Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Varied Skills/Interests in Gifted Preschoolers

My daughter is 3 years and 8 months old.

I have been noticing that she has interests/skills in many different areas. Is this common in preschoolers of any age or specifically of gifted children?

Examples of skills/interests:
1. Artistic: drawing, painting, coloring

2. Musical: sings in tune, memorizes songs and rhymes with correct words and pitch; sits with a music book to look at all of the notes. Tells us she wants to play the violin.

3. Athletic: likes tumbling, gymnastics, soccer, very good balance

4. Math: likes to measure everything, build things with LEGOS, uses math (adding/subtracting) in daily events (there are 2 people in the car and we added 2, so now there are 4)

5. Creativity: has imaginary friends, can entertain herself for 2 hours making up stories, etc.,

6. Baking: helps to measure, rolls out dough, cuts out cookies with cutters. Sits with me for 1 1/2 hours doing this.

OK, I'm sure you get the idea. THANKS in advance for your replies.

Sharon

Sharona, I wish I had an answer for you -- maybe some of the more seasoned GT parents on here will have some good input (I'm just a rookie, DD3 and DD7mo). I'm kind of curious as well because my DD is also like yours. She has a lot of interests in many areas, including art, music, math, cooking, and creativity (extremely imaginative). Her athleticism is not so great (I blame her dad! haha), but she likes to play sports and we were going to try a gymnastics class as means to burn off some energy.

I have a niece the same age as my DD who doesn't seem to exhibit these kinds of qualities. She's really into princesses and that's about it right now. Her play isn't very imaginative, she doesn't know letters or numbers, she doesn't help cook, etc. She is athletic and likes to sing, though. Maybe my niece is just a bad example, though, and not the norm.

I'd love to hear what anybody else thinks.


Hoosier

My DD6 was(and is) just like you've described. Before she went to school I'd be exhausted at the end of the day after trying to keep up with her activity hopping all day. Most of the time I don't think I was successful, but she was and is a very happy girl so we must have done a pretty good job. Similar to HoosierMoomy's dd, mine is not very athletic, but spends most of her time dancing around the house to either music she hears in her head or that is actually playing on the radio.
She even convinced her Grammy to let her help sew with her sewing machine when she was 2 1/2!!
My DD is gifted and is our oldest, so I don't know is typical kids do this or not, but my friends' children never seemed quite so diverse in their interests.

Interesting question and one I haven't really thought about. Ditto with my DD2.5. Everything on your list is my DD. Even as far as asking to play the violin. She loves the guitar (DH plays guitar and allows her to 'play'.) She actually is pretty good and has already started tuning the guitar. She clearly has the ear for music and a voice. And balance: she always had this freakish balance. Many a friend would comment on her balance from when she was a tiny thing. From the minute she could sit on her own she would lean back with her legs in the air and never fall backwards. Is she athletic? I really can't say. I still think she is a little chunky but she loves dance and it was recently pointed out to me by another mom how good she really is with it all. She also loves gymnastics.

The problem with the gifted argument is I can make an excuse for about everything on that list.
-Her fine motor skills are highly advanced for a 2 yr old, but of course they are. Her mother (me) is an artist.
-The music factor: It runs in her blood. Her grandfather use to play with Willie Nelson.
-Her balance and dance ability: Her father was a gymnast ranked in the top 10 in the state when he was in high school.

The list goes on and on but again I have no idea if it has anything to do with gifted so I will be watching the thread to see what others say.

Sharona, I'm a rookie, too. DD 26 mos. seems to be ahead in most areas, too. Recently I have been really shocked to meet children her same age who cannot talk and who are not bold and bossy.

KateylynsM_om and I have compared notes on the scary memory and giant imagination of our wee ones, and that seems to be different from other children we see the same age.

Our DD is (very) athletic. Her dad has a world ranking as an athlete, so not too surprising. We prioritize singing, dancing, acting, and, lately, art. She insists on cooking - if we enter the kitchen and approach the counter, you can hear the dragging of the kitchen chair across the floor - she is coming to help!

Strong mind, strong body, strong will. Not afraid of anyone. Grabs the hand of moms in the park and drags them off for an adventure. Likes to lead. Is sassy. Is bossy. Is clever. Is exhausting. Is delightful.

Hello! I'm no expert, but DD3 shows some of the same interests, and she's our "normal" child. DS5 showed the same interests as well, but way earlier than DD3. I think showing these interests is definitely a preschool thing, but extreme or "higher" levels of interest and intensity, especially at an early age, towards those things can be a sign of GT.

DD3 loves music and to sing, but she wouldn't stare at a music book at all. But DS5 did something very similar with animals and animal books before age 2. DD3 is my helper; whereas DS5 was not at all interested in helping until DD3 came around. ha!

Sounds like she's keepin' you on your toes though, which is always a good sign.

Of course, GTness tends to run in families, JJsMom. Your "normal" child may be less "normal" than you realize...

(Said the mom who is just coming to the conclusion that DSalmost5 is probably at least MG...)

My ds was this way at 3, especially the 'take charge' part; I rarely met a kid on the playground who was as dynamic. I distinctly remember meeting a 3 y.old girl who stood her ground around him. Her parents were so amazed there was another toddler who could deal with her - and vice versa. It was a one-time playground encounter, but stands out in my memory.
Dd almost 3 seems to be this way too - ballet is her major thing, but also wants to be in the thick of things no matter what we are doing: cooking, legos, games (which she needs help with but still wants to play). I had to talk her down from 'needing' a violin around 18 months after seeing her cousins play - it took days to get her to stop mentioning it. I just figured no way was that going to work out at that age, but maybe at 4 or 5. I think of her as being about like a 4 or 5 year old; people comment the same or guess her age as around 4. She is big so that her behavior/vocab. doesn't stand out too much until someone asks her age.
Sings at the top of her lungs, starts with regular songs and just takes them to a new level with funny jokes and ridiculous lyrics.

She is extremely bossy. And, typical for her age, very possessive right now. We are having daily fights between ds8 and her now because she thinks she owns the world, so I'd love some advice on that!

Looking back I think I looked at what I would now consider to be little things - the activities, the actions, the tasks. I do think from our own experience - the span of time focused on one activity really was something I just didn't see in other kids. And the depth to which activities or imaginary play ran. It wasn't just digging in the dirt - it was digging into the earth's crust and avoiding the molten lava and gasses that would melt her shovel, etc.

The trouble with the "is my kid gifted" lists is they can read a little like horoscopes. Keep following her lead! It sounds like you know how to have HUGE fun!!!

She is FAR from normal... LOL ok, if you knew her you'd chuckle too...

I use normal in quotes b/c who really knows what normal is anyway, ya know?