Need advice from educators?

Question

My son is very unique. Long story short, he caught on to many things at a very early age. He is 2 1/2, and doing things that many 2 1/2 year olds have no interest in doing. Here's a small list to sum it up:

-He's reading (not just recognizing words, he's actually sounding them out) His pronounciation isn't always right but very close. He can actually read whole sentences.

- He can count to at least 80 (then he gets bored) but he recognizes any number, even in the thousands

- He knows most shapes, colors, and the alphabet (upper and lower case)

- He can do simple math (like 2+3=5) but he doesn't like to focus on it too much.

I could go on and on about all the things he understands and can do! My question is, what can I do with him? I feel like I need to put him in a special school, or have him evaluated by someone. Everyone tells me "You should have been a teacher"... but honestly, it's all him. Most of the time, I feel like I'm reminding him how to do things rather than showing him.

Answer 1

Well I'm not and educator but check out my question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylc=...

My son displayed almost all of the exact same traits as your son by the same age. I did not push him either he was simply interested in numbers and letters at a very early age.

I was a stay at home mom and just provided the enviroment to learn he took it from there.

Numbers and letters were his toys.

Here are some toys that he might like

http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_get...

Another resource

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/booksandt...

My son also loved this toy

http://www.amazon.com/Tomy-6526-Gearatio...

Good luck! It sounds like you have your hands full with a very gifted toddler.

Answer 2

Knowing his shapes, colors, and alphabet is something he should know at that age. He should also be able to recognize numbers. The fact that he can read and do math though is really amazing for his age. You *could* opt to have him tested. Personally, I think kids should be allowed to be kids for as long as possible; I wouldn't have my child skip levels in their education unless they were some kind of Einstein.

Answer 3

Wow, congratulations. Your son sounds very bright and better yet, like he really enjoys learning. This is key. I wouldn't push too hard at this point for evaluations and such, he is still young. However, if it is financially feasible, perhaps a few mornings a week at a Montessori Preschool woudl peak his interest. They have resources most parents can not get their hands on.

Normally I do not think Montessori is the right choice for most children. However, by the sounds of it your child would benefit from the resources and learning environment they offer.

Once your child is school-aged I would speak to the resource teacher about testing to see if he qualifies for gifted enrichment. In my school district children need to be evaluated before they are given access to this stream of education. School-age can be touchy with gifted children, often behaviour can change if children become bored waiting for thier classmates to catch up.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

The director of a Montessori school I worked for talked about a 3 year old child she had like this.  On the first day of class, he walked in, saw the beads to build numbers into the thousands, and said, "This is exactly what I have been looking for."

He started sitting there working with the 4/5 year old work and everyone just sat around watching him.  She kept in contact with the family and he ended up working for NASA.  (Obviously, later in life.  I was going to type that, then thought about how silly it would be to type).

As far as curriculums are concerned, I would look into Montessori.  It might take the teacher learning some age 6-9 materials if his learning continues, but at least their curriculum is more advanced than what you would get in most preschools.

Matt

Answer 5

Check into putting him into a Montessori school.  Children in Montessori work and progress at their own individual level, a more advanced child will be given more challenging work.

Answer 6

You could call your local school and see if they have evaluations for children that young. I doubt they do though.   But they might be able to recommend where you could call or go to get an evaluation.  In the meantime, just enjoy him and let him be 2 1/2!

Answer 7

I would definitely see about getting him tested and into a special program. I would also let him try doing some projects and see how he does with them. Can he use scissors, glue, pencil/crayons? How are his motor skills - gross and fine? Can he kick a ball, catch a ball? There is software that can help him create stories with pictures. Seek some help with him, he may need special education services - yes, the gifted program falls under special education in public schools. Good luck, Rail

Answer 8

Get him evaluated at a school.

Answer 9

he is gifted..get him to his pedia and he may refer you to someone who can evaluate the extent of his talent.not all toddlers can do what your child can do..you must be thankful.don't worry about it, ask help from your pedia on the right thing to do so you can help your child develop these skills..treat your child as a loving parent would.don't frighten him with the skills he has..help him to grow normally,develop and enrich these capabilities..

Answer 10

It is obvious that you have given your child a lot of attention - this is how children learn.

I agree with looking into a Montessori school.  The children self-select the activities, so perhaps your son might enjoy having a variety of activities to pick and choose from (not that I'm saying you don't, I'm just saying that a good Montessori school should have many, many different activities for each skill).  Also, the activities should be done in specific ways, so it will teach problem solving skills and patience.

You might even want to try some art activities.  If he's reading, writing should follow closely behind, so start doing some prewriting activities, then start working on writing letters, then words, etc.

How about some science projects - if he is catching onto things earlier than what is typical, he might enjoy (and greatly benefit from) learning some science processes - there are many books out there with science activities for young children.  Just some that I can think of off the top of my head are mixing colors, growing plants, make rock candy, and explore how water freezes into ice and melts back into water.

How about some cooking - this is a great way to continue the simple math, and possibly even introduce some fractions.  You can also discuss the various measurement tools and how they convert - 2 cups makes a pint, 4 quarts makes a gallon.

Sounds like he really needs to be challenged, but also think about what he is interested in.  For example, my son was really into space at one point, so we did a lot of "exploring" space by talking about the planets, how the planets orbit the son, how the earth's rotation is what makes day and night.

Good luck and most of all, have fun.

Answer 11

He certainly does sound unique!  I think that you need to resist the temptation to Doogie Houser-ize him, and just enjoy him and encourage him as if he were any other toddler.  His curiousity and love for learning will only increase as he is allowed and encouraged to explore at his own pace.  The genius tendancies will still be there in a couple years when he is old enough for kindergarten.  What you don't want to do is stifle his interest in learning by pushing him into too much too soon.  The only time I would suggest that you start getting him evaluated is if he was exhibiting signs of autism spectrum disorder, which may include lack of eye contact, disengagement, screaming fits, etc.  It sounds like he is socially doing just fine, so I wouldn't worry.  I would introduce him to fun learning experiences like music, sports, tumbling, whatever he's interested in.  In the meantime, enjoy this gift of a child you have and take it slow.  Medical school can wait at least a couple years!