Only gifted kids benefit from acceleration or early learning

[teachingmykids]

The majority of people seem to believe that those families that sent their kids to college early had profoundly gifted kids and that you can't do that with just any kid. They believe that babies can sight read a little but that it won't do anything for them when they get older because it will all even out. Most people believe intelligence is mostly nature related not nurture. People think if you try to accelerate any kid that it won't do anything. I used to believe this myself since our culture is really against "hothousing" but as time goes on I think nurture plays an equally important role. Some kids do learn faster and are naturally gifted but all kids benefit from an enriched environment not just gifted kids. A lot of Asian countries that culturally practice early learning score on top in math and reading scores.

With my oldest kids I didn't really do a lot of early learning. I read to them a lot and tried to teach them stuff but I wasn't good at teaching and didn't really know how so I just figured they were not ready and that it was okay all they needed was play anyway. I have since changed and now just try to devote time every day to learning. It has made a big difference. Since I started later I don't have kids do amazing early stuff like a lot on here but they have made so much progress in the areas I worked a little bit with them. I didn't take that much time. At times it seemed futile but then one day it clicked and progress become more rapid. I was a kid who naturally picked things up really fast and later was child that was bored in class but missed. My kids did not show signs of being naturally gifted but that is okay. Even for kids like them taking time every day for learning is helping them and they are capable of more than what people think typical kids can accomplish. I have little goals I make of what we will cover and what we will accomplish. If they don't meet them it is no biggie but so far it has been going well. If I see an area that they need help in then we work on it. People think doing this is pushy and of no use. I wish more people realized that all kids can benefit from an enriched environment where you take time each day and teach in a way that works for your child and you. All kids can do more than we think they can.

[Corinne2011]

Thank you so much for posting.  As someone who is not very organized and who sees time passes by all too quickly (and that my 16 month old is over the hill! ) your story is reassuring.  Congratulations on the successes you and your kiddos have had so far!

[Tanikit]

"All kids can do more than we think they can."

I agree with this. I had a teacher in grade 7 who taught our entire class the grade 12 grammar and poetry and a number of other things related to language arts. It was not only our class she did that with - my sister (4 years earlier) had been taught similar things. The entire class managed and did well and you cannot say the entire class was gifted. There were some issues she should however have taken note of and things that parents doing early learning also need to take into account - while we could discuss the similies and metaphors etc and decline any sentence, many of the poems we were doing this for were very sexual and yet this was neither pointed out to us - while we had some vague idea that this was the case, we did not fully understand those poems simply because of our age. 

I think the thing that helps most with the learning is not the methods used, but rather the fact that the parent is taking time to show and interest in their child, spend time with them and enjoy them. My 2 year old today threw a tantrum because I told her our reading time was up (she was reading an early reader to me) - she likes that it is her time alone, that she gets to snuggle on my lap and that she gets praise for it. She does also love books and stories and games, but the reading time is special for her.

[kmum]

I always giggle when I hear statements like only gifted kids can benefit from early learning. I'm in a somewhat unique situation in that my daughter has been reading since she was an infant & now at age 5 is reading at a 4th grade level ( or above - haven't checked in 8 months) & is at least 2 grades ahead in math & geography yet because she has Down syndrome many who don't know her assume she isn't very smart.

In the early learning world I hear that only gifted kids can do those sorts of things. In the Down syndrome word I hear that my kid can read etc. because she's "high functioning". I don't believe either is true. I believe we just need to find the right tools that work to help each individual child to learn & to have very high expectations.  

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