At 5 my son's favorite book was a science encyclopedia. He took it to Kindergarten and read from it in front of the class for his letter of the week show & tell. He also liked history and trivia questions like you see on Brainquest cards.
He has been homeschooled since he finished Kindergarten. I let him choose his own books. He did not choose grade leveled reading books for reading. When he was about 8 or 9 he found some of his sister's college level books. I wasn't going to tell him he couldn't read them.
A majority of people in my small town hold their children back a year in school because they want to extend their childhood. Two of the girls in my son's acting class are older than he is and when I told their parents I was glad there were several middle school aged kids in the group, both the moms, public school teachers, said they held their kids back a year so they were not middle school aged.
I don't believe I am shortening my son's childhood by letting him use above grade level materials. Instead of joining the workforce early I hope that he will continue his education past a bachelors degree level. I want him to have the best education he can get before he has to enter the workforce. Holding him back to grade level never made sense to me. I am still trying to understand why so many people in my town feel it is wrong to let a child work at the highest level he is capable of working because that somehow shortens his childhood.
I think it boosts my son's confidence to have kids his age tell him they think he is really smart, especially the girls. I think he feels good about having adults ask him about his IQ after listening to him talk. I think allowing him to learn as much as he wants allows him a better quality of childhood than he would have otherwise, especially since my son is twice exceptional.
