16/12/2016
All children have special talents that need to be noticed and nurtured so they will do well in school and in their later lives. In the past, poor students, students with limited English language skills, and students from diverse cultures have been overlooked by schools when they selected children for programs for the gifted. Schools used a very narrow definition of intelligence that did not account for the different ways that children show their abilities, or for the fact that some children have difficulty in showing their talents at all. Now, though, schools are using broader- and fairer--methods to identify children with special talents, and the students in gifted programs represent much more varied backgrounds.
Parents can be very important in helping their children develop their talents by working with them at home. Parents can also make schools aware of their children's talents, and work with them to make sure that their children are in a program that challenges them intellectually and responds to their educational and emotional needs.
What Families Can Do at Home
Children's talents should be developed as early as possible so they can achieve their full potential. Parents don't need to be very educated themselves--or have a great deal of money, or even time--to help their children learn and improve their ability to think and communicate. Here are some things to do at home:
Set high academic goals for your children. Tell them that success is possible, that they will benefit later in life from doing well in school, and that families and their teachers expect them to do well. Help them develop a sense of pride in their identity, both personal and cultural.
Talk to and play with your children. Have conversations about current events, what's happening in the neighborhood, and what you all did during the day. As you go through your daily routine, explain what you are doing and why. Encourage your children to ask questions that you can answer or help them answer. Make up stories together. Read to them, play games, and do puzzles together.
Ask your children to pay attention to the way people speak on the radio and TV. Talk about why learning to use good English speech patterns will help them in school and later in life.
Pay attention to what your children like to do, such as a hobby, drawing, or working with numbers. Help them develop those skills or find out where in the community they can participate in learning enrichment activities. Start early; Head Start and other preschool programs can give your children many advantages.
Take your children to places where they can learn. Find out about story times at the library and bookstores, and about children's events at museums and community centers. Check out free books and games at the library.
Take a parenting course in the community or at school that teaches how to develop children's talents.
Find a mentor in your family or community who can help your children develop their talents and serve as a role model for academic achievement.
Find out about early talent identification programs so that when your children begin preschool or school they will receive an education that challenges them. Also find out about local community or religious preschools and after-school enrichment programs.
Set up a quiet study space for your children and help them with their homework, or find them an after-school program that provides a place for studying without distractions.
