Hi all,
I just found this forum will googling about some of my 2-year-old's (33 months) abilities. I am not sure how to start, but just wanted to introduce myself and ask a few basic questions.
First of all, I hope I am in the right place. How do you know if your toddler is gifted? I know most parents think their kids are smart but how do you truly know it is more than that? I don't think you can test at this age (correct?) and am not sure why it would be needed before starting school, but at the same time, I want to know if I am dealing with more than just an above average child. We are at a point were we don't share his abilities with anyone other than our parents because people usually don't believe us. When someone sees him doing something that most kids his age wouldn't do (spell words like astronaut, helicopter, etc; sound out words to figure out how to spell them; count 30+ objects; etc, etc, etc) they freak out and it frankly makes me uncomfortable. Sorry to be long-winded but I guess my first concern is: how do we know if he is gifted or not?
Secondly, I struggle with how to nurture his interests while maintaining a balance. He loves to sit at the computer and type words he knows, type books from memory, etc. Do I allow this? If so, for how long? I see all the warnings about not letting young kids use computers for much time...not sure how this plays into that.
Lastly, we weren't planning on preschool until age 4. I do work with him at home, we do playdates, a mommy and me class, etc...I worry he will be bored or will already know so much by the time he starts that he will not fit in...
As you can see, I am unsure how to handle this. Any insight would be most appreciated.
Again, sorry this is so long!
