Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Pre School Question

Hello,

I had a question for you guys:

I have a 2 1/2 year old son. I'm not sure if he is gifted or not but he seems pretty ahead of his milestones and has always been. My question is: He is currently in a regular pre school that has focused on learning the basics of letters/numbers/colors etc. He knows all these things already so my question is to all of you is do you think he will start to get bored in school? I've been looking into a private school setting that has a more advanced curriculam so I"m considering letting him go there instead next fall. Is this crazy to consider for a 2 1/2 year old? Or should I just let him be and keep him where he is at? Thanks for any advice. Ps I did look into Montessori but the closest one is 40 minutes away so that would not work for me. Its either private school setting or regular. Also I cant afford to let him attend private thru his school years, the plan would be to let him go for his 3 and 4 years of preschool and then start Kindergarten at his public school. I have heard that his public school has a excellent GATE program so I'm not too worried about that. (if he turns out gifted) I just dont know what to do now for him.......thank you for any input!

Hi,

Welcome!

From hanging around here for a while it seems like all kids are different, some very gifted kids seem to get a lot out of a regular setting and not mind the boring parts. I know one gifted looking 3 year old (not mine) who loves the social aspect and is just easy going so doesn't mind feeling bored now and then. Others act out and can either be managed in a regular setting with a bit of accomodation (letting them opt out of an abc activity for example), or the school can't provide enough enrichment or accomodation and you get real behavioral problems.

I found dropping in randomly to observe my son's preschool class invaluable, no matter which school it was (he's been to 4 now at 4, 2 have been good and 2 not) I seem to get way more insight that way than by talking to the teachers.

I don't think a private preschool is a crazy thought at all, just depends on what the school offers, if it's a better fit then it's a better fit. At least the preschool age tuitions are somewhat less usually than the regular elementary years.

Take care,

Polly

There's no requirement to have him in preschool at that age, so if it starts to become a problem, the easiest solution would be to pull him out. Three or four years of preschool seems like a pretty strange idea to me, especially if he's already cognitively ready for K.

But yeah, what Polly said. Each kid is different, and so is each situation. If he finds enough other things that interest him, he should be fine. If not, there's no predicting how he'll respond.

Do you have a sense of how he is doing socially? Does he want to go? If he is having fun and has friends there, at least for now it is probably a good fit.

Is he at an actual preschool, or at a daycare that does preschool ? If the former - why not just keep him home ? Why would he be in preschool for 3 years ? If the latter, they should spend most of their time playing, so unless there's a behavior problem, why change ?

Dude and NCPMom, I'm pretty sure she meant 3yo preschool year, and 4yo preschool year, not 3 to 4 years of preschool.

Kristie, if you can find a play-based preschool that does not teach academics, that may be a much better option than an expensive private preschool that teaches more advanced academics. Unless that more expensive preschool specifically caters to gifted children, you may find that the academics there are still too slow for your DS. A play-based preschool lets your child focus on social skills and learning through play, and accomodates children with a very wide range of abilities. Many of us on this site have had success with play-based preschools for our children, and both of mine are/were really happy at our play-based preschool.

Thanks for the suggestions/comments. I have him enrolled in pre school now (its only 2 days a week) and will continue to because of the fact I work part time so it works best for my schedule. The school he is currently at is a pre school setting but I feel like my son needs more that what they can offer. He does enjoy going to school but I am def leaning towards a private setting for fall. I toured the private school yesterday and it was wonderful and looks like just what he needs. There is alot of "play time" too as I know he is only 3 and needs that just as much as anything at this age!!-Again, thanks so much for the comments!

But if he's in preschool now - and will still be in preschool when he is 3, and then 4 - that would be 3 years of preschool, no ?

Like others, I second the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. If he seems happy, is making friends, etc., keep him where he is. Maybe talk with the teachers about what you are seeing and encourage them to give him some additional challenge.

Only speaking for my child, we had some difficulty with the less structured "play-based" times at his former preschool. We think DS has some minor sensory-integration issues, and the "chaos" of the unstructured times was too much for him. (This is by no means a condemnation of play-based schools...just a note that the way it worked at one particular school was not a good fit for our son.)

Good luck!
Kathie