Areas of Giftedness Poll

[Blessedfamily 20]

I just thought we could share the different flavors of giftedness our kids have. It's especially interesting, to me, to see the variety in one family, so answer for each child if you can.

 

This isn't comprehensive, and doesn't cover all types of giftedness. Some of them are not actually types of giftedness, just subjects the child is especially interested and excels in. It's not intended to be scientific- just fun.

[Truscifi 3,623]

Reading this list highlighted for me again the unusual combination of gifts ds has. He is a good reader, well above grade level, and he taught himself to read at a young age. His favorite subject is science, and he will happily do extra science work for hours if he is allowed. He does well with math and history and is above grade level in both, but not like with reading or science. And to throw one more thing in the mix, he seems to have some artisitic talent, especially with 3d media such as clay. He has made some impressive animals out of clay, especially a squid which looks very realistic. I always thought science and math went together, and history and verbal skills. And that artsy people weren't into academics. So much for what I knew!:tongue_smilie:

[Blessedfamily 20]

Reading this list highlighted for me again the unusual combination of gifts ds has. He is a good reader, well above grade level, and he taught himself to read at a young age. His favorite subject is science, and he will happily do extra science work for hours if he is allowed. He does well with math and history and is above grade level in both, but not like with reading or science. And to throw one more thing in the mix, he seems to have some artisitic talent, especially with 3d media such as clay. He has made some impressive animals out of clay, especially a squid which looks very realistic. I always thought science and math went together, and history and verbal skills. And that artsy people weren't into academics. So much for what I knew!:tongue_smilie:

 

I always had that preconceived notion too.:001_smile: Thanks for sharing.

It's all very interesting to me.

[Blessedfamily 20]

Feel free to post your combinations as well as vote. :001_smile:

[GoVanGogh 1,151]

Reading this list highlighted for me again the unusual combination of gifts ds has. He is a good reader, well above grade level, and he taught himself to read at a young age. His favorite subject is science, and he will happily do extra science work for hours if he is allowed. He does well with math and history and is above grade level in both, but not like with reading or science. And to throw one more thing in the mix, he seems to have some artisitic talent, especially with 3d media such as clay. He has made some impressive animals out of clay, especially a squid which looks very realistic. I always thought science and math went together, and history and verbal skills. And that artsy people weren't into academics. So much for what I knew!:tongue_smilie:

Same here.

DS taught himself to read before his 4th birthday. He's above average for reading. And well above grade level for math. He has been reading adult science books since he was 6. He can make detail maps of almost anywhere we have ever been. He's very good at soccer, but not interested in actually playing a game. He'd rather dance. But doesn't want to take lessons where someone is telling him "how to feel the music." He does appear to be musically inclined. A geeky scientist that can dance? :tongue_smilie: I don't know what to make of it all. I'm just glad we can homeschool. As much as he wears me out, I don't know what he would do in public school.

[Mommy22alyns 3,078]

I voted for verbal, artistic, and psychomotor for Becca. She's working ahead of grade level in everything but math, but to my observations those are her best gifts. She's an early, self-taught, and very advanced reader, she sings beautifully (hits notes perfectly), and she's an advanced gymnast for her age.

 

She's not a prodigy in anything, so I'm hesitant to even say that much! ;) But it's truly amazing to look at your child and think, "They really could do anything."

[zaichiki 648]

I voted for --

oldest: verbal, early/adv reading, science, history buff, visual arts-drawing, and spatial ability

 

dd: verbal, performing arts-music, physical, and leadership (negotiation, self confidence, and problem solving)

 

Not sure about youngest yet... I know he is verbally precocious, though with unclear articulation (that's an interesting ride!)

 

Interesting to see the list out there like that. I've never made a mental list of the areas where each child is clearly talented. So strange to see their lists side-by-side, too. Hmmmm.

[radiobrain 149]

well, I screwed up, as I did it for my one child not both. i thought I could enter both separately. :glare:

 

For my son that I couldn't enter... Math, Visual (fine art drawing), Science, Creative thinking and problem solving... I have now forgotten all the categories.... oh well....

[AnitaMcC 58]

I just thought we could share the different flavors of giftedness our kids have. It's especially interesting, to me, to see the variety in one family, so answer for each child if you can.

 

This isn't comprehensive, and doesn't cover all types of giftedness. Some of them are not actually types of giftedness, just subjects the child is especially interested and excels in. It's not intended to be scientific- just fun.

