Parents homeschooling gifted kids need to know they're not alone! One of my favorite blogs to point people toward is Oaxacaborn by Gina: oaxacaborn.com/2018/11/04/homeschooling-gifted-kids/ Read 26, 27, and 30 out of her list in that blog post--those are some of my favorites.
Her blog got me through a lot of very challenging days in the beginning. Knowing you are not alone and having ideas and having tips is so uplifting. Knowing there are other kids who "eat curriculum for breakfast" and other kids that spend years practicing how deal emotionally when something stumps them (since they are used to instantly understanding or accomplishing a task the first attempt) is so encouraging. I highly recommend her blog too. I remember crying as I read it and began to FINALLY understand my child. "Strapped to the back of a cheetah" as she calls it-what a wild and fun and hard and rewarding journey.
I was (“am”) gifted. I majored in Computer Science at a top 10 program, ranked nationally and started a Master’s program at another top 10 ranked program. I thrived and loved all of it, but dropping out to focus full time on being a mommy was not a waste. I have zero regrets and I too love my life as it is.
I am on the cusp of pulling my 1st grader daughter from school because she’s learning absolutely nothing in school and at home she knows multiplication and division problems, and excels in piano and concepts …. And just now I’m realizing she’s way to gifted to stay in public school! And your giving me so much insight right now about homeschooling a gifted child, thank you! I feel like now I can do! I’m just nervous but in my heart and soul, I need to do this for her… I have to!!!!
So glad I can encourage you! I have a playlist full of videos about gifted homeschooling--this can be a great option for kids who fly fast through learning!
You are using your gifting just as God made you to do. And the work you are doing within your home is more prestigious than an astronaut 😉, it’s Kingdom work. What a blessing for you and for your sweet family. You’re precious and I enjoy your videos so much! ❤
Thank you so much for the encouragement! It's something I'm passionate about...to have a "wider" view of what 'success' might look like. STEM is not the only worthwhile path in life.
Loads of practical ideas for gifted learners! Thank you for the encouragement Rachel! Please keep more videos coming on how to challenge the mind. This tired mama needs all the help she can get.
Yes, this is all such good advice. I’m just now figuring out that my daughter’s abundant energy and curiosity has us flying through easy material that’s supposed to be “her level”. Or even higher. The advice to “go broad” is really good. It has worked for us. I’m practically throwing nonfiction books at her and buying all kinds of science experiment books. 😂 I’d also add that it’s easy to get frustrated, believe it or not. When your kid is excelling all the time, when she does NOT get something right away, it’s easy to assume she’s goofing off on purpose. I have to take a step back and be like, wait, you’re only x years old. You’re doing outstanding. I’m not trying to rush you. I was only trying to keep you sufficiently challenged. We can slow down for this. It’s hard to switch gears sometimes. But it’s probably also the maturity issue you mentioned.
Yes....in a different video I talked about how easy it is to forget that gifted kids are still kids. And how it's easy to lapse into frustration with them when that 'kid' side comes out...because they are so very smart...but they're still kids, and parents do need to honor that childishness, even while figuring out how to deal with all the ways in which they don't learn like a more typical child.
I wanted to cry when you said the part about not letting perfectionism steal what your child is capable of. I am gifted and this has been my downfall all my life. I am almost paralyzed and unable to do any of the things I am passionate about. I think the public school system really failed me, and that is why I chose homeschooling. My daughter is 3.5 and I strongly suspect she is gifted as well. We are currently working on kindergarten level curriculum, but she demands more and more lessons to the point we may be in first grade before she turns 4! It is so hard to find resources on homeschooling a preschooler to begin with, never mind a gifted one. People say to not do anything different with her until 5, but she begs to do school almost all hours of the day. She genuinely wants to learn. We sometimes skip lessons because she will get agitated if the lesson is too slow or boring, or sometimes it requires the fine motor skills of a 5 year old that she obviously does not have yet! She can't hold a pencil correctly but wants to write and is frustrated that what she is putting on the paper is not what her brain intended..
Perfectionism is indeed a thief! I'm so sorry that the school system failed you--but I'm happy for your daughter that you're getting to make different choices for her! It is indeed hard to find resources that meet the needs of young gifted students, from preschool through the early elementary grades. Have you implemented scribing for her while waiting for her to develop the motor skills necessary for writing? If she has big ideas and wants to get her words on paper, having mom or dad write out what she says and begin building a notebook of her ideas or stories is very helpful. My son has a few notebooks for school, as well as one that's 'free' so whenever he just wants to write about something that interests him or that he's learned, he'll tell me what he wants to say and I'll write his words down. Also, I highly recommend non-fiction books (i.e. DK books, Usborne, on any variety of topics) for these young learners who drink in information and can't get enough. Reading to your child from these colorful non-fiction books with lots of diagrams, illustrations, and pictures can help satisfy all that curiosity, and even if she can't read yet, she may enjoy studying the diagrams, etc.
