Charles Baudelaire, I know that you are familiar with signs of giftedness in young children and I did not mean to imply that children who pick up on things (including reading) quickly are not gifted. What was getting at was that, although there has been good research linking early speech with giftedness, there has not been as much emphasis in the literature that I have seen linking early reading and giftedness. Perhaps this is due to the differing definitions of reading, as others have noted, as well as the huge pressure put on young children to read now a days.
In the past when only "gifted" kids might be reading at 4 or 5, now we expect nearly all children to be reading at 5. If they are not, they get put in reading recovery programs - yikes! It blurs the line on who would naturally be able to read at that age (and thus be showing some sign of greater academic ability) and everyone else b/c everyone is expected to meet that standard. I have also met some very bright children who learned to read much later than average and who then surpassed their peers rather quickly. I don't know if the timing is that important.
Yes, many gifted children learn to read early on & pick up on it quickly, but many young children learn to "read" through drilling from their parents and teachers and are no more gifted than an average child. They were just pushed. Pushing a child to do something before s/he would have naturally shown interest and ability does nothing to produce a child with higher abilities long term. On that, I am sure that we agree.
That is my concern with learning toys, videos, etc. We do have some of them, but not b/c I am seeking to turn my children into little geniuses. I do think that you can coach a kindergartener or young child into something that is beyond their natural abilities with some success, but as far as it "putting them on the fast track" to academic success (my older dd's teacher's justification for drilling the kids on stuff), I don't see any proof that it will work. I'm not in any way meaning to imply that you are doing anything like this. I am just trying to explain (hopefully in some coherent manner!) what I meant in my last post.
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Originally Posted by onlyzombiecat
I don't think any toy gives your child an edge over other kids. I think it is weird to think that competitively about young kids. Knowing how to read at a sixth grade level by age 5 doesn't make you a better person. It doesn't mean you are nicer or have more common sense. It doesn't mean that the kid who doesn't know how to read won't match or surpass you in a few years when they are ready.
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ITA! That's exactly where I am at. We just have
way too many parents who want their kid to be the best, the smartest... I am tired of all of the comparisons and competition that I see among my dds' peers parents. I am proud of my girls & I understand a parent being proud of their bright child. But, will that child be a better person b/c she reads better or does math better? I am sure that it doesn't really make a difference. As I told dd's teacher, I would much rather my child be a happy blue collar worker than a miserable president. Good school grades don't always equate to the president, either. My brother struggled through school with a C avg & I was the honor student with a Masters degree. Solely from a financial success standpoint, he makes 10 times what my dh & I do. We're all happy people, though, and that it what really matters.