 

For Ds he is highly gifted in many areas but even in those areas he has a disability. For example.. he is highly gifted verbally and reading, but in writing he is weak due to the organizational/executive functioning difficulties with the Asperger Syndrome and ADD. Math and science are his main strengths. He also has a phenomenal memory for factual information but he is horrible about day to day stuff of things he is to do... very disorganized!!!

 

For Dd she is highly gifted in music and writing. But she dislikes reading (except for poetry) -LOL. She is strong in math but not highly gifted. She is artistically gifted and also a natural in martial arts.

[alexfam 10]

Thank u for doing the poll this is really intersting

[Storm Bay 348]

Well, I voted for a number of things on the poll. In part, because I have three gifted dc, and they're not all gifted in exactly the same areas. In part, because they have more than one strength each. So I voted a conglomeration of all three of my dc.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c 935]

I have two children, each with their very distinct gifts, but none in common

 

DS is strong in math and sciences, and he taught himself to read before he was 4.

 

DD is high in arts, and anything kinesthetic. Each time she takes some sort of sport lessons, they want her on the competitive team. Right now, her choice is gym, but the ballet teacher wanted to send her to the conservatory, the diving team wants her too (and that's a pool that sends people to the Olympics) and the synchronized swimming team also predicts a nice future for her (they also send people to the Olympics!) but she's declining all of that.

[Cadam 865]

Reading this list highlighted for me again the unusual combination of gifts ds has. He is a good reader, well above grade level, and he taught himself to read at a young age. His favorite subject is science, and he will happily do extra science work for hours if he is allowed. He does well with math and history and is above grade level in both, but not like with reading or science. And to throw one more thing in the mix, he seems to have some artisitic talent, especially with 3d media such as clay. He has made some impressive animals out of clay, especially a squid which looks very realistic. I always thought science and math went together, and history and verbal skills. And that artsy people weren't into academics. So much for what I knew!:tongue_smilie:

 

Yep, my son turns the stereo-type on it's head too. He is only average in math but excels in science and art. He is way ahead in reading.

 

Dd is different. Her reading is only a little above average but her verbal skills are huge and she truly loves math.

[mktkcb 21]

Well, my crazy son was an early reader (3), but reading is not his favorite thing by any stretch of the imagination. He is also gifted musically, and mathematically. He's a quirk personified (defininitely some SPD), and very asynchronous. Meaning he can play beautiful piano, perform on stage like a pro, do algebra for fun, but act emotionally like a (grrrrr) 5 yr old some days, and have penmanship that looks like a first grader wrote it (writing is painful). Auditory giftedness is really his biggie, so even though he read early, he always read *aloud*...I emphasize it because he's all about the "production", so reading aloud was always with perfect intonation/inflection, and very expressive. Learning to read silently was a long process. By 5th grade he could do it. What can I say...the kid likes the sound of his own voice. He loves interesting sounds, so he eats up such things as voice tricks cds, Japanese language programs, Victor Borge's "Inflationary Punctuation"....and the like. VB is one of his heroes. Which gives you an idea of his sense of humor. He's been involved in musical theater for quite awhile now, and loves it (except his theater company is doing Sound of Music this spring, and, being his contrary self, refuses to do it because he has decided it is a "girlie girl" musical. ?????. Helloooooooo.......boys....nazis.....?????. Whatever. I think he should try out for the part of Maria....it would be a perfect fit according to the "How do you solve a problem..." song. If you think through the lyrics, THATS my son.) Anyway, my kid is one of those gifted yet slightly demented types. He'll most likely be dead meat by the time he's 18.

[Irene Lynn 66]

I have not voted yet, but I just wanted to chime in as a person with a 16 yo. What I would have voted in the early years is a little different from what I would vote today. In the early years she was early reader and great vocabulary, but DID NOT want to write anything. She read everything in sight and preferred factual books at the beginning. She seemed to enjoy science and economics and government and had a natural ability in music/singing/harmony. Overall, she was just advanced in most areas in school, though not neccessarily gifted in all of them. She was about average in writing ability for a number of years. Oh, she also loved ancient history, but really lot interest in history near the Middle Ages.

