Looking for Resources for a Very Intellectual 2 1/2 Year Old

It does sounds as if your son is very intelligent. I think you're doing all the right things by just engaging him in conversation about many things and giving him many different experiences. I'm not sure if it's possible for an intelligent 2 year old to be bored- he's still learning so much from the world around him. I would be more concerned once he gets into preschool, kindergaren and elementary. Then I would really look into other outlets so that he is not bored while his peers are learning everything he already knows. Hopefully he is a social little boy because that is obviously a very important skill. That is very exciting to have such a smart little kid! None of my kids sound like yours, so I don't have the experience. I was a teacher and heard the same concerns you are voicing from other parents. I'm sure you will find a way to keep your child interested in learning - sounds like that won't be a problem! Good luck!

R.,
My son is very similar to yours - very outgoing, inquisitive and super smart. He was reading pretty well right after he turned 4. He is 6 now. This is so hard, because we want him to be both smart and get along well with his peers. So, he is now in Kindergarten and well ahead academically. But, we continue to challenge him at home and have him in outside adventures that peak his interest. We read a lot and go to a lot of museums. When he gets a bit older, he will have programs in school that will challenge him even more. Our challenge is to make sure that he is socially well adapted, too. Good luck!

Hi R.. It certainly sounds like you have a very smart little guy there. You definitely need to make sure he is challenged, and it sounds like you need a resource to help you with this. Perhaps you could contact your local school district...the ECFE program and tell them your thoughts. The schools can do assessments on your child if you are worried about development. Perhaps they can help with a gifted child as well? Annother option would be to have him assessed by Speech Therapy, as they deal with cognition as well?

I also have a 2 1/2 year old. His development has been pretty much average, I believe. The one thing I've been amazed at as his verbal skills develop is what his little brain is capable of. Your round/circle story is exactly what I'm talking about. It's hard to know exactly how gifted your child is as most 2 1/2 year olds simply cannot express everything they're thinking like that. Early language is one sign of giftedness, so it's worth checking out.

We have friends with a 2 1/2 year old as well and he sounds a bit like your son. He had head control at birth, although the rest of his gross motor development was more normal. And now I think is even behind. But his language development is incredible. When I watch him I have to remind myself that he ultimately has the judgement of a 2 year old, even though he sounds years older! Socially he's a bit off...I don't know if it's due to his being different, lack of exposure, or what. It's so weird to be thinking about all this with a 2 1/2 year old...but I think it is important to tackle it earlier versus later. Good luck!

I agree with the other posters, but I just wanted to add one resource for you. Mothering.com has a discussion/forum that you can join. Once you have joined look in the Parenting forum for a sub-forum on Gifted children. They have some great resources and it is a nice place to chat with other moms/dads of gifted kids. The preschool age is easiest since you can supplement a lot of reading and stimulating activities for him. The big challenge will be as he reaches school age. I am currently struggling with school decisions as my son approaches kindergarten.

I have a son who is the same way. His first sentence was at a year old and he has not stopped talking since (smile) People call him the walking Encyclopedia. I am not sure of any resources, I had my son in a preschool program by the time he was 2. The school allowed him to work at his own level. It is great to have a gifted child but I would like to give you a couple of warnings from experience. Several problems arise with gifted children. Adults tend to expect more from them because they are so smart and it puts a lot of pressure on them. They tend to have a hard time relating to their peers, and their peers resent the fact that they catch on easily in school. My son had a really hard time socially until about 9th grade. We enrolled him in a small school that allows him to work above grade level but he stays with his peers. They also let him tutor other students in the classroom, that are having a hard time learning. It has worked wonders, it has taught him patience, and the other students know if they need help they can go to him. Let me know if you have any question. ____@____.com

My daughter was like that too. She crawled, walked, talked, sang, spoke full sentances, rode trike, etc...at least 4 months earlier than all the kids her age. She's always been advanced, and everyone told me she was, especially my mom friends. Where we lacked is her teachers at our daycare center, whom believed that she wasn't advanced, but all the other kids were just behind. I kept feeling like they kept her back to prove that she wasn't special, even though I advocated for her as much as possible. Now, I don't think she's much more advanced than many of her peers. (She speaks VERY well, which people comment on ALL the time and she's VERY athletic and very brave, so she stands out from other kids her age there too.) I sort of feel like we missed the boat on keeping her advanced. So...I think it's wise of you to find out what you can and keep him advanced. I feel like we slipped on that a bit by not going to other resources to have her evaluated. Don't miss the opportunity to have him project his skills to someone professional and can make the right assessment. They can get him the learning resources he needs to keep advanced. We didn't do it and I regret it.

