Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Best Preschool Options? WPPSI for 3yo?

To give some context: I don't know if DS is gifted but he has shown advanced verbal abilities for a while. He knew his colors and alphabet early. He has a large vocabulary and uses complex sentence structures. He also has an incredible memory. He is almost 3yo and has just started reading a few words. He can read them in different contexts and without any images/visual cues, so I am inclined to think he is actually reading them, but I'm not really sure. It seems like he can sight-read a few words and can phonetically sound out others. He seems to know and understand what he is reading.

We are starting to consider pre-k options for him and I am at a loss. We do have a school for the gifted near us. I am not sure if it is too "academic" for little kids. We also have Montessori options and a traditional preschool. I would appreciate any advice on the best type of learning environment for students with similar profiles.

Also, the gifted pre-k requires the WPPSI for admissions. DS would have to take the test when he is not quite 3.5yo. Is this test at all reliable for kids this age? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks for any advice as we are feeling a bit overwhelmed.

MDmom - all IQ tests are pretty unreliable at that age, some kids do test higher than they eventually will due to very rich home environments, some kids will test lower (even WAY lower) because they ate the wrong thing for breakfast or don't like the tester, or any other thing that might put a 3yr old off their game... BUT when you are talking about it in the context of what a school requires for entry to their program - it's no more or less reliable for your child than any of those other children. Unless of course yours is the kid that refuses to do the test properly...

My DD did the WPPSI3 at 4.75 yrs and refused to do one subtest properly. It pulled her score down enough that we retested again later, but she still scored high enough that she would get into most gifted programs (99th percentile even with the test she was difficult about).

In terms of schools - my personal belief is you really have to look at the particular schools near you and think about your particular kid and see what feels right. Montessori can be done so badly or so well, as can gifted schools. There are kids here who have thrived and who have crashed and burned in schools that sound a like. There is at least one child whose had an awesome year at a gifted school and then been badly damaged by a different teacher at the same school the next year... It's so individual and it's never straightforward.

I will chime in to say that I think that play based pre-schools can work well for gifties. The painful thing about school is being forced to "learn" what you already know. Unless a kid is very academically driven, finger paints and dress up can't really go wrong. And there is scads of research about the cognitive benefits of play.

[quote=gabalyn]I will chime in to say that I think that play based pre-schools can work well for gifties. The painful thing about school is being forced to "learn" what you already know. Unless a kid is very academically driven, finger paints and dress up can't really go wrong. And there is scads of research about the cognitive benefits of play. [/quote

I agree. You can do some academics at home if you like but let them play at pre-school. The difference between your child and other kids is probably the smallest it is ever going to be and the ability to just play together or side by side in the sandpit fades fast.

I'll second this. We didn't know ds11 was gifted when he was in preschool and though it was a lovely, nurturing place, and had a bit of academics (kids would sit on the floor and "read" books, academics were not the focus.) it was a great environment for him.
It's funny to think about it now, how I was coming to the conclusion that after already having a gifted son eleven years older, our youngest was going to be a happy, well-rounded, average student. Ha!

Our eldest two children have done play based preschool and loved it. Our youngest does both play based preschool and a Monti preschool (which really, still feels very much like play to her, it's beautifully done). We would like to get her a second day at the Monti if we can, because she LOVES it, but she enjoys both very much, one of the main reasons we would like to get her the second day at Monti is not specifically to do with the Monti preschool at all, so much as having two environments she goes to keeps things interesting and diverse.

One thing I do feel this particular Monti preschool does far better than any other preschool any of my children has used is work on pencil grip in fun ways (for the children who are ready) and the necessary hand strengthening play for pencil grip for all children. My children all have congenital low tone and hypermobility, pencil grip and handwriting are major issues in our family and my youngest is (so far) showing signs of possibly getting to avoid some of the worst problems my middle child has experienced. If we can avoid custom made braces in order to learn to hold a pencil that would be awesome.

We had a lot of luck with Montessori with DD, DS preferred the play based program we had him in for 3 year old preschool.
Go with the school that gives you the best feeling!

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. We are planning to visit a number of schools this Fall to find a good match for him. I really appreciate your insights. They have helped me to focus on what we really want for him in a preschool. Hopefully, we will find a good option. It is very nice to have a community here to help answer questions like this. Thanks again!