 

Now she loves to write and does very well. She has chosen not to do anything with her musical ability, except sing around the house, but has chosen to devote hours and hours to drawing. (I know all about the characteristics of the various colored pencils, markers, water colors, and the different ways of drawing on the computer. She has a lot of wonderful supplies, some of which I had no idea existed.) She now prefers books that lie somewhere between fantasy and sci fi, more of a steam punk type or biographies. She still enjoys economics, but science is much more average now. She loves to read cooking books and knows more about Japanese cooking and tea than any other child I know. Anything she tries to cook turns out very well and I now turn to her for advice in my own cooking. She describes food like a food critic would. Her taste buds seem much more fine tuned than ours. I would not have guessed that when she was younger, although she did always prefer steak or shrimp to hot dogs or peanut butter. She also loves presentation. Truly, I would never have guessed she would turn into a gourmet cook. If you had tasted her "mush" that she thought was so wonderful.... It started with saltines and water and didn't get any better after that. LOL Now she takes me to the Japanese market and tells me what many things are and how to use them, etc. Her interest in tea is also ENTIRELY hers. We did not influence that, but we did let her try what she wanted. I didn't drink tea other than an occassional Plantation Mint tea or Chai. She is also interested in learning to sew, so she can make her own designs. She knows (and draws) what she would love to wear, but they clearly would have to be custom made.

 

Our little guy is hard to tell. He is very physically and socially capable and is very aware of his surroundings. He knows what is going on around him. (unlike his dad and sister. lol) And he has a very vivid and delightful imagination. The academic type things are much slower, though I can see those picking up steam later on. It is so hard to predict where he will go with what God has given him.

[Brooke3193 10]

I haven't read all of the posts, but in regards to abilities going together, I find it interesting that math and foreign language are done in the same area of the brain. And, that learning a foreign language at a young age will improve later math ability.

[psychgal 11]

My 5dd was an early reader (2), loves vocabulary, reading, and telling stories. I'm verbal/English person and that is what I have done with her since she was born. I only recently found out about her math skills when I did a placement test for Singapore. I had basically only taught her to count and she knew a lot more than what I have taught her. Surprised and curious, I started working a little with her the past few weeks and have been astonished how quickly she's flying through concepts. I think I need to update my choice for a math starting point. (We start on Monday) I also checked science, but really, right now it's just about the solar system and universe. She's facinated by it and reads all kinds of library books about it (and knows much more about it than me.) She loves telling people about it. This morning, she kept wanting to tell the paver guy working on the driveway about Jupiter's 28 moons and so forth.

 

Interesting poll and to hear about how differently "gifted" can present

[jenadina 12]

I voted math, science, and language.

[AnitaMcC 58]

Anyway, my kid is one of those gifted yet slightly demented types. He'll most likely be dead meat by the time he's 18.

 

LOL, sounds like my 14 yr old son. I keep telling him he will be lucky to make it to his next birthday.

[Storm Bay 348]

Well, my crazy son was an early reader (3), but reading is not his favorite thing by any stretch of the imagination. He is also gifted musically, and mathematically. He's a quirk personified (defininitely some SPD), and very asynchronous. Meaning he can play beautiful piano, perform on stage like a pro, do algebra for fun, but act emotionally like a (grrrrr) 5 yr old some days, and have penmanship that looks like a first grader wrote it (writing is painful). Auditory giftedness is really his biggie, so even though he read early, he always read *aloud*...I emphasize it because he's all about the "production", so reading aloud was always with perfect intonation/inflection, and very expressive. Learning to read silently was a long process. By 5th grade he could do it. What can I say...the kid likes the sound of his own voice. He loves interesting sounds, so he eats up such things as voice tricks cds, Japanese language programs, Victor Borge's "Inflationary Punctuation"....and the like. VB is one of his heroes. Which gives you an idea of his sense of humor. He's been involved in musical theater for quite awhile now, and loves it (except his theater company is doing Sound of Music this spring, and, being his contrary self, refuses to do it because he has decided it is a "girlie girl" musical. ?????. Helloooooooo.......boys....nazis.....?????. Whatever. I think he should try out for the part of Maria....it would be a perfect fit according to the "How do you solve a problem..." song. If you think through the lyrics, THATS my son.) Anyway, my kid is one of those gifted yet slightly demented types. He'll most likely be dead meat by the time he's 18.

 

 

I saw Victor Borge live once, and one of the things he did was his punctuation routine. VB was very, very funny.

[TravelingChris 10,826]

I combine all three of my children. Some have the same gifts, others do not. I have one gifted writer who is also gifted in music. My oldest was an early reader, big thinker, and artistically gifted. My youngest is math, science, leadership, and problem solving, though she has recently surprised me with her good literature analysis.

