"Setting out to raise a genius is the last thing we'd advise any parent to do," says Camilla Benbow, dean of education and human development at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. That goal, she says, "can lead to all sorts of social and emotional problems."
With that firmly in mind, what should parents do when children exhibit extraordinary intelligence, or to help any child achieve their best life regardless of talent? We'll dive into some tips from the experts and provide some resources that can help all kids.
Tom Clynes ran a 45-year-long study on exceptionally talented children and published this paper in Nature in 2016. It explains the many observations and conclusions the study led him to. He and Dr. Benbow (quoted above) compiled the following list of advice for parents who want to do everything possible to help their kids succeed, which aims to encourage both achievement and happiness for smart children:
- Expose children to diverse experiences.
- When a child exhibits strong interests or talents, provide opportunities to develop them.
- Support both intellectual and emotional needs. Help children to develop a 'growth mindset' by praising effort, not ability.
- Encourage children to take intellectual risks and to be open to failures that help them learn.
- Beware of labels. Being identified as "gifted" can be an emotional burden for a child.
- Work with teachers to meet your child's needs. Smart students often need more challenging material, extra support or the freedom to learn at their own pace.
- Have your child's abilities tested. This can support a parent's arguments for more advanced work and reveal issues such as dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or social and emotional challenges.
Clynes also tells us we should be wary of attaching too much importance to standardized test scores.
A high score can tell you that that student has a high ability, but mostly that they were a good match for that test at that time. A low score tells us practically nothing since there are far too many factors to explain why a student didn't perform well on any given test.
The best use of test results is as another tool for educators (and parents) to inform the learning strategies that work best with each student.
Similarly, praising a student's high ability (e.g., "You're so smart!") can lead to a static mindset, where the child believes their abilities are fixed, not subject to improvement. That leaves even the most gifted children ill-prepared for challenges when they arrive, as they do for all of us, no matter how talented.
Instead, parents should work on encouraging a "growth mindset" by praising effort (e.g., "Your hard work really paid off!"), which encourages kids to keep applying themselves towards improvement. This is one of the best ways we can help children learn to enjoy learning and find future success.
Now, let's look at a few resources we've compiled that you and your kids can use to help support their needs, experience new things and encourage healthy outlooks.
Get to Know the P-CCS Department of Student and Family Engagement – Launched in 2022, this department provides many services to students and families and seeks to help every student reach their full potential.
Is Homeschooling Right for Your Family? – If you're considering homeschooling, this guide may help you decide if it's right for you and your children and provides resources you can use to make the most of it.
Neurodiversity and Autism Acceptance – This list highlights 18 books to help parents understand and support their neurodivergent children. Many gifted kids are also on the spectrum and will need assistance with some things despite their talents.
Kits Make Learning Fun – Whether you're looking for something new for your kids to explore or providing an opportunity to develop a strong interest, our Children's Kits can help you help them.
STEAM at Home on a Budget – CPL has many STEAM programs that can be run at home, plus links to similar activities that can be used to learn about new interests or support existing ones. Fun, safe, educational and cheap!
See You at the Library: Best Places to Meet up and Study – Looking for a space to work on academic support or other projects with your kids? CPL has ample study space for various activities and access to our many resources!
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