Yes to all of this! In a homeschool world of better late than early it often feels hard to swim against the grain and find resources and advice that is suitable. But my gifted boys do so much better with challenging work, my gifted perfectionist less so but that is an ongoing challenge and making mistakes no longer causes meltdowns so progress 🎉 Learning to read was life changing in our house. Once my gifted learners could read independently and they didn't have to rely on me so much for their new information life got a bit calmer.
Yes! Hearing that if I try to present my 7 year old with anything more than 5 minutes of math and reading library books, I'm going to ruin learning for her, is just like... 🙄
I think it's a simple truth that those who haven't lived with/worked with young gifted learners have a really hard time comprehending the extent to which "typical advice" just doesn't apply. And hurray for progress in battling the monster of perfectionism!
Great tips, thank you!! My gifted learner LOVES geography and science, he does gobble it ALL up. The first time I introduced chapter books to him at 6, because he CAN read them (easy, gentle chapter books like Magic Treehouse and Boxcar Children), he was furious when he realized what fiction was. He angrily asked me what he was supposed to learn from that silly, fake, baby stuff, lol. Meanwhile he'll devour encyclopedias and dictionaries. I'm trying to get him to appreciate imaginative writing too 😅. I am definitely just along for the ride, thank you for sharing your brain and experiences with us, I'm grateful I found your channel. 💗🙏🏽
Gifted kids are often very much attracted to non-fiction, but fiction is well worth reading...and I'd suggest offering 'richer' non-fiction options...as yes, I can imagine that Magic Treehouse and Boxcar Children might feel kinda lame. When I was 5-6 I read very well....my mom didn't know what to give me so she just gave me all sorts of classics to read, Little Women, Pollyanna, Eight Cousins, the Anne of Green Gables series....those are all obviously more "girly" books but you could even look into classics like Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson....'clean' classics that offer a challenge much higher than the early chapter books.
I’ve worked closely with lots of astronauts and had a chance to both teach and learn technical topics to/from them. The majority of them are definitely gifted - usually in multiple areas. They are mostly very intense people. Teaching a gifted and very high achieving adult is also challenging 😂 the trick is be ready to go down the relevant rabbit holes at any moment and hold boundaries when that’s not an appropriate rabbit hole to take at that exact time. I find the same tactic to work for my four year old who loves connecting all the dots with things. I loved working with Astronauts but I do not ever wish for my child to be an one…gifted or not 😅 (get on a flaming rocket and go farther away from mom than 99.9% of humans in the history of humanity?? No thanks, lol. You chose well, Rachel.) On a serious note, The best thing for my “advanced learner” so far was learning to read early (contrary to nearly every piece of internet advice I got). He just hit 4.5 and he’s able to read the library books himself now on whatever topic interests him. This satisfies the desire to learn about all the things when momma is a little to busy to get to all the rabbit holes herself.
Yeah, I had zero interest in the astronaut life. Give me a cabin in the woods and a bunch of books and a laptop to write with...that's been much more of my lifelong dream. lol! And I absolutely agree that learning to read at an early age can be one of the best things to take some of the load off of mom with the child who is never satisfied with how much you teach them or read to them.
So sweet you sharing your journey 😢❤ definitely got teary-eyed over here. I always go back and forth between thinking if my son Michael is gifted or he's just really smart (with possibly some OCD because he likes doing school work so much) so when you spoke about it being difficult that hit home to me. Because I was just thinking this morning ..."should having a gifted learner shouldn't be so hard and tiring?" and you just answered that question in this video.
Yes, it absolutely is likely to be way more difficult and, indeed, exhausting, to homeschool a gifted child. Especially at the very young ages before they can be independent.
I think I needed this more than anything right now. I’m not exactly sure if my 4 year old is gifted quite yet but he’s moving at a fast rate but still has the maturity of a 4 year old. People will say oh just let him play. He’s got plenty of time for learning. That leaves me feeling guilty if I challenge him. How do you know? His memory has been good since he was 2 and once he gets a concept that’s it. It’s so hard trying to figure out a good plan for him.
I tend toward the opinion that gifted children tend to thrive at a higher level when challenged...and when they are young and immature, may have more behavior issues, emotional outbursts, etc. when they are bored.
My oldest loves the Usbourn Begginer series for readers. Yes! I completely agree with the studies. This year we have done a unit study about Egypt, anatomy, animals, ocean, dinosaurs, Middle Ages, astronomy, and now back to dinosaurs! My kid went from learning to alphabet this year to reading at a second grade level and comprehending everything she reads.
I wish this video had been out in September, when I entered my homeschooling journey. I really got stressed with teaching reading and math to my son who already knew all the concepts going into K. So, we started with grade one with lots of tears. He really disliked all the reviews and practice of things he had already mastered. We're doing good now, but I will take your advice into consideration. It is definetly a growing-learning process.
I can very much relate to a deep dislike of review and practice...its feels like an 'insult' as a young person who is so far beyond the basic concepts being practice. Both parent and child need to learn and grow together--the great thing is that the parent has the advantage of maturity...but it can be tough to throw a lot of what you know about education out the window, as it were.