[Catherine 2,451]

I'm not sure how to describe my ds, and he is certainly not as accelerated as many kids I've learned of on this board. But, I'd have to say I think he's gifted in learning things. I don't know how else to put it. He's just very very good at learning almost anything new. He tried swimming-was very good at it, with no prior experience and average amount of practice. Plays the violin-he practices similarly, I think to many kids, inconsistently, not daily, usually a few times a week. Yet, he made quite rapid progress and at 16 is a quite advanced player. He wanted to learn Spanish-he just seemed to have a knack for languages and has made very rapid progress. Etc., for almost any academic or physical task that he's ever tried. I've concluded he's just very good at learning things. Does that make sense?

[cdgni 10]

My DD is gifted in the traditional.. math, science reading. She's a strong leader and very athletic. What I find amusing about her is that even now, at age 10, she doesn't care about her clothes. They could be inside out or backwards and she probably wouldn't notice if someone didn't tell her. Here's this child outperforming her peers in academic matters, but still needs help in making herself presentable to outsiders.

[Ester Maria 43]

The problem I have with my daughters is that on the grade-level, they both exceed in everything. Nothing seems to be a problem for them - I can generalize and say that my 12 y.o.'s "gifts" are languages-related skills and that my 11 y.o.'s "gifts" are maths and science, but that's not really correct - it's simply that their INTERESTS lie in those fields, so they're naturally more advanced than in the other areas (which they're also advanced in, almost by default), as they spend more time on that.

 

My 12 y.o. would be a math genius too if she had ANY interest in it, given that even without an interest she is two years ahead in math and doing great at that level. Just like the 11 y.o. would be fluent reader in Latin if she had ANY interest in it and if she chose to dedicate more time to that.

 

Anyway, 12 y.o. is a traditional languages-and-humanities person. She's interested in history of art (though not an artistically inclined herself), Hebrew and Latin, history in general and literature. She's also a very "worldly" person, in touch with current events, and she's working very hard on understanding where those events stem from (for example, last year she basically taught herself all about the Arab-Israeli conflict, doing a historical study of that, reading books on it and asking questions, since she wanted to understand how it all came to be). Her interest in history and current events goes in hand with an increased knowledge of geography.

 

11 y.o., in the other hand, is a prefect example of a math/science type of person. Even when she does languages, she tends to "dissect" them analytically as that kind of people do it - she understands morphology and syntax "mathematically" and functions the best with regularities in all of the stuff she does. She's not at all "worldly", her interests there might be limited to her current surrounding, but when it comes to sciences and math, she terrifies me. She spent over a year not only reading Hawking, but really trying to get his ideas (as DH is into science, he connected her to some people which were willing to talk to her and help her with her interests), and last year she was obsessed with some really high-level math concepts (theory of probability, geometry of space and such stuff), it's got to the point where I can barely follow her interests, while at the same time I have to take care for her not to miss out on the "basics" she should have regardless of the level of her interests.

 

Areas they're not so brilliant in are physical stuff, arts (except for drawing for the 11 y.o. - she has an eye, but no interest), leadership (11 y.o. is too withdrawn for my taste, though they're both relatively social and have friends), emotional intelligence (they both deal with concepts they can master academically, but it creates a great distance from their peers and the world of their experiences, so sometimes I think they're a little bit unstable - but it might be puberty hitting them too).

Basically, they're both VERY academic and not much into some more practical spheres of life.

[ChristineMM 17]

I just want to share that verbal should be separate from reading. The two can be completely separate things. Perfect example is child who tests very high on verbal aptitude and has large vocabulary for verbal but is average with reading or even has an LD that inhibits reading (i.e. eye tracking problem). The proof of these being separate would be preschoolers and toddlers with huge vocabularies who talk like much older children and communicate so clearly but have not yet been taught to read. Also some kids who are early readers may be very quiet, not good verbal communicators at all or stick with simpler verbal communication.

[Blessedfamily 20]

I just want to share that verbal should be separate from reading. The two can be completely separate things. Perfect example is child who tests very high on verbal aptitude and has large vocabulary for verbal but is average with reading or even has an LD that inhibits reading (i.e. eye tracking problem). The proof of these being separate would be preschoolers and toddlers with huge vocabularies who talk like much older children and communicate so clearly but have not yet been taught to read. Also some kids who are early readers may be very quiet, not good verbal communicators at all or stick with simpler verbal communication.

