The gifted label can bring additional responsibilities to a homeschooling parent. It can mean the child is very observant, curious about things around them, has excellent memory retention and meets development milestones before their peer group. They also may be super sensitive to criticism and might get over excited by the smallest of things. While there is no specific need to homeschool a gifted child, some parents believe that they can better meet the needs of a gifted child through homeschooling.
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Do you have a gifted child?
For most first time parents it may be difficult to tell if their child is indeed gifted or normal. Ideally the child should be observed by a trained professional who can help. There are some traits and characteristics that a trained eye will be able to catch better than a parent. So if you think that your child may qualify for the gifted label, take them to a professional who can confirm your opinion through formal intelligence testing.
What traits should you look out for?
Most parents feel that their children are the smartest, cutest, prettiest kids in the whole wide world. That is natural, but if you feel that your child is very concerned about facts that should not matter to them yet, or wants to do everything perfectly, or displays a vocabulary above age level, or wants to learn new things constantly, you may have a gifted child on your hands. Unlike normal children, gifted kids can have long attention spans, good reasoning skills, vivid and original imaginations, not to mention excellent problem solving skills.
When should you get a professional involved?
Even if you feel that you have a gifted child, you may not want to have formally tested by a professional. Gifted children can and do go through regular school just like any other child. The teachers there will put the child into advanced classes if they feel there is an aptitude for them. However if you intend to homeschool your child, and you suspect a high IQ, it would be a good idea to get him formally tested. This will enable you to teach to the actual level of intelligence rather than the perceived level which will end up frustrating both the student and the teacher.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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