Pretty certain my 11 year old is gifted. He’s also dyslexic. So the dyslexia tends to shade the giftedness, and the giftedness shades some of the dyslexia. Twice exceptional. Listening to Raising Life Long Learners has been helpful. Almost all of hers are profoundly gifted and 2e. When I heard her say these kids are “intense”. I was like, yes! She knows! Hahahaha Because everything about them is intense. ❤️
Thank you so much for this video. My 12 yr old gifted child is very easy going. We encourage her to pursue her interests. Her gifts span all areas. Math, LA, music, sciences and researching history. I’m glad we decided not to push her into college early, we are diving deep into subjects and resources. She’ll also be utilizing DE classes.
Thank you for making this and sharing your story. This video resonates with what we are experiencing, and I found myself tearing up because it is a lonely and misunderstood road at times.
I know that it's lonely, and can feel very lonely in the homeschool world in which 'gentle' and 'slow' are popular buzzwords...that's exactly why I want to make videos on this topic.
Amen! They may can hold an intellectual conversation with someone decades older, and then go play in a way seemingly immature for their age. They are not fully linear, they are asynchronous.
Homeschool is definitely harder for my 2 gifted kids and especially the gal as idk what she needs and if it’s too much and I worry more about influences due to her doing stuff she wouldn’t be at her age!!! My oldest is chill, but he’s gifted in theology so I’m not worried as much with influences!!! My older daughters attitude is definitely there!!! School isn’t the place for gifted kids!!! I let my oldest fly but I’m doing a lot of one to one work with my older daughter as the influences worry me!!! She’s in a homeschooling class at a medical school for pre medicine!!! I’m glad we trust the medical school!!! My 2 gifted kids go thru tons of curriculum and I allow it, but I sometimes find that they need breaks more as well!!! My daughter has always loved science and she did chemistry and anatomy at 7!!! We taught her embroidery st 6!!! My gifted gal wants to be a surgeon but my son is going into ministry!!! I saw my daughters passion at 3!!! We’ve not forced anything on them!!!
You should make homeschool vdieosl. I always see your comments on different channels, and I have so many questions for you😅 What kind of Chemistry and Anatomy did you use so young? My little guy loves learning about germs and bacteria and white blood cells. He draws them all the time and makes up fictional stories about immune systems and the microinvaders. He asked to learn more about how germs attack our cells, but I'm kind of at a loss and looking for anything in the elementary level that attempts to explain it more than what he already knows. He's quite upset that he doesn't understand capillary motion, because he read about it and knows what it does, but it still doesn't make sense (because the kids books don't go into that kind of detail).
Do you think project based learning has enough structure in it for the gifted child? What age would you consider going broad before start going up or is going broad still a good idea even for the older child?
I should clarify by 'going broad" I don't mean NOT going up at all...I just mean that 'going broad' gives you the opportunity to satisfy that curious mind that desires to learn...without having to 'go up' at such a rapid pace and such a steep curve. Going up in skill level will always be necessary, but you can fill in the time (I.e. your child thrives with spending a good chunk of the day on schoolwork, but finishes a math lesson in 10 minutes...instead of doing 5 math lessons in a day, you can offer them lessons/opportunities to work/learn in a wide array of subject areas). As for project-based learning...I think it really just depends on the situation. It's always a good idea to involve some level of project-based learning into education, gifted or not...but solely project-based learning? I lean more towards incorporating project-based learning into the learning structure but not leaning solely on that. That's my personal preference.
Thank you for sharing these great tips. I've watched all your Gifted Videos looking for some guidance. My very curious 3 year old is a self-taught reader, mastering Kindergarten and First Grade phonics concepts before the age of 3. His is also advanced in math and obsessed with Geography. He NEEDS to know everything, and we are a bilingual home, so every new word is how do we say it en Español. I don't usually share this with anyone other than immediately family because I worry people will think I am forcing him to learn.
I very much understand, and that is frequently the perception other people will have--it can be hard for those who haven't lived it to really understand the insatiable desire to learn for some of these gifted little ones. It can be exhausting as a parent! It DOES typically get easier as they grow in maturity and independence.
So helpful, thank you! (I've also watched all your videos on this topic) Do you have any tips on helping a 5 year old through their battles with perfectionism? 😅 Your description of the advice given to homeschoolers was spot on. I've been inquiring about what level for family subjects (we plan to do all family subjects at this stage except maths and LA given our other work commitments) with a 3 and a 5 year old. We keep being told to pitch to the 3 year old (eg Sonlight preschool as an example) but it hasn't felt right quite. Not sure how to balance this as 5 yo is a gifted learner and we live in a place where we can't buy kids books and other materials so can't buy and try easily! Do you have any further advice as yours seem a similar age gap?
