Goal Setting With Children

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Hi,
Recognizing and identifying giftedness in kids is witnessing a phenomenal activity in recent times. Right from the Baby Sign Language sessions to Toddler IQ testing classes, the current craze to nurture giftedness kids and child prodigies has reached all time high. Seeking to find giftedness in your child means to study his or her behavior, skills, mannerisms, academic performance, sundry activities and more importantly his or her attitude. Do you have an action plan that teaches you how you can identify giftedness in your kid? Every child is gifted and talented, though some of them are really gifted and endowed with abnormally high talent and intelligence.

All of us recognize and acknowledge that we should help our kids develop their innate and hidden talent, intelligence and skills. Unfortunately, we simply fail because of a lack of knowledge on our part that helps us to nurture talent in our kids. Truthfully speaking, enormous peer pressure, a tendency to achieve perfectionism, and performance anxiety on part of our lovely kids are leading both parents and kids towards extreme and negative consequences. The most well-known antidote to tackle these scenarios is to know the actual limitations and performance boundaries of our kids, and act on those limitations to nurture their talent and intelligence.

Recently, I found this wonderful and highly beneficial audio stream that seems to really help parents to know how they can manage their gifted kids. GATE (gifted and talented) herself, Alyssa Quart offers an insightful critique on this professionalization of child's play while supporting expert studies on the vital role of unstructured playtime in child's development. Have a great week ahead!

Thought for today:
"There is nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child " - Frank A. Clark

Best Regards,
Andrew Loh
Andrew Loh
Publisher & Editor, BrainyZine
andrew @ brainy-child.com

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Goal Setting With Children

Goal setting for children is best done with the child. No different than you and I, we like things done with us not to us and the same goes for our children. Their age will determine their level of participation. Goal setting is a wonderful skill for children to learn at an early age, so here are some pointers to get you started.

Leisure Time Goal Setting for Your Kids

Kids, by their nature and kind, cannot concentrate and focus on a particular task. They tend to get distracted very quickly and this distraction actually deters and prevents them from achieving long term goals. A year or more could be very long time for your kid.

Q1: My wife and I have a son who turned 2 in May and I have a couple of questions regarding his development. My wife and I were both pretty gifted academically - I have two degrees in theoretical physics from Cambridge and she topped her university in Medicine and is a clinical researcher at Imperial. Partly due to the fact that my son attends a nursery whilst we are at work, I am a little concerned about his development. His social skills are advanced and, similar to my wife, he seems to have a phenomenal memory - he seems to remember things the first time he encounters them. His reasoning skills seem pretty good as well.

However, he is physically and mentally hyperactive, as indeed I was, and he seems unable to focus on anything....

A: Your boy obviously has his parents' genes, as studies revealed that over 60% of IQ is said to be contributed by genetic factors. So, yes, he is above average and what you are experiencing is quite common amongst parents of gifted children. Their attention span is usually limited to areas of interests, and once they indulge in activities that they find meaningful to them, they tend to be so engrossed in the activity and sometimes forget everything around them.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Dealing with High Levels of Energy of Gifted Children here.

Q2: We have 3.5 year old son, and we see him is different than his peers. We would like to know whether he is gifted or not? Here is something about our son. He is a late talker, he started babbling when he was around 1 year old and really talked (we understand) when he was 2 year and 3 months. Since then, his speech improves gradually but if I compare with his peers he is behind them. He has a really good memory, and has a great ability in numbers....

A: It is hard to tell definitely if he is gifted but has above average characteristics based on his age. Having said that, from the limited description, he surely shows some signs of giftedness especially heightened sensitivity and early reading ability. You may want to do a checklist on his characteristics to have a better idea... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Characteristics of Gifted Children here.

Coping for Capable Kids
By Leonora Cohen

From solving social problems, to dealing with perfectionism, and developing time management strategies to mastering goal setting, this book is the most comprehensive, up to date guide for gifted kids, their parents and teachers. Based on years of research and experience, this book is actually two books in one -an exciting and easy to read, high interest book for bright students and a book for parents and teachers.

The parent and teacher section defines who capable kids are, the problems and needs they face, and in using strategies needed to cope with them successfully. Topics include the definition of giftedness, emotional development, social development, moral development, perfectionism, boredom, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders and much more.

What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go For It! A Guide For Teens
By Beverly K. Bachel

Gr. 6-12. Successful business entrepreneur Bachel has compiled her ideas into an approachable volume to assist teens in defining their real interest, formulating and systematically pursuing workable goals and celebrating their achievements. She also includes 19 useful, reproducible forms. Her helpful advice is well supported by quotations and from teens who have tried some of the techniques, and simple appealing graphics keep things light.

Perhaps most effective are the chapter-closing "Think It & Ink It" questions intended to help teens act on Bachel's clear often heartfelt suggestions. Back matter includes goal setting resources and some helpful organizations and web sites. A thoughtful and practical book, this is a must guide for all teens as well as their parents.

Children gain skills during imaginative play
The Observer Mar 22, 2008

My mother was born during the great depression, the eight of 10 children, but when she recounts her childhood she does not describe the grinding poverty and backbreaking labor that must have consumed her parents. Instead, she remembers being a quite child who played endless games of "house" by herself, her only props the one she could make. She especially prized the round tin top from a can of Hershey's powdered cocoa- it served admirably as a pan for the mud cakes she made for her imaginary family.

Encourage Your Kids to Imagine
Daily Star Mar 15, 2008

We got an amazing new toy last week. It is about 21/2 feet tall and 3 feet deep. It doesn't make noise or require batteries. It has no microchips or paint or small moving parts. It is not associated with a Disney character. Yet, the box our new washer came in is one of the most valuable and versatile toys my 4 year old daughter, Allie, has ever had.

Raising Your Gifted Child
St Catherine Standard Mar 24, 2008

Raising a gifted child is a real challenge for parents. If you fail to keep his active mind occupied, he may come up with activities on his own which you will find neither interesting nor amusing. The goal, then is to keep him busy and involved on projects and programs which appeal to his particular areas of interest. With these children idle hands can be really be the workshop of you-know-who.

Whiz Kid
Egypt Today Mar 17, 2008

Meet Moody, Egypt's and possibly the world's youngest mathematical genius! What is '132 times 142?" Can you write down the numbers for me on the paper? the small boy asked with hesitation. "I won't use a pen. I just have to see the numbers on the papers," he said, hinting at the method behind his mathematical genius. After reading the numbers on the back of the paper, he began to mutter quick additions in English under his breath. Pat came the correct answer!

Our kids and their brains: Too young for school, but not for assessment
GreenBay Press Gazette Mar 16, 2008

Early intervention is key because a child's brain goes through a lot of development before he or she enters kindergarten, said Nan Brien, a trainer for the Southern Child Welfare Training Partnership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "The first five years are really essential in terms of laying the foundation vis-a-vis brain development," said Brien, formerly the associate director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families.

Birth weight may shorten lifespan
Canada.com Mar 27, 2008

How much people weigh when they're born may influence how long they live, according to new research. Low birth weight may confer an increased risk of dying early as an adult, but extra-heavy babies may also face a greater risk, according to the largest study ever to look at birth weight and mortality.

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