I have been reading with great interest in the forums stories of moms everywhere whose children seem advanced. I have watched with great interest those parents on the Upper East Side who vie for that one coveted spot in the highly selective preschools. My husband and I are often bemused by the parents who sign their kids up for his “advanced” sports class because, after all, their child is really advanced.
I hate to break it to all those moms out there whose toddlers are doing things earlier than other children–but your child is probably not gifted. She may do well in school, or he may be a natural on the basketball court but there is a great big learning curve during those toddler years and ‘normal’ encompasses a variety of ages. Which means that in all likelihood, your child is no more gifted than the child down the block who doesn’t do any of the things that your child does.
Are There Markers of Giftedness This Young?
Yes, there can be signs that your toddler is gifted at a very young age. Children who are gifted often read earlier with little to no instruction, or pick up some other skill much earlier. In my own experience, there seems to be a certain intuitiveness that goes along with being gifted. However, hitting developmental markers early is not always a sign that your little one is gifted. Girls in general, tend to hit markers earlier than boys and oldest children (children who have mommy or daddy all to themselves) also tend to do things earlier. Having an ‘advanced’ child now, doesn’t even guarantee academic success later on.
My Own Experience
I have two children who have been identified as highly gifted. Their giftedness is clear, but in different areas. Neither of them have hit the typical developmental markers particularly early. In fact my son, who I’ve written about in the homeschooling blog, hit most of his developmental markers on the later end of normal. It wasn’t until he started schooling that we realized he was unusually bright. My other gifted child, is one of the twins, and she has shown clear signs of being gifted already. On the other hand, I have had one child hit all of her developmental markers very early and she is not gifted. She is very bright, but not gifted. All this to say, hitting developmental milestones left and right is a characteristic of toddlerhood, not of being gifted.
Gifted or not, the best thing you can do for your child is provide plenty of play time, read aloud time, music and art. You do not need to worry at this young of an age how to further ‘stimulate’ your child. By simply being with you and interacting with you, your toddler is getting all he needs for a great start!