Okay, sorry, this will be a long answer: Did you see my video on dealing with perfectionism: ua-cam.com/video/q8u4TV32NQ4/v-deo.html I do have a few gifted-specific tips in there. There's no quick and easy answer, but it's a battle worth fighting, because perfectionism steals peace and progress. It's worth laying down those foundational worldviews that perfectionism is not something that's going to help you on your walk. I find 'family style' school to be a struggle with gifted kids. You can make it work...but in that case, I probably would aim the 'family subjects' toward the 3 year old, let the 5 year old sit in, and then give the 5 year old his own extra stuff to do that really challenges and engages them, if that makes sense? As the oldest in my family, and being a gifted learner, I've said that I think one of the best things my mom did in my education was NOT try to have me learn "family style" along with my younger siblings for the vast majority of the time--I was fine to listen to Bible lessons and an interesting read-aloud with them but had my own schoolwork for every subject. (Being slowed down was immensely frustrating for me when I was young and immature...I loved my siblings dearly but did not tolerate well feeling like their slowness to learn slowed me down). One thing I did always enjoy was teaching my younger siblings--if I was being asked to teach something to a sibling by playing a game with them or doing flashcards or reading to them, that was totally fine. With my two, who, yes, are 3 and 5 and have that similar age gap...I don't think I'm dealing with giftedness, at least not the way it looked like for me as a kid. My oldest is what I call "nerdy" or "bookish"--very, very engaged in books, very curious, learns quickly and remembers what he learns...but isn't at that level of learning to read without instruction, etc. My youngest is...a very playful 3 year old. I would definitely be doing my oldest's curiosity and skill a disservice if I angled our schoolwork mainly toward his younger brother...so I angle it toward him. In reality, they are inseparable, and little brother is around for everything we do...but I can tell that at this point, a lot of the stories that his older brother understands very well fly right over the 3 year old's head. I've done very minimal personalized school with my little guy, but I have made sure to include simpler stories in our storytime for him, and in about a month I'll be starting up his own preschool routine (which the 5 year old will definitely join us for...but if it were ALL we were doing, wouldn't nearly be enough to satisfy his desire to learn).
@@SevenInAll Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with this, both as the one being homeschooled and now homeschooling your own two boys. This gives me a bit more confidence in selecting options for them both 🤩
My 1st and 3rd are gifted academically - my 2nd is WAY easier to school. She (my 2nd) is now showing giftedness in the arts, which will have its own challenges (financially and in terms of time) but this world is made for her.
Ok, so this video came perfect timing! Thanks for sharing this, Rachel! Did you end up going to university at an early age? I was just wondering this as I was watching 😅
Not at a 'very' early age, but slightly--I turned 17 the month before I started college and had my B.A. by the time I was 20. Going to college meant leaving my family and moving across the world (because my family lived in SE Asia--if we'd lived in the US, we probably would have looked into college classes sooner...but there are so many other factors to college than the ability to do the academics. Personally, I lean toward NOT rushing on to college earlier...
My kids are going into 1st and 2nd grade in their virtual school in the fall but they are like in 5th grade in their studies (not in history or science). We are doing several languages, more PE classes, music, and art.
Thank you I love these videos about gifted kids! My 9 year old wants to learn Spanish as a second language. He’s been doing it totally child led (he’s just been reading through Spanish dictionary and writing things down, plus downloading a Spanish app which helps him with pronunciation.) Can you suggest any other ways to help him learn? Or anyone else reading this comment for that matter? 😚 thanks so much! ❤
Can you pick up some Spanish story books from the library? With the help of that dictionary, figuring out and translating the stories can be a great way to learn. At some point, using some resources that teach the grammatical rules for verb conjugation, pronouns, etc. will be helpful.
I have a 6 yr old flying through science and bible. He is reading on a 3rd grade level. By mid year I will be looking for the next level. He is flying and I often feel like I am just along for the ride😂
Thank you for this video it was really helpful for me personally. My grandpa wanted me to be a nuclear engineer and there was a huge expectation for academic and career success. Giftedness has made criticism a really difficult struggle because I never experienced it in public school but I also never quite measured up to familial expectations....I also have really struggled with guilt about "wasting my talents" because of the similar messages i received growing up . Thank you for this video it was incredibly encouraging and liberating. I am now enjoying homeschooling with my soon to be six kids and married to my high-school sweetheart with a History and Painting degree... Thank you for all the advice too for children as I raise my own gifted daughter❤
I'm glad it can be encouraging! Just because gifted minds 'can' do the higher level thinking and analysis involved in STEM fields...doesn't mean that those careers are what will make our hearts sing, are what we'll wake up excited to do everyday. "Success" doesn't only come in a few forms.
I grew up in public school, but I was in gifted classes, and now I’m a stay at home mom ready to homeschool ✨ I wholeheartedly agree that you do not have to live up to every expectation others place on you, but to listen to the calling in your heart! Thank you for an amazing video!
Parents homeschooling gifted kids need to know they're not alone! One of my favorite blogs to point people toward is Oaxacaborn by Gina: oaxacaborn.com/2018/11/04/homeschooling-gifted-kids/
Read 26, 27, and 30 out of her list in that blog post--those are some of my favorites.
Her blog got me through a lot of very challenging days in the beginning. Knowing you are not alone and having ideas and having tips is so uplifting. Knowing there are other kids who "eat curriculum for breakfast" and other kids that spend years practicing how deal emotionally when something stumps them (since they are used to instantly understanding or accomplishing a task the first attempt) is so encouraging. I highly recommend her blog too. I remember crying as I read it and began to FINALLY understand my child. "Strapped to the back of a cheetah" as she calls it-what a wild and fun and hard and rewarding journey.