 

Yes, I'm aware, but there is a maximum of ten choices in a poll, and many more areas of giftedness. That's why I posted the disclaimer that the divisions aren't comprehensive or scientific in the original post. This is the best grouping that I could manage.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Blessedfamily

[Granny_Weatherwax 8,305]

I chose verbal/reading & creative/productive thinking. Like many other GT kids DS was an early reader and was off the charts for ability in elementary school. He has always had an uncanny ability to tie ideas from one class or situation with those from another. He devises deep philosophical principles and can contemplate for hours. He amazes me because he either learns things super quick and moves on without breathing or he takes a long while and appears lazy and disinterested but then whips out an answer or solution that is novel or unique.

He can do math but it's not his favorite subject. Science & geography are easy for him. History is tied in with reading & creative thinking. He will read a book and be able to tie it in with others he has read that reference a similar topic or time period. I can't tell you how many times he has been reading something, sets the book aside, grabs another book, turns to a page and references a fact or tidbit that either supports or detracts from the current book. It's spooky. (I hope that is clear enough for everyone to understand.)

[Merry 105]

I guess all six of my children are gifted but not way above average, I don't think. My oldest is gifted in leadership. He bought his first house at age 22 and has just bought his second one at age 26. He has managed several team projects as a lineman and gotten nearly perfect 4.0 GPA in college so far. My second in spite of her hearing loss has gotten 4.0 in all of her classes in her major which is English. Her gift is verbal . My third who didn't draw hardly at all growing up took a drawing class in his freshman year and drew as well as graduate students in his sophomore year. The fourth child just got an A on a paper in college and I barely taught him how to write formally in high school. He did take several online literature class though which I'm sure helped. He got 4.0 in his science classes at a University model school. His gift is verbal as well as logical thinking. My fifth child is gifted in creative/productive thinking. He writes poetry for fun, cooks creatively, see patterns everywhere and has organized a concert for fundraising. My youngest who is eight seems to have a gift for leadership like my oldest and is also a very logical thinker. An excellent debater already.

[starwarsmomma 125]

what a fun poll, thanks!

[greta_elisif 16]

Mine is very advanced in reading, and probably somewhat in math. She got really interested in pi and rhombuses at 2½ after being told what they were one time each (found pi on the calculator), and started finding them everywhere back then. She got interested in addition too, but is still at the how-many-is-5-plus-2?-well-hold-up-5-fingers-and-hold-up-2-fingers stage. She has given all her dozens and dozens of dolls and stuffed animals names (but not memorized them all) like Percival Ambrose Edward and Claire Esmeé Gervaise (I have to admit I did all the research, :) but she’d insist on “Anglo-Saxon” or “Latin” names, then pick them out). Back then she was wildly fanatical about the movie Amadeus (of course I didn’t let her see all the parts)—mainly the operas, but would even watch the “making of” documentary with endless interviews—also interested in Ancient Greece, coal, flint, and composing surreal :) poetry and sayings, for instance: “Bat’s clamor humor. Bat’s clamor. Where you sweep the ball then you clear the ball. Then you sweep the finger over the appliance.” And came up with the following surreal concepts: Pericles and Wishin’ Cat [brands of] Oatmeal, eye-dress (dress with all-over eye pattern—before seeing Klimt’s), robot[-flavored] pudding, eagle[-shaped] waffles, and Old Hubbard [brand] Jams and Beach Cuts. :confused1:/:laugh: She has always been serious about ethics too, like getting worked up over “bad people,” littering, smoking, lying, etc. saying, “_______ is really bad! I am against it!” Now, besides reading, she is most interested in drawing and building Lego vehicles.

[Testimony 61]

is the accelerated learner. He is definitely advanced in his math skills.

 

My younger son is accelerated in sports. Is there a sports category?

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Storm Bay 348]

is the accelerated learner. He is definitely advanced in his math skills.

 

My younger son is accelerated in sports. Is there a sports category?

 

Blessings,

Karen

www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

 

In the muliple intelligence theory there is a sports category (well, it's called something like kinesthetic intelligence.)

[Embassy 676]

Interesting poll. I realize math and science often go together, but not in our house.

 

My oldest's greatest strengths are in science and language arts. He doesn't like math.

 

My younger son is in math, language arts, and creativity. He doesn't like science.

[Dmmetler 23,947]

What about foreign language? Or does that fall under verbal/reading skills?

