How to help a gifted 2 year old...

[longdaysjourney]

Hello, first post. Our 23 month old seems unusual compared to others his age. He knows all letters, upper and lower case, all shapes, his numbers, colors, and shapes. He has also memorized letter sounds and can identify what letter a word starts with by sound. His memory seems photographic; for instance, we bought a used book called the "thing book," it has hundreds of words and pictures in it organized by locale (the street, the airport, the garden, etc.) After a single read (probably 500 object, half completely unfamiliar), his recall rate seemed close to 95%. His is very particular when he plays, he likes to arrange things in a particular way and becomes upset if we try to help him do something that he is struggling with, which I've heard is a sign of genius...a drive to learn and discover unassisted. All day every day he identifies things by name as we go about our errands: "street-cleaner, transformer box, gear shift, odometer, armature, fedex man, etc. ad nauseum..."

We bought some Montessori books, but the activities for two-year-olds seem way beneath him. We read to him frequently, but he mostly enjoys books for much older children (books with paragraphs and small pictures). We want to know healthy ways to stimulate him and keep his mind active, he learns things so quickly that it is keep him supplied with new material.

Additionally, we are very poor. We do not have the money or means to put him into any sort of special program or buy him a special curriculum. What would you recommend?

[no5no5]

Originally Posted by longdaysjourney

His is very particular when he plays, he likes to arrange things in a particular way and becomes upset if we try to help him do something that he is struggling with, which I've heard is a sign of genius...a drive to learn and discover unassisted.

I don't know about this being a sign of genius (versus just being a sign of a stubborn, precocious toddler), but if this is how your child likes to learn, I'm not sure why you'd want a program or curriculum for him at this point. It sounds like he's got it covered.

[kcstar]

I suggest, if there is a library nearby, check out what services they offer. Our library has a Parenting center that includes books on homeschooling, unschooling, Montessori, even some Waldorf-style. There's also a sizeable children's section, including puzzles and computer games. And the Children's Services offer storytimes for toddlers and preschoolers, that include reading books, doing hands-on activities, and action games / songs.

I'm not sure whether my 3-yr-old is Gifted or not. At this age, I appreciate his academic skills but try not to worry / emphasize them too much. I lean towards Montessori, and letting him experience things hands-on.

We started him in a Montessori preschool at age 2.5, only after it became clear that my ADHD husband could not provide the structure at home by himself. If you can provide structure, that's what I'd suggest. Make space for music, clapping & rhythm rhymes, puzzles, mixing, measuring, and/or pouring with kitchen tools. Go out to the parks & playgrounds and let him run around & climb and such.

There was a mom on the Toddler's forum who posted a link to a blog where she was going to plan preschool/toddler activities on a week-by-week basis. You might try finding it, or asking about it.

[Rlin]

Our son is also 2 years old. He has the typical tantrums when he wants something he just cannot do yet (like tying shoelaces). We talk with him how some things are just difficult to learn, and that he should practise. I just let him help with everything around the house, and he learns stuff by helping. He figured out what forty and sixty is by helping me turn on the washing machine. He learned how to count by sorting my clothes pins. He still likes playing with them, sorting them by color, making a "train" etc. He helps me cook, he cuts stuff, puts pepper on the meat etc. I just follow his lead, whatever he's interested in, we explore. He's trying to learn how to read now, so I got him a packet of really cheap magnetic letters and he plays with them all the time, making up words, trying to read words etc. He types on the laptop for about 15 minutes a day. He likes crafts, cutting, painting, drawing, writing. We dance and sing a lot. We read a lot of books during the day and do puzzles. DH is doing ping pong with him, great for hand eye coordination and DS loves it. And we go to the park to play in the sandbox, climb on things. He was raking up leaves the other day, it was keeping him occupied for a long time. Sidewalk chalk is also a big hit.

[ellemenope]

I believe you only need to give your child what they crave at this age through play and a relaxed environment. You don't necessarily need formal or scheduled activites. And, you certainly don't need a curriculum. This goes for any child.

DD exercises her imagination through play and we simply facillitate that by providing a TV free environment and open ended toys. Through this play we can role play and scaffold more mature story lines, concepts, and vocabulary. But, honestly, at 2.25, I believe the hours a day she spends pretend playing by herself helps her proccess and understand this world.

