Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion New here: need insight on 2.6 yo artistic gift

I am very happy to have found this forum. I have a 2 yr 8 mo old daughter who seems to be very bright and creative. But I am a first time mom and cannot figure out if she is indeed gifted. Here are are a few details about her:
1. Language skills: 150 words at 18 months, average 7 words (longest 13 word) sentence at 21-24 months. Asks and answers why questions and other questions. Asks questions like," mom, who will cheer me up when I get sad."

2. Creative: builds her own play land with slides, stepping stones, using futon cushions from 21 months. Can draw complex stories. Granted by the time she gets done the whole drawing board is full of lines, circles, and other shapes. But she has been drawing full mama/ dada figures with eyes, mouth,ears,hair,body,hands,etc since 28 months.

3. Music: she started singing abc and simple nursery rhyme at 16 months. At 21 months, she performed a song and dance routine with clap you hands song. She creates her own tunes and has a few times made up her own lyrics.

4. Acting: I joke that I am going to be a millionaire if I send her to Hollywood. From about 22 months, she makes us assume different roles from her books or the movies and we have to act out the scenes. She directs where we should stand/sit and will even give us our lines if we forget. She is always the main character. She can enact entire scenes from several books/ movies.
5. Reading: she can " read" more than 10 books- many with upto 100 words. Also, many of these books are from library so we only have them for 2-4 weeks. She often memorizes books after listening to them just a few times.
I would really like some insight on if this is above average and indeed gifted. If gifted, how can I encourage her?
Thanks.

I don't have time to write much, but I just wanted to say that YES, she sounds gifted. She also sounds like a ton of fun!!

I have a 24 month old who is reading (actually reading not just memorized sight words) and very verbal. Having little ones that show how different they are at such a young age is pretty shocking, at times. I'm happy to see another parent with a little girl with similar skills - although I think your kid might be more of a ham! So cute.

Let me recommend a book that changed my perspective. It was recommended to me by the good folks here. It's called 5 Levels of Gifted by Dr. Ruf. http://www.amazon.com/Levels-Gifted...ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335376436&sr=8-1

It clearly explains the different levels, or degrees, of giftedness and gives you examples of what children in these various levels are doing at different ages. I think you'll find it's a real eye-opener. Your daughter is extremely gifted from the sounds of it! It's great that you are recognizing that now so you can prepare for what might be coming in the future!

OK... my time is up. Last word of advice on how to encourage her: For now, just follow her lead.

Thanks, sweetpeas. You have given me a wealth of information. Thanks also for your very thoughtful comments. You made my day.

She sounds like a blast, and it's great you are noticing this already. I would try to get her around some children like her as soon as possible.

Beware that gifted girls are notorious for throttling their gifts in order to blend in with other children.

There are some great articles here about gifted girls which obviously won't all apply yet, but definitely worth the read:

http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/gifted_females/giftedfemales_index.html

Photobucket is a photo/video sharing website. You make an account there. Upload your picture, click on it, click on the i for info, copy and paste the IMG link.

Pru, thank you so much for the link. I have been googling "gifted" for a long time and never stumbled upon this website. It is awesome!
La Texican, thanks for the tip. I will post her drawings link to my original post.

Hi, I'm late to post but would love to exchange more thoughts with you. My DD is coming up on 32 months old so we're probably at similar junctures.

Your DD sounds a lot like mine, whose favorite habit now is singing (narrating) her life aloud quietly, especially when she wants something we've said no to. She makes up new tunes or changes the words to existing ones.

I've only been at this board a little while, after massive googling efforts. The Ruf book is by my bedside. Start tracking what she's doing and saying; I do quick entries by the month in a electronic document. I think you will learn a great deal from reading here as well.

welcome and wow- what a fun kid you've got!
I'm the parent of an extroverted, verbal 4.5 yo, and it has been an awesome journey!
Write as much as you can down, videos too- this age goes too quick and you'll be amazed some day at how she has grown.