Welcome, AmberK!
They actually seem pleased that they can tackle the material in school with ease and (of course) are feeling good in terms of self-confidence (but not out of control). When I have after-schooled them in math it brings groans and moans and they would much rather be outside playing “can we skip today”?. They love to converse and learn about new things through conversations with dad and I (many many questions about life, people, events etc), but NOTHING academic or ‘formal’ is exciting to them. So, again, my question is……what are the ‘risks’ of just letting them “be” 8 year olds who are bright, feel confident, yet are coasting. The one thing that comes to mind is…..when they DO need to step it up (in middle school) will they be able to? Will they be able to develop study skills needed? Will they have the focus to spend 15 minutes on a math problem? On the other hand, they ARE “high drive”/”want to succeed” kind of boys so perhaps they WILL transition nicely to the more challenging work.
Given what you have said otherwise, I'd back off of the formal afterschooling and just keep doing what you've been doing.
It seems very likely that your kids, while not particularly challenged, are also not at all
unhappy about the level of instruction at school, and find the enrichment offered there to be an equitable trade.
I'd probably leave it alone for now.
Recognize that if certain meta-skills are being specifically taught in elementary where you are, you WILL need to after-school those things (note-taking, organizational skills, etc.) because GT kids only seem to learn those things once they NEED to learn them, often middle school (or later with higher LOG).
But other than that, no, I wouldn't worry. Sounds like your boys are really engaged and happy!