I was (“am”) gifted. I majored in Computer Science at a top 10 program, ranked nationally and started a Master’s program at another top 10 ranked program. I thrived and loved all of it, but dropping out to focus full time on being a mommy was not a waste. I have zero regrets and I too love my life as it is.
Absolutely not a waste!
I am on the cusp of pulling my 1st grader daughter from school because she’s learning absolutely nothing in school and at home she knows multiplication and division problems, and excels in piano and concepts …. And just now I’m realizing she’s way to gifted to stay in public school! And your giving me so much insight right now about homeschooling a gifted child, thank you! I feel like now I can do! I’m just nervous but in my heart and soul, I need to do this for her… I have to!!!!
So glad I can encourage you! I have a playlist full of videos about gifted homeschooling--this can be a great option for kids who fly fast through learning!
You are using your gifting just as God made you to do. And the work you are doing within your home is more prestigious than an astronaut 😉, it’s Kingdom work. What a blessing for you and for your sweet family. You’re precious and I enjoy your videos so much! ❤
Thank you so much for the encouragement! It's something I'm passionate about...to have a "wider" view of what 'success' might look like. STEM is not the only worthwhile path in life.
Loads of practical ideas for gifted learners! Thank you for the encouragement Rachel! Please keep more videos coming on how to challenge the mind. This tired mama needs all the help she can get.
Yes, this is all such good advice. I’m just now figuring out that my daughter’s abundant energy and curiosity has us flying through easy material that’s supposed to be “her level”. Or even higher. The advice to “go broad” is really good. It has worked for us. I’m practically throwing nonfiction books at her and buying all kinds of science experiment books. 😂 I’d also add that it’s easy to get frustrated, believe it or not. When your kid is excelling all the time, when she does NOT get something right away, it’s easy to assume she’s goofing off on purpose. I have to take a step back and be like, wait, you’re only x years old. You’re doing outstanding. I’m not trying to rush you. I was only trying to keep you sufficiently challenged. We can slow down for this. It’s hard to switch gears sometimes. But it’s probably also the maturity issue you mentioned.
Yes....in a different video I talked about how easy it is to forget that gifted kids are still kids. And how it's easy to lapse into frustration with them when that 'kid' side comes out...because they are so very smart...but they're still kids, and parents do need to honor that childishness, even while figuring out how to deal with all the ways in which they don't learn like a more typical child.
I wanted to cry when you said the part about not letting perfectionism steal what your child is capable of. I am gifted and this has been my downfall all my life. I am almost paralyzed and unable to do any of the things I am passionate about. I think the public school system really failed me, and that is why I chose homeschooling. My daughter is 3.5 and I strongly suspect she is gifted as well. We are currently working on kindergarten level curriculum, but she demands more and more lessons to the point we may be in first grade before she turns 4! It is so hard to find resources on homeschooling a preschooler to begin with, never mind a gifted one. People say to not do anything different with her until 5, but she begs to do school almost all hours of the day. She genuinely wants to learn. We sometimes skip lessons because she will get agitated if the lesson is too slow or boring, or sometimes it requires the fine motor skills of a 5 year old that she obviously does not have yet! She can't hold a pencil correctly but wants to write and is frustrated that what she is putting on the paper is not what her brain intended..
Perfectionism is indeed a thief! I'm so sorry that the school system failed you--but I'm happy for your daughter that you're getting to make different choices for her! It is indeed hard to find resources that meet the needs of young gifted students, from preschool through the early elementary grades. Have you implemented scribing for her while waiting for her to develop the motor skills necessary for writing? If she has big ideas and wants to get her words on paper, having mom or dad write out what she says and begin building a notebook of her ideas or stories is very helpful. My son has a few notebooks for school, as well as one that's 'free' so whenever he just wants to write about something that interests him or that he's learned, he'll tell me what he wants to say and I'll write his words down.
Also, I highly recommend non-fiction books (i.e. DK books, Usborne, on any variety of topics) for these young learners who drink in information and can't get enough. Reading to your child from these colorful non-fiction books with lots of diagrams, illustrations, and pictures can help satisfy all that curiosity, and even if she can't read yet, she may enjoy studying the diagrams, etc.
Yes to all of this! In a homeschool world of better late than early it often feels hard to swim against the grain and find resources and advice that is suitable. But my gifted boys do so much better with challenging work, my gifted perfectionist less so but that is an ongoing challenge and making mistakes no longer causes meltdowns so progress 🎉
Learning to read was life changing in our house. Once my gifted learners could read independently and they didn't have to rely on me so much for their new information life got a bit calmer.
Yes! Hearing that if I try to present my 7 year old with anything more than 5 minutes of math and reading library books, I'm going to ruin learning for her, is just like... 🙄
I think it's a simple truth that those who haven't lived with/worked with young gifted learners have a really hard time comprehending the extent to which "typical advice" just doesn't apply. And hurray for progress in battling the monster of perfectionism!
