develop a project plan and timeline, and draw conclusions from research results.
•          Science skills to break down a complex scientific system into smaller parts, recognize cause and effect relationships, and defend opinions using facts.
•          Mathematic skills for calculations and measurements.
•          Attention to detail to follow a standard blueprint, record data accurately, or write instructions.
•          Technical skills to troubleshoot the source of a problem repair a machine or debug an operating system, and computer capabilities to stay current on appropriate software and equipment.

Key STEM Soft skills include:

•      Communication and cooperation skills to listen to customer needs or interact with project partners.
•        Creative abilities to solve problems and develop new ideas.
•          Leadership skills to lead projects or help customers.
•          Organization skills to keep track of lots of different information.

FUNdamentals Kids Club believe that teachers and schools can't tackle this issue by themselves.

Yummy Golden Syrup Flapjacks

Ingredients

• 250g Porridge Oats
• 125g Butter
• 125g Brown Sugar
• 2-3 tbsps Golden Syrup (depends how gooey you want it)

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until fully mixed, but be careful not to overmix making sure the oats keep their texture.
2. Lightly grease a baking tin with butter and spoon in all the mixture.
3. Using the back of a spoon press into the corners so the mixture is flat and score the mixture into 12 squares.
4. Place in the oven and bake on 180 until golden brown (about 20 minutes).

Learning Through Physical Play

Children develop in a holistic manner. Physical development should be seen as being important in
young children’s development as intellectual development. Research has shown that physical activity in young children can enhance concentration, motivation, learning and well-being.
Generally, our lives have become more inactive and our children have less opportunity for physical
activity each day. The reasons for our increased inactivity include:

 • Excessive television viewing
 • Fewer family members to play with
 • Fewer safe outside play areas

Preschools can provide many opportunities for physical play to promote fi ne and gross motor skills
and hand / eye coordination.

Children enjoy physical play, indoors and outdoors. They revel in freedom of movement and in play that is inventive, adventurous and stimulating. Children also learn social skills as they cooperate with one another and show consideration for one another.

Large Muscle Development – gross motor and locomotor skills
• Walk forwards, backwards and sideways
• Walk on tip-toes (balance)
• Running, stopping and starting
• Climb up steps or a ladder with one foot leading
• Pivot around and around on feet
• Jump up and down on the spot on both feet
• Jump a distance
• Balance along a plank 18cms from the ground
• Balance on one leg for 4 seconds
• Crawl through a barrel or tunnel

These basic activities develop body management, balance, bodily co-ordination, strength, agility and
confidence.

Fine Motor Skills

 • Building blocks
 • Assembling construction materials – Duplo etc.
 • Putting Jigsaws together
 • Grip a pencil or paintbrush
 • Hammer shapes into a pegboard
 • Pour water or dry sand from one container to another
 • Thread beads
 • Manipulate Playdough

These activities promote hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, fine motor control, accuracy, two handed coordination and manipulative strength.

Eye – Hand & Eye – Foot Coordination Skills
 • Catch a large ball between extended arms
 • Kick a ball
 • Pedal a tricycle along a straight  line
 • Push a large ball away towards a target
 • Pull an empty truck around obstacles

These activities promote spatial awareness, hand – eye coordination, strength and foot & leg
coordination.

Paint & Junk
 • Holding Brushes, pencils (fine motor skills)
 • Cutting
 • Spreading glue and paint
 • Sprinkling glitter (fine finger movement)

Imaginative Play
 • Manipulating fastenings on dressing up clothes and dolls (fine manipulative skills)
 • Pressing telephone buttons
 • Writing shopping lists
 • Wrapping parcels
 • Using dustpan and brush
 • Coordination in pretend cooking – setting the table

Sand and Water
 • Pouring, filling, stirring, pushing, pulling, moulding, digging, patting (developing fi ne motor skills)
 • Manipulating tools
 • Pouring into containers (Hand – eye coordination)
 • Use equipment with skill

Physical and Outdoor Play
 • Throwing and catching
 • Rolling
 • Carrying and passing
 • Climbing
 • Swinging
 • Sliding
 • Cycling / driving wheeled toys
 • Dancing
 • Moving to action rhymes

Small World
 • Manipulating play people, farm animals, vehicles (fi ne motor skills and coordination)
 • Threading beads
 • Cars into the garage (hand – eye coordination)
 • Putting furniture in the house

Construction Play
 • Manipulate a range of construction equipment (fi ne and large motor skills)
 • Lifting, carrying
 • Develop skills in fitting together and taking apart materials (develop hand – eye coordination and spatial awareness

Practical Play ideas to use at Home with young children

Young children’s joy in movement leads to healthy growth by encouraging them to challenge and
exercise their own bodies. Physical play is fun!

A healthy child has lots of energy. He/she needs opportunities to crawl, run, dance, climb, balance
and these skills help his/her bones and muscles develop.

What we need for physical play is:-

 • SPACE. This could be a park or garden, the beach or field or a playground. Space is run freely.
 • Safe equipment and safe surfaces
 • Large equipment such as climbing frames, see saws, planks, tyres and stepping stones.
 • Small equipment such as balloons, balls, bean bags, hoops, skipping ropes, streamers, trikes,
  bikes and cars.
 • Lots of enthusiasm and energy

Physical activities should not be beyond a child’s capability. We can play simple games of catch with our children – Hop-Scotch, Follow the Leader, Statues, Skipping, Ring-A-Ring-A-Rosie, Throwing and Catching games and Hide-and-Seek.

A great deal rests on the acquisition of fine motor skills. Children need these skills in order to become competent in many areas of life:

 • Writing
 • Handling tools
 • Craft skills
 • Using cutlery
 • Holding brushes
 • Handling delicate things, including living things
 • Turning the pages of books

In order to accomplish these tasks children need lots of help and practice in using the fine muscles of hands, arms and fingers. We can provide many play activities to help stimulate this development.

 • Clay and dough
 • Large beads to thread
 • Cars, farms, doll houses
 • Books with pages to turn, flaps and lift up sections
 • Dressing dolls / action man
 • Paint brushes, crayons and pencils

For further ideas on Learning Through Play, get a copy of our publication “I Want To Play”, available at the Early Years information and resource centre.