YES! What an AWEWSOME post! I love hearing about things like this! Keep on believing that your son is a bright little boy because he IS! I have been reading a book (and there is a whole series of them) that helps you teach your kid many things before the age of 6. Thankfully, I'm not a child psychologist, otherwise I may be more skeptical, but the premise of these books (anything by Glenn Doman) is that children's brains are almost fully developed by age 6. This means that the basis for all the learning they'll do after that has been set. In fact, he states that it is much easier to teach a 2 yr. old to read than a 6 year old and it's even easier to teach a 1 yr. old to read than a 2 yr. old. Also, the worry that you may be "pushing him" into adulthood is blown away because the fact is that children love to learn! (I know this first hand because I'm a Suzuki violin teacher. Another great source of inspiration is a book called Nurtured by Love by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki.) Children would rather learn than play. Of course, learning must be made into a game where the child always wins. And, unlike in school, we never "test" our children. Knowledge freely given (from you) is like gold. "Testing" is asking for repayment. The book I'm currently reading is How To Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence by Glenn Doman. It's a great overview and it teaches you how to teach your baby to read, gain encyclopedic knowledge, and to do math. There are other smaller books on those three subjects, plus books on swimming, being physically superb, etc. I find them very inspiring! They say things that I think every mother believes deep down in her heart (although society will try to tell you the opposite, eg. "Your child has ADD", etc.) A program like this does require a lot of preparation/organization time from the mother, but the program itself doesn't take more than a few minutes each day (getting longer as you add more subjects, eg. reading and math.) So, even though you work full time, I think you could do it. (Assuming you wanted to help your child blossom on your own rather than send him to some school.) I really believe that mothers are the best teachers and they know their children better than any teacher, psychologist, or anyone.

Another resource you can look into is Suzuki Talent Education. The website is www.suzukiassociation.org. You can find a teacher there. (It looks like you can choose among violin, piano and guitar.) Music will develop different parts of the brain than intellectual knowledge, but it develops many parts of the brain at once (auditory, tactile, manual), not to mention how it connects all those neurons from one side of the brain to the other. ;)

Remember, your child sees you as an inexhaustible source of knowledge and will take anything you give him. You must present it in an honest and factual way. In fact, by giving a child facts, he discovers the laws. It's no wonder he knew that so many things were round. He's a smart little boy, it's how he was made! So, enjoy him and teach him as much as he can (as long as he is in a good mood---that's a must) and he'll eat it up. I'm so excited for the both of you!!!

Hi, R.!
I felt like I was reading my own post! I have three very smart advanced kids. And I don't mind bragging about them! Be proud of yours too, it's wonderful! Your child will love to over hear so say to someone how proud you are of them. My 10 year old, Aaron, always amazed people with how he sorted things into groupings at 6 months old! When he was four we started teaching him to read using the phonics books with the stickers. He mastered them in two weeks. When he started kindergarten the teachers asked that he be in all day kindergarten because they felt like he was very far ahead of the other kids and this could give them a chance to have the time to keep challenging him as a individual.
My soon to be four year old, Thomas, is the same way your son is. He always escaped the fenced in yard from the time he was a year and a half. He would push the wagon over to the gate so he could reach the complicated latch and without hesitation had it open. This was a problem because I have a little girl 14 months younger who I would go to quick change her and he'd be gone the second I turned my back. Both he and my 2 year old girl, Molly, love the game UNO. They know all their shapes, colors, numbers, alphabet, recognize numbers and letters, and they have memorized all their favoritve books and movies where they recite the entire book or show.
We have a train table, and since your son loves everything trains, I think that would be a fun thing for him. My kids build all kinds of different destinations, rollercoasters, and courses. It is kind of like a big puzzle they can create all on their own.
Also, schools recognize when your child is not being challenged enough. My son, Aaron, was started in the Math Masters after school program in first grade(normally for 5th and 6th graders) and has been a part of this every year since. He was also asked to enter the science fairs, chess team, and goes into the older classes for reading groups. Your son no doubt will also be recognized and be challenged when he gets to school age. Until then just keep it up! It's great to have conversations like you do with him, read to him, play with him, and he will no doubt excel!

Hi R.,

You are right, your son is one very smart little guy!

There are two places that come up right away as resources for you. I'm not sure how close you live to a Montessori school, but Oak Hill Montessori in Shoreview on 49 and Highway 96 is a fantastic place for children from infant to teen years. You could call and make an appointment to visit and they would tell you more about what pre-school opportunities might be a great match, intellectually, for your son.

Also, there is a center for gifted children on the west side of the Twin Cities. google some words. They would also have some excellent resources for you.

Best wishes, K. C [check out a few books for yourself from the library too, and - if you're interested, call me for more information ###-###-####, I'm a life coach focused on women with a background in teaching and parenting]

Your son sounds an awful lot like my oldest, except mine walked later and talked earlier.
Anyway...the best thing you can do is read to him LOTS, play games with him, make sure he gets lots of creative time. Answer all of his questions as completely as possible, even if you're not sure he'll understand.
My oldest is now 5 and he loves playing the map game, learning where all the states are on a map. Maps and a globe are great resources for inquisitive minds.
Take him to the library, Wild Rumpus, the zoo, the Children's Museum, the Science Museum, etc.
If YOU need some down-time, Leap Frog has some excellent videos that teach children the sounds letters make and how to read, and all about numbers and math. A My First Leap Pad is also a great investment. You'll have to show him how to do it at first, but he'll be able to do it on his own quickly enough, and it's all educational.
Most importantly, have a lot of fun, keep his activities varied, and remember he's a kid. I'm not saying you're doing this, but I see parents who try to rush their kids into growing up and it's so sad. They have a whole lifetime to be grown up and only a too-short childhood. Enjoy it while it lasts. =)