Is Your Child Gifted? Recognising and Nurturing Hidden Talents

Every child has the potential to unlock a talent through the right kind of nurturing, as a little bit of stimulation surrounding a given topic can help children enhance their learning ability regarding it. The 2016 Nobel Prize winner, Bernard L. Feriga, is a “firm believer in that all children have a talent that just needs to be found and encouraged” (The Nobel Prize, 2020). The question then becomes, how do you recognise and nurture these hidden talents in your children? The answer might not be what you think!

Parents and teachers are often the ones who identify a child’s hidden talents at an early age, as they will be the people who spend the most time with them. However, it’s important to remember that every child is different and everything from culture to living circumstances can affect parenting styles, so not every approach will work for you.

This article explores this in greater detail and aims to give you a clearer understanding of how to recognise if your child is gifted and how to help them realise their true potential. Continue reading for more information.

How to Recognise Giftedness in Your Child

An IQ score of 130 or more is often linked to having the intellectual ability to be considered gifted. However, since children don’t usually excel academically, how can you regonise whether or not they’re gifted? If your child is highly creative, artistic, musical or has a strong sense of leadership among their peers, they likely have some sort of giftedness and hidden talents to unlock.

Observing and reviewing your child’s abilities both in and out of school can help with recognising their giftedness, as you can build a portfolio of their behaviours and achievements to make a judgement on where they’re excelling. The earlier that you begin the process of observing and reviewing your child, the sooner you can notice any hidden talents and begin to nurture them.

The Signs of a Gifted Child

High Curiosity Levels

Gifted kids are more likely to be curious about the world around them and ask questions to gain more knowledge about certain things in life. This can be both at school and home, as when in the classroom they might want to learn more than what is necessary so that they have a higher chance of excelling. At home, you might find that your child is asking you more in-depth questions rather than those that require simple yes or no answers.

Solo Problem Solving

The ability to problem solve without any support is a clear sign that your child might have a special gift, as they can use their own thoughts to find the answers they’re looking for. Gifted children with hidden talents are more likely to find alternative routes to solving a problem than what was initially required. Parents need to embrace this change in direction from their child early in life and not halt their progress. There are some baby gift sets that are designed to enhance solo problem solving.

Prefer Adult Conversation

Vocabulary used by your child should be noticed when observing their behaviour, as it can be a clear sign of giftedness. If they’re increasingly willing to engage in adult conversations and use more complex word sets, you should explore this as it could be the case that there’s a lot more to unravel. Some gifted children feel more at ease communicating with adults due to their advanced language skills. You should also choose a babysitter that is also going to engage your child in these types of conversations.

Have Original Ideas

Creativity is something that could indicate that your new baby is gifted. They are likely to be an original thinker and come up with ideas that have not previously been considered. This can be in many forms from creating original pieces of artwork to developing songs to writing their own stories. If your child wants to get involved with these, they could have a hidden talent waiting to be revealed.

Develop New Skills

Gifted children will be able to teach themselves new skills without having to seek help from parents or teachers. For example, they might learn to read and write with limited help from any of their peers. They can also develop these skills at a quicker rate than other children in their class or siblings at home. It could also be the case that they get bored with repetitive lessons in class.

How to Nurture Hidden Talents in Children

If you’re a parent, you can use these simple strategies to help develop the natural hidden talents in the children in your life:

  • Encourage them to continue doing activities if they’re excelling.
  • Reinforce and appreciate their skills.
  • Help them find new ways to do what they love.
  • Lead by example and be their role model so that they value their skill set.
  • Help them articulate and document their natural talents.

These methods can help children learn first-hand what it means to lead a life of success, satisfaction and meaningful contribution. This can be a positive influence and make them nurture their talents so that they can excel further.

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