What DD craves is language. She makes this loud and clear (like perhaps your DS is). We try to provide her with a rich everyday language environment and encourage her to try out new words and phrases. But, on top of that she has responded well to learning things like dinosaur names, body parts, planets, states, continents, crystals, and animal classification. This not only came easy to her, but she thrives on it and it is fun.

So, yes, it starts out with those baby vocabulary books and simple language games like opposites and rhyming, and before you know it your toddler is talking about how Kamodo Dragons are reptiles and lemurs are mammals, or how pandas are indigenous to Asia, Venus glows in the dark due to chemiluminescence, and your heart and lungs are protected by your rib cage.

And, it does not need to be educational. For fun one day we gave all her little people names from around the world. She had them memorized in a couple of minutes.

We definately worry more about her emotional needs. Anxiety, perfectionism and just the mere fact that she understands way more than is sometimes healthy for a toddler, are all issues.

As far as frustration. I believe it has not been an issue for us because from early on DD has had a great working vocabulary for her feelings and we have modeled appropriate responses and behaviour through role playing.

Oh, and watch the cursing around the wordy toddlers. Welcome!

[Roar]

The biggest service you can do for him is not make it your job to stimulate his brain. Life is full of stimulation - you don't have to buy special materials to make that happen.

My suggestions:
Library
Nature walks
Talk with neighbors
Make music together - a pot, a spoon, clap hands, sing
Imaginative play - take no fancy supplies
Gross motor play - balls, running, climbing
Trips around town - post office, grocery store
Bring him into your world - help cooking, sort laundry, etc.
Creative use of every day materials - save up recyclables like boxes, papers and use them for arts and crafts
A few open ended toys - plain blocks, puppets, balls, etc.

[quaz]

His is very particular when he plays, he likes to arrange things in a particular way and becomes upset if we try to help him do something that he is struggling with, which I've heard is a sign of genius.

What you are referring to are most likely Dabrowski's overexcitabilities. They are often associated with gifted. I wouldn't call it 'genius'. Genius has a very different meaning.

At this age, follow the child's lead. If he likes dinosaurs, then explore that.
Read, read, read and talk, talk, talk.
I like crafts and even basic science experiments. Things like putting shaving cream in bag, and adding food coloring. Lots of hands on activities, like pouring a pitcher of water into cups.... that can be fun.
Tammy

[crunchy_mommy]

One thing I didn't see mentioned (though I could have missed it) is new experiences. My 20mo DS thrives on new experiences, he gets very animated & creative & starts talking non-stop. So I'm always trying to find new places to go, new activities to do, new books to read or songs to listen to, etc.

I try to let him do things himself as much as possible (though I'm not the most patient person in the world so this is hard for me!) and he loves to help me do whatever I'm doing. He craves language so I'm always talking to him, all day long, or simply parroting back what he tells me & helping him elaborate on it as necessary.

I don't think you need to worry about any kind of curriculum, just follow his lead and let him explore the world. When he shows interest in something, talk about it, read books about it, etc. Simple things -- my DS was fascinated by a grasshopper at the playground and so he asked me to look it up on the computer when we got home & he wanted to compare pictures of katydids & grasshoppers online...

[deminc]

OP,

With my first kid, I was not particularly good with kids or interested in kids before I had my own, and I needed ideas to fall back on. What I found helpful was : a Montessori activity handbook (more cognitive stuff), a Waldorf activity handbook (more creative stuff), and borrowing ideas from Five In A Row (popular among homeschoolers with young children). From these books, I learnt how to present activities and make them accessible to young children.

Also bookmark websites of interest (e.g. starfall.com, deepseasparkle.com), scan newspapers for free concerts/performances/museum open houses and mark them in the calenders.

Gross motor skill stuff are also important, so get the balls, tricycles, bubble solution etc. Fine motor stuff - Simple threading materials can be made with cardboard and shoelaces, kneading dough, etc.

With my second kid, I have no time to follow his lead. He wanted more interaction from me and I found it hard to give him 1-1 time with everything else that is going on. What i do now is have a weekly time table listing the things I should be doing with both kids. But within the structure, there is room for them to choose what they want to do. E.g. Friday is art day, they decide if they want to paint or draw or do art and craft and I'm prepared to clean everything up in the noon.

[cdahlgrd]

I signed my kids up for a local coop pre-school that is wonderful. They are very open and loving about learning and the kids can pick and choose activities and there are lots of parents there to help. It works for gifted kids because there isn't any instruction, so kids aren't compared against each other in that way. They play and explore together. And all the messy project are at school, not at my house!