Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school New to Gifted Issues-- Ruf Level 3?

To me, he sounds like a wonderful, smart child. His puzzling skills do seem to be definitely above age-level. I would not harp on making your decision based on if he is gifted or not. Both gifted and non-gifted kids need and would benefit from an enriched preschool environment. Early childhood experiences and quality preschools do make a difference in the long run. If it were me, and my public school was not good, and IF we could afford a quality private preschool, I would go that route! Good luck! Keep finding fun puzzles for him!

ETA: Most preschools do list what they will be learning in the year (as many have mentioned). I would get a list from the schools. Many preschools spend a WEEK a letter which I can't even understand. I really really don't. But that should definitely help you figure out where he fits in and if a particular class would be a good fit. Good luck!

I had a lot of the feelings that you describe when my son was three. I also took the "Ruf" test. It helped by indicating that he was advanced - but the levels are a bit strange and inaccurate (at least for us).
DS6 goes to a private school- so far, so good - until first grade. He's bored with the work and starting to make careless errors on homework and quizzes, which further confuses the issue with his teachers.
If you decide to go private, Montessori might be a good option for a gifted kid in the early years- less stifling than early elementary classrooms.

We've decided to send DD to a play-based preschool. We haven't found one yet but hopefully we will soon. We looked into a Montessori but her father was never 100% on board with the idea. He wanted DD to connect to other kids through play and have fun. I was okay either way but these days, I'm starting lean towards his side, especially after our favorite Montessori school raised tuition from $7000 to $10,000 for their half day (8:00 to 12:00), 9 months program. So what we're looking for now in a preschool is that they have 1) an awesome playground, 2) kind, experienced teachers, 3) no "academic" circle time, and 4) private bathroom stalls. Vegetarian lunch option would be super but that might just be asking too much.

We unschool academics at home. Basically, we let DD loose at libraries and bookstores. We do support her learning through discussions and getting her materials and equipments she wants within reason; I drew the line at setting up a chemistry lab but we're looking into a decent telescope for her.

We have no idea what we'd do with her after preschool but I try not to worry about that yet.

Thank you all so much for your input. We'll definitely be looking into Montessori.

I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on hothousing versus innate giftedness. We definitely do flashcards with my son, but that's because he asks us to. I would imagine that while this is probably hothousing, it's indicative of his curiosity and intelligence.

ha - if your kid begs for his flashcards, then that's probably HIS passion, not yours! and if he's exploring his interests and having a giggly, loving time with you, he'll feel supported and happy - not stressed and pushed.

my DD loved watching surgery on YouTube when she was 2-3 y/o (and believe me, we are not doctors over here!)... so really, there's no accounting for taste!

I honestly don't like the Ruf estimates either. DS3.5 came up as level 3 but I'm pretty sure he's more than that and DS5 came up 2/3 and I'm sure he's at least a solid 3 but they both took a hit on the score because of huge developmental asynchrony. DS3.5 was counting objects to 20 before he turned 2, started reading phonetically shortly after he turned 2 but is has a significant speech delay and it works against him. He'll close the door to his room and read out loud any children's book probably up to about late 1st / early 2nd grade level but his day to day communication is very limited. DS5 is our math / science / logic wizard but has zero interest in anything connected to reading. And both had physical delays when they were babies / toddlers so there are huge gaps in their development. So, it's nice to have at least know they do seem gifted even according to the Ruf estimate but I don't think the actual levels are corresponding to reality that much.

I think for 2e kiddos Ruf is often way off. We know where our child falls with IQ and achievement and Ruf levels do not reflect those results. I think her levels are mostly useful for parents of preschool age children who are a bit young for formal testing while bearing in mind the lack of precision in such a tool. It's really more of a starting point to seek more information.

The articles by Carol Bainbridge (linked in a previous post on this thread) are pretty definitive.

Here is a link to the "Tiger Mom" article by Amy Chua regarding her 2011 book: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html
Some say this parenting style is cultural due to extreme poverty/competition in certain countries.

Some want to redefine giftedness so that it does not reflect a way of being, something one may or may not exhibit early on, but rather takes into account one's accomplishments, expertise, excellence, level of achievement, eminence. This concept of gifted may be a good fit for Tiger Moms and hothousing practices but may serve a different population than the child who is an intrinsically curious, internally motivated, over-the-top maker of unique and creative connections and who is typically underserved in schools... the child who is difficult to keep up with, one who keeps you on your toes.

For a look at a gifted child who is not hothoused, here is a link to Stephanie Tolan's metaphor, "Is it a Cheetah?": http://www.stephanietolan.com/is_it_a_cheetah.htm

As others have said, welcome!

Like Mana, we sought out a play-based preschool setting with no academic group time. For us, this included 2+ hours of outdoor time, in rain, snow, etc. It was ideal for our PG DS6! He continued to progress through exposure to diverse materials and opportunities for cooking, gardening and all sorts of self-led experiment. School, on the other hand, continues to be a struggle, as he cannot stand being bored. (K last year and skipped to 2nd this school year is not providing any challenge. ). I would not change a minute of those 2 preschool years -- he just thrived. Wish there was a local school that unschooled in elementary, since that seems so similar to the play-based, self-led model he enjoyed.

Good luck! You know your little one best -- enjoy him!

DS23mo loves memory work, too. Me, I'd rather do more probing analysis, but he loves flipping through encyclopedias on dinosaurs, naming countries on the globe, identifying rocks in the extensive geology section at the museum...it definitely happens.

If the child is tugging at the parent's sleeve, asking, and excited, I think it's safe to say that that's a child-led approach!