 

DD's strongest areas are foreign language, science, creativity and reading./language, but she's 2-3 years ahead of her age across the board except for motor skills, where she's been on the low end of "normal" her entire life.

[SnegurochkaL 41]

What about foreign language? Or does that fall under verbal/reading skills?

 

DD's strongest areas are foreign language, science, creativity and reading./language, but she's 2-3 years ahead of her age across the board except for motor skills, where she's been on the low end of "normal" her entire life.

 

 

My DD strongest area is foreign languages, so I voted for them in Other category.

 

My daughter motor skills were delayed too, that is why I postponed teaching her writing until she was 6 years old.

[unity 23]

ds 11: reading, math, science, psychomotor

 

ds 11: reading, math, science; maybe negotiator

 

dd8: math, psychomotor...I'm still surprised to have a math-talented girl. Whoa those old biases run deep.

 

ds4: reading, math

 

I loved seeing all those categories. It was very affirming of the different ways children can excel. I don't usually think of the psychomotor category but you are right that some kids really shine there. Every athletic activity my ds11 Andy tries he excels at. It amazes me. My daughter is a talented gymnast (lvl 5).

 

My other ds11 Tom is another geeky, dancing scientist! lol. But he is happy enough to take lessons.

 

Because they are twins it's probably inevitable that people will constantly compare my older boys, and people see that they share the same academic talents and just figure Andy won the luck of the draw with the athletic ability, too. It's true he's blessed that way, but I wish that Tom's other gifts weren't so hard to quantify--he's thoughtful, considerate, empathetic, and a peacemaker. A joy to have around. I really appreciate seeing that quality listed here as a form of giftedness; it validates my mommy feelings!

[Storm Bay 348]

Interesting poll. I realize math and science often go together, but not in our house.

 

My oldest's greatest strengths are in science and language arts. He doesn't like math.

 

My younger son is in math, language arts, and creativity. He doesn't like science.

 

 

Fwiw, and I'm not saying this is the case with your ds, just because a dc doen't like a subject doesn't mean they're not equally able to excel in it if they choose to. When my eldest was 8 she hated math with a passion. In fact, she hated it until she got to Algebra. However, she is very strong in it in spite of her earlier years--even then she had a mind like a steel trap for it & never forgot how to do anything after having learned how once. It boggled my mind that she could hate something she could do so easily.

 

Of course, Algebra is simply more advanced arthmetic.

 

I have one who is very mathy who doesn't like science, either, but that's interest based. She does like Biology better than the other branches of science.

[Embassy 676]

Fwiw, and I'm not saying this is the case with your ds, just because a dc doen't like a subject doesn't mean they're not equally able to excel in it if they choose to. When my eldest was 8 she hated math with a passion. In fact, she hated it until she got to Algebra. However, she is very strong in it in spite of her earlier years--even then she had a mind like a steel trap for it & never forgot how to do anything after having learned how once. It boggled my mind that she could hate something she could do so easily.

 

Of course, Algebra is simply more advanced arthmetic.

 

I have one who is very mathy who doesn't like science, either, but that's interest based. She does like Biology better than the other branches of science.

 

I totally agree. I am an example of that. I didn't like math, but it was my best subject.

[Windmilldreamer 10]

Fwiw, and I'm not saying this is the case with your ds, just because a dc doen't like a subject doesn't mean they're not equally able to excel in it if they choose to. When my eldest was 8 she hated math with a passion. In fact, she hated it until she got to Algebra. However, she is very strong in it in spite of her earlier years--even then she had a mind like a steel trap for it & never forgot how to do anything after having learned how once. It boggled my mind that she could hate something she could do so easily.

 

Of course, Algebra is simply more advanced arthmetic.

 

 

 

Not for me it wasn't. Algebra lets you solve problems in ways that arithmetic alone cannot. It's a whole new way of seeing the world. Calculus is even better. Calculus lets you do related rates problems, which are mind-boggling and delightful.

 

As an arithmetic hater who LOVES math, I am with your daughter. (I have eventually learned to appreciate arithmetic. But I hated it as a kid. The best thing my dad ever did for me was to respond to my "I hate math" with "All you've ever done is arithmetic--and arithmetic isn't all there is to math. It's just the boring part.")

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I voted math and Psychomotor abilities for my middle child who is 6. He taught himself numbers, clocks and fractions at 3. He joined a gymnastics team at 5, the other boys are 7 and 8.

 

My dd2 is reading CVC words and can do puzzles up to 25 pieces.