Great tips, thank you!! My gifted learner LOVES geography and science, he does gobble it ALL up. The first time I introduced chapter books to him at 6, because he CAN read them (easy, gentle chapter books like Magic Treehouse and Boxcar Children), he was furious when he realized what fiction was. He angrily asked me what he was supposed to learn from that silly, fake, baby stuff, lol. Meanwhile he'll devour encyclopedias and dictionaries. I'm trying to get him to appreciate imaginative writing too 😅. I am definitely just along for the ride, thank you for sharing your brain and experiences with us, I'm grateful I found your channel. 💗🙏🏽
Gifted kids are often very much attracted to non-fiction, but fiction is well worth reading...and I'd suggest offering 'richer' non-fiction options...as yes, I can imagine that Magic Treehouse and Boxcar Children might feel kinda lame. When I was 5-6 I read very well....my mom didn't know what to give me so she just gave me all sorts of classics to read, Little Women, Pollyanna, Eight Cousins, the Anne of Green Gables series....those are all obviously more "girly" books but you could even look into classics like Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson....'clean' classics that offer a challenge much higher than the early chapter books.
Omg... you made me tear up... you help mommy's like me (who have no idea what I am doing). You are AMAZING Rachel!
Thank you so much, I'm glad this can be encouraging!
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 So very encouraging!!
I'm so glad!
I’ve worked closely with lots of astronauts and had a chance to both teach and learn technical topics to/from them. The majority of them are definitely gifted - usually in multiple areas. They are mostly very intense people. Teaching a gifted and very high achieving adult is also challenging 😂 the trick is be ready to go down the relevant rabbit holes at any moment and hold boundaries when that’s not an appropriate rabbit hole to take at that exact time. I find the same tactic to work for my four year old who loves connecting all the dots with things. I loved working with Astronauts but I do not ever wish for my child to be an one…gifted or not 😅 (get on a flaming rocket and go farther away from mom than 99.9% of humans in the history of humanity?? No thanks, lol. You chose well, Rachel.)
On a serious note, The best thing for my “advanced learner” so far was learning to read early (contrary to nearly every piece of internet advice I got). He just hit 4.5 and he’s able to read the library books himself now on whatever topic interests him. This satisfies the desire to learn about all the things when momma is a little to busy to get to all the rabbit holes herself.
Yeah, I had zero interest in the astronaut life. Give me a cabin in the woods and a bunch of books and a laptop to write with...that's been much more of my lifelong dream. lol!
And I absolutely agree that learning to read at an early age can be one of the best things to take some of the load off of mom with the child who is never satisfied with how much you teach them or read to them.
So sweet you sharing your journey 😢❤ definitely got teary-eyed over here. I always go back and forth between thinking if my son Michael is gifted or he's just really smart (with possibly some OCD because he likes doing school work so much) so when you spoke about it being difficult that hit home to me. Because I was just thinking this morning ..."should having a gifted learner shouldn't be so hard and tiring?" and you just answered that question in this video.
Yes, it absolutely is likely to be way more difficult and, indeed, exhausting, to homeschool a gifted child. Especially at the very young ages before they can be independent.
I think I needed this more than anything right now. I’m not exactly sure if my 4 year old is gifted quite yet but he’s moving at a fast rate but still has the maturity of a 4 year old. People will say oh just let him play. He’s got plenty of time for learning. That leaves me feeling guilty if I challenge him. How do you know? His memory has been good since he was 2 and once he gets a concept that’s it. It’s so hard trying to figure out a good plan for him.
I tend toward the opinion that gifted children tend to thrive at a higher level when challenged...and when they are young and immature, may have more behavior issues, emotional outbursts, etc. when they are bored.
THIS is a gift! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
My oldest loves the Usbourn Begginer series for readers. Yes! I completely agree with the studies. This year we have done a unit study about Egypt, anatomy, animals, ocean, dinosaurs, Middle Ages, astronomy, and now back to dinosaurs! My kid went from learning to alphabet this year to reading at a second grade level and comprehending everything she reads.
Usborne has a lot of great beginner readers! And it's very fun to dive into unique interests!
This is an incredible video. This is spot on with my experience of homeschool with gifted learners. Thank you for making this.
Thank you so much for watching!
This is very helpful. Thank you for sharing 🤍
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for watching!
I wish this video had been out in September, when I entered my homeschooling journey. I really got stressed with teaching reading and math to my son who already knew all the concepts going into K. So, we started with grade one with lots of tears. He really disliked all the reviews and practice of things he had already mastered. We're doing good now, but I will take your advice into consideration. It is definetly a growing-learning process.
I can very much relate to a deep dislike of review and practice...its feels like an 'insult' as a young person who is so far beyond the basic concepts being practice. Both parent and child need to learn and grow together--the great thing is that the parent has the advantage of maturity...but it can be tough to throw a lot of what you know about education out the window, as it were.
Pretty certain my 11 year old is gifted. He’s also dyslexic. So the dyslexia tends to shade the giftedness, and the giftedness shades some of the dyslexia. Twice exceptional. Listening to Raising Life Long Learners has been helpful. Almost all of hers are profoundly gifted and 2e. When I heard her say these kids are “intense”. I was like, yes! She knows! Hahahaha Because everything about them is intense. ❤️
"Intense" is definitely the right word.
