Exhaustion often comes with the territory when parenting gifted children. It can take a lot of adult energy to direct a mind that is constantly engaged. Any break from school poses a challenge for parents. As summer is usually the longest break, this can be the most trying time for parents of the gifted.
Bright kids can easily become bored when lacking enough challenge. This is particularly true for those children that are both gifted and "energetic". Parents of high-energy gifted kids know that too much free time can mean a lot of mischief. Luckily, there are many ways to keep the gifted child engaged and motivated throughout the whole school break.
Book It!
Book clubs are popular from adults down to kids. Reading books is, of course, a great thing. Discussing books in a group setting gives the added advantages of developing speaking skills, organizing thoughts, and behaving in a social setting.
Many public libraries and some book stores already have these groups in place. If not, forming a book club can be an excellent way for the gifted child to spend some time.
- Discuss basics with your child in advance: How often will you meet? Where? How long will each meeting be?
- Develop a list of books for the club reading list. At first, keep it between 2-4 books.
- Decide who to invite. Contact through email or regular mail. Make invitations in the shape of books. Be sure to include the title of the first book selection.
- For younger children, try to have a craft related to the book at each meeting. for older children (4th grade and up) discussion and snacks will be enough.
- Be sure an adult is present to help facilitate discussion.
- For more ideas, visit KidsReads.com
Scratch!
No, not that mosquito bite! This kind of Scratch is both a computer site and a progamming language developed out of MIT especially for kids. Children can "snap" together short building blocks of computer commands to create cool programs and animations. Scratch helps develop math skills, science skills, logic skills, design skills, and computer skills. Most of all, Scratch is really fun and the results are awesome!
Puzzle It Out
Puzzles of every kind are an excellent way to keep minds of all ages challenged. Gifted kids often need a certain amount of intellectual stimulation every day. Working puzzles can give them exactly what they need.
- Make it daily - require 10 minutes a day be set aside for puzzle work. If they want to spend longer, that is fine. Without proper challenge, bright kids can get bored or cranky. Yet sometimes they do not know why. In other words, they may need a brain challenge, and not even realize it! Having a required time for puzzle work every day insures they get that brain time they need without it being a battle every time.
- Keep a variety of puzzle books on hand, in a special place set aside for puzzle work. Words search books, logic puzzles, variety puzzle books, crosswords, and jigsaw puzzles are all good to have on hand.
- Depending on the age of the child and/or the type of puzzle they are working, adult assistance may be required (and mental challenge is extra-good for adult brains!)
- Visit Puzzler's Paradise for on-line puzzle fun!
Learn
Learning is often not a chore for bright kids. An entire summer or break with no learning opportunities may be a bit of a dissapointment for kids needing mental stimulation. Have "summer school" at home. For those that homeschool their gifted child, materials are probably at hand. For those that do not - do not despair. All that is needed is already there.
- Cook! Cooking uses math skills, logic skills, following directions, and reading skills. The best part is, in the end you get yummy results. Visit "The Science of Ice Cream" and "The Science of Pie" for some ideas (these are directed at homeschooling families, but anyone can use them!).
- Rent educational movies, like those from National Geographic. These can make great learning opportunities, and can lead to further exploration.
- Learn a new skill, like sewing, crocheting, playing the piano, or a new sport.
Exercise
Sometimes gifted kids can keep their noses in books and projects and forget to get outside. Use school break as an opportunity to be active. Go swimming, take daily walks, play sports, or toss the ball around. Or, enourage your child to learn a new skill, like walking on stilts (start low to the ground), riding a unicycle, juggling, or doing a cartwheel.
*Remember that all physical activity comes with risks. Please evaluate each new sport or skill and decide whether the risks for that activity is acceptable to you and your child.
Keeping bright kids challenged during school break can be tough, but there are many ways to make it much easier and a lot more fun.
