Gifted Education: Stress with Joy

“Let’s get Kevin! He’s a reader!” From the earliest days of kindergarten, my child was labeled by teachers and others. At every birthday party he was called on to read birthday cards. No matter what the spelling words, they were always too easy. No matter what the math concept, he already knew it. Gifted education in the public school was a complete failure, so we turned to homeschooling.

To those on the outside, homeschooling a gifted child might look easy. Those with gifted children know it’s not! It can be incredibly difficult and stressful. Gifted children have their own challenges and unique needs.

There is wonderful news, though. Homeschooling can provide opportunities for gifted children that are simply not available in a traditional classroom environment.  Homeschooling gives the best chances for a flexible curriculum, and it has the best chance of matching the interests of the student. Homeschooling is really the solution for gifted children!

Don’t Teach
The key to handling gifted children is to remember one concept. You don’t have to teach it, they just have to learn it. If your child already knows a concept, you’re done! Don’t teach it again, and just move on to the next thing. But how is that possible? Here are some strategies that can help you homeschool your gifted child with confidence!

Acceleration
Allow your child to go as fast as they want to go! Going faster through the curriculum can be as simple as working double-speed. For other courses you might want to pre-test each chapter to determine if you need to cover it at all.

Enrichment
Gifted children may go deeper into each subject. Instead of touching the surface, you can allow them to really dive into the topic with experiences and activities and reading, creating a thick and rich milkshake of learning in every subject.

Compacting
Gifted children may learn quicker, and could require less work that others. Eliminate busywork and repetitive tasks. Determine what they know, and if they don’t need require memorization or repetitive practice in order to learn a concept, then feel free to scratch those off your list.

Liberal Arts
Sometimes going deeper isn’t enough to keep a child interested. That’s not the only direction to go! You can also go wider, and expose children to a wider array of subjects. Explore Latin, logic, statistics, or piano at an early age. Think “Renaissance Man” and branch out.

Specialization
Gifted kids will often grab onto a subject with vigor, and work hard studying it for fun. Encourage them to follow their passion, and allow them free time so they can learn for fun.

Challenging
Keep their core subjects challenging but not overwhelming. It can help to assess them frequently. They may suddenly accelerate in math or spelling, so check to see if they have moved ahead without you, because they may not wait for formal instruction.

Mastery not Perfection
It’s important to allow them to work at their speed. As they are learning, be aware that mastery of a subject does not mean perfection. I have mastery over math, but my checkbook will testify that I’m not always perfect in math!

Multi-Age
If possible, choose a curriculum that is intended for multi-age homeschoolers. If you can choose the most challenging multi-age curriculum for a gifted child, then it may be age-appropriate. Using multi-age curriculum can help your child feel like they aren’t unusual.

Mentors
Try to find a mentor for your child who will understand their unusual interest. At first that may be a tutor, but as they grow older you may find that a college professor is the most helpful mentor.

Love
You love your child, and the Bible says that “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1Peter 4:8). Nobody is perfect, but you need to know that when missteps occur, it’s still going to be OK. Know your child, trust yourself and your judgment, and trust God to cover the missteps that occur.

God has made this child for you, so He must believe you are the right parent for the job. Don’t be anxious. You are the parent who has what it takes! Remember God’s promise:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”  Philippians 4:13

Lee Binz is a veteran homeschool mother of two gifted children, and owner of The HomeScholar.  Her mission is “Helping parents homeschool high school.” She has a web page devoted to homeschooling gifted teens, and an audio course called “Gifted Education at Home”.  Please visit her website, www.TheHomeScholar.com.

Tags: Accelerated Learning, Challenging Children to Learn, Christian homeschooling, flexibility in homeschooling, Gifted Children, Homeschooling a Gifted Child, Liberal Arts, Scripture

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