Thank you so much for this video. My 12 yr old gifted child is very easy going. We encourage her to pursue her interests. Her gifts span all areas. Math, LA, music, sciences and researching history. I’m glad we decided not to push her into college early, we are diving deep into subjects and resources. She’ll also be utilizing DE classes.
College involves so many factors besides simple academics that I also think it's a good idea not to head into college too early.
Thank you for making this and sharing your story. This video resonates with what we are experiencing, and I found myself tearing up because it is a lonely and misunderstood road at times.
I know that it's lonely, and can feel very lonely in the homeschool world in which 'gentle' and 'slow' are popular buzzwords...that's exactly why I want to make videos on this topic.
Amen! They may can hold an intellectual conversation with someone decades older, and then go play in a way seemingly immature for their age. They are not fully linear, they are asynchronous.
Yes, that's one of the reasons that as a parent, it can be tough to wrap your mind about how to raise these kids and give them what they need.
Very helpful! I have one that is challenging me in this way. We say she has a quick brain, but I've never heard anyone else describe it that way!
Some brains are definitely wired to move at hyperspeed!
Thank you for this video ❤️
You are so welcome!
Homeschool is definitely harder for my 2 gifted kids and especially the gal as idk what she needs and if it’s too much and I worry more about influences due to her doing stuff she wouldn’t be at her age!!! My oldest is chill, but he’s gifted in theology so I’m not worried as much with influences!!! My older daughters attitude is definitely there!!! School isn’t the place for gifted kids!!! I let my oldest fly but I’m doing a lot of one to one work with my older daughter as the influences worry me!!! She’s in a homeschooling class at a medical school for pre medicine!!! I’m glad we trust the medical school!!! My 2 gifted kids go thru tons of curriculum and I allow it, but I sometimes find that they need breaks more as well!!! My daughter has always loved science and she did chemistry and anatomy at 7!!! We taught her embroidery st 6!!! My gifted gal wants to be a surgeon but my son is going into ministry!!! I saw my daughters passion at 3!!! We’ve not forced anything on them!!!
Thanks for sharing your story!
You should make homeschool vdieosl. I always see your comments on different channels, and I have so many questions for you😅 What kind of Chemistry and Anatomy did you use so young? My little guy loves learning about germs and bacteria and white blood cells. He draws them all the time and makes up fictional stories about immune systems and the microinvaders. He asked to learn more about how germs attack our cells, but I'm kind of at a loss and looking for anything in the elementary level that attempts to explain it more than what he already knows. He's quite upset that he doesn't understand capillary motion, because he read about it and knows what it does, but it still doesn't make sense (because the kids books don't go into that kind of detail).
@@simplycece we didn’t use elementary recourses but we did it one to one so we could make it more age appropriate!!!
Do you think project based learning has enough structure in it for the gifted child? What age would you consider going broad before start going up or is going broad still a good idea even for the older child?
I should clarify by 'going broad" I don't mean NOT going up at all...I just mean that 'going broad' gives you the opportunity to satisfy that curious mind that desires to learn...without having to 'go up' at such a rapid pace and such a steep curve. Going up in skill level will always be necessary, but you can fill in the time (I.e. your child thrives with spending a good chunk of the day on schoolwork, but finishes a math lesson in 10 minutes...instead of doing 5 math lessons in a day, you can offer them lessons/opportunities to work/learn in a wide array of subject areas).
As for project-based learning...I think it really just depends on the situation. It's always a good idea to involve some level of project-based learning into education, gifted or not...but solely project-based learning? I lean more towards incorporating project-based learning into the learning structure but not leaning solely on that. That's my personal preference.
Thank you for sharing these great tips. I've watched all your Gifted Videos looking for some guidance.
My very curious 3 year old is a self-taught reader, mastering Kindergarten and First Grade phonics concepts before the age of 3. His is also advanced in math and obsessed with Geography. He NEEDS to know everything, and we are a bilingual home, so every new word is how do we say it en Español.
I don't usually share this with anyone other than immediately family because I worry people will think I am forcing him to learn.
I very much understand, and that is frequently the perception other people will have--it can be hard for those who haven't lived it to really understand the insatiable desire to learn for some of these gifted little ones. It can be exhausting as a parent! It DOES typically get easier as they grow in maturity and independence.
So helpful, thank you! (I've also watched all your videos on this topic) Do you have any tips on helping a 5 year old through their battles with perfectionism? 😅
Your description of the advice given to homeschoolers was spot on. I've been inquiring about what level for family subjects (we plan to do all family subjects at this stage except maths and LA given our other work commitments) with a 3 and a 5 year old. We keep being told to pitch to the 3 year old (eg Sonlight preschool as an example) but it hasn't felt right quite. Not sure how to balance this as 5 yo is a gifted learner and we live in a place where we can't buy kids books and other materials so can't buy and try easily! Do you have any further advice as yours seem a similar age gap?
Okay, sorry, this will be a long answer: Did you see my video on dealing with perfectionism: ua-cam.com/video/q8u4TV32NQ4/v-deo.html
I do have a few gifted-specific tips in there. There's no quick and easy answer, but it's a battle worth fighting, because perfectionism steals peace and progress. It's worth laying down those foundational worldviews that perfectionism is not something that's going to help you on your walk.
I find 'family style' school to be a struggle with gifted kids. You can make it work...but in that case, I probably would aim the 'family subjects' toward the 3 year old, let the 5 year old sit in, and then give the 5 year old his own extra stuff to do that really challenges and engages them, if that makes sense?
As the oldest in my family, and being a gifted learner, I've said that I think one of the best things my mom did in my education was NOT try to have me learn "family style" along with my younger siblings for the vast majority of the time--I was fine to listen to Bible lessons and an interesting read-aloud with them but had my own schoolwork for every subject. (Being slowed down was immensely frustrating for me when I was young and immature...I loved my siblings dearly but did not tolerate well feeling like their slowness to learn slowed me down). One thing I did always enjoy was teaching my younger siblings--if I was being asked to teach something to a sibling by playing a game with them or doing flashcards or reading to them, that was totally fine.
With my two, who, yes, are 3 and 5 and have that similar age gap...I don't think I'm dealing with giftedness, at least not the way it looked like for me as a kid. My oldest is what I call "nerdy" or "bookish"--very, very engaged in books, very curious, learns quickly and remembers what he learns...but isn't at that level of learning to read without instruction, etc. My youngest is...a very playful 3 year old. I would definitely be doing my oldest's curiosity and skill a disservice if I angled our schoolwork mainly toward his younger brother...so I angle it toward him. In reality, they are inseparable, and little brother is around for everything we do...but I can tell that at this point, a lot of the stories that his older brother understands very well fly right over the 3 year old's head. I've done very minimal personalized school with my little guy, but I have made sure to include simpler stories in our storytime for him, and in about a month I'll be starting up his own preschool routine (which the 5 year old will definitely join us for...but if it were ALL we were doing, wouldn't nearly be enough to satisfy his desire to learn).
@@SevenInAll Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with this, both as the one being homeschooled and now homeschooling your own two boys. This gives me a bit more confidence in selecting options for them both 🤩
My 1st and 3rd are gifted academically - my 2nd is WAY easier to school. She (my 2nd) is now showing giftedness in the arts, which will have its own challenges (financially and in terms of time) but this world is made for her.
That was very much my mom's experience....her non-academically-gifted children were much easier additions to the homeschool.
Ok, so this video came perfect timing! Thanks for sharing this, Rachel! Did you end up going to university at an early age? I was just wondering this as I was watching 😅
Not at a 'very' early age, but slightly--I turned 17 the month before I started college and had my B.A. by the time I was 20. Going to college meant leaving my family and moving across the world (because my family lived in SE Asia--if we'd lived in the US, we probably would have looked into college classes sooner...but there are so many other factors to college than the ability to do the academics. Personally, I lean toward NOT rushing on to college earlier...
@Seven In All thanks Rachel! Yeah totally get that! ❤️ ps: loved this video!
My kids are going into 1st and 2nd grade in their virtual school in the fall but they are like in 5th grade in their studies (not in history or science). We are doing several languages, more PE classes, music, and art.
It definitely helps to add in all those 'extra' subjects and skills...so many beautiful things to learn about!
Thank you I love these videos about gifted kids! My 9 year old wants to learn Spanish as a second language. He’s been doing it totally child led (he’s just been reading through Spanish dictionary and writing things down, plus downloading a Spanish app which helps him with pronunciation.) Can you suggest any other ways to help him learn? Or anyone else reading this comment for that matter? 😚 thanks so much! ❤
Can you pick up some Spanish story books from the library? With the help of that dictionary, figuring out and translating the stories can be a great way to learn. At some point, using some resources that teach the grammatical rules for verb conjugation, pronouns, etc. will be helpful.
I have a 6 yr old flying through science and bible. He is reading on a 3rd grade level. By mid year I will be looking for the next level. He is flying and I often feel like I am just along for the ride😂
Yep! That is what those who haven't experienced it struggle to understand.
Thank you for this video it was really helpful for me personally. My grandpa wanted me to be a nuclear engineer and there was a huge expectation for academic and career success. Giftedness has made criticism a really difficult struggle because I never experienced it in public school but I also never quite measured up to familial expectations....I also have really struggled with guilt about "wasting my talents" because of the similar messages i received growing up . Thank you for this video it was incredibly encouraging and liberating. I am now enjoying homeschooling with my soon to be six kids and married to my high-school sweetheart with a History and Painting degree... Thank you for all the advice too for children as I raise my own gifted daughter❤
I'm glad it can be encouraging! Just because gifted minds 'can' do the higher level thinking and analysis involved in STEM fields...doesn't mean that those careers are what will make our hearts sing, are what we'll wake up excited to do everyday. "Success" doesn't only come in a few forms.
😁👍💕
Sometimes you purpose in life is not what you do, but who you raise 🩷
I grew up in public school, but I was in gifted classes, and now I’m a stay at home mom ready to homeschool ✨ I wholeheartedly agree that you do not have to live up to every expectation others place on you, but to listen to the calling in your heart! Thank you for an amazing video!
Thanks so much for watching!