Having a child who is smart sounds like rainbows and sunshine. And it can be at times. But, when that child shows abilities that are far beyond what is typical of their age it can be quite daunting.
When a child has an insatiable need to fulfill their desire to know a topic to the fullest, moms can start to feel ill-equipped to provide for their needs. The mere idea of your 6-year-old taking classes at a 6th-grade level, yeah, that’s super daunting to think about. But, if you are homeschooling a gifted student this is what it’s like every day. Some moms will begin to wonder if maybe, just maybe, public school would be better.
The one thing that has calmed me most when I’ve begun to feel this way is remembering that I don’t have to teach everything. As homeschoolers, we have the freedom to seek outside help to instruct, mentor, and guide our children in different areas of learning. This is called outsourcing education.
And, outsourcing is a great way to help your child find their way through a world bent on teaching kids certain things at certain ages. You can choose to find the right classes, the right resources and the right mentors for your child’s needs whatever they may be and at whatever age they happen to be. Here are a few options to help you fill the need for extra learning with your gifted kids.
Resources to Help Gifted Kids with Extra Learning
Discover a Fantastic Online Resource to Provide Extra Learning for Gifted Kids
I don’t know about you, but I know that my child is smarter than me. I had to make peace with that fact a long time ago. It can be a bit scary when they are young, but as they grow and develop their own skills, and talents, and explore their ideas, you’ll find great joy in seeing them build their knowledge and talents. But, as homeschoolers, we worry about how to provide for their need to learn when we don’t have the specific knowledge they are looking for. That’s where outside resources can take the worry out of homeschooling a gifted kid. They can provide tutors and classes for a wide array of learning areas, including music, performing arts, academic instruction, and more.
You see, homeschool is not about being the only influence in your child’s life. It is about finding the right tools and path that will help them to reach their fullest potential.
Renée at Great Peace
Gifted Kids Will Love Extra Learning with a Fun App
Gifted kids are usually able to memorize a vast amount of facts and learn how those facts fit together in an orderly way. That’s why a study of the periodic table can be especially exciting for their young gifted minds. But, education shouldn’t just be book learning and fact-based. There are many ways to learn and hands-on is a great way to help gifted kids learn the extras.
Fun Extra Learning for Gifted Kids who Love Animals
Does your smart kid have a great love for animals? Then why not inspire, delight, and fulfill their need to know more with an Animal Science Subscription for Kids. This monthly subscription kit takes kids on an animal adventure each month to learn about animals around the globe.
They learned a ton about the animals and their arctic habitat. I thought both the fact sheet and animal cards did a great job of giving the kids background knowledge before tackling their mission, and once they got on the computer, the learning continued.
Colleen at Raising LIfelong Learners
Teaching Coding Can be Extra Learning or Lay a Strong Foundation for Your Gifted Kids
We all know that coding is important in the digital age to keep our kids on a path that will help them to be successful in their future careers. But, most of us have no idea how to even begin to teach coding to our gifted kids. Sure, our smart kids will pick up bits of code here and there as they work with computers, apps, and phones. But how will they really learn the ins and outs of codes like javascript, HTML, and others? That’s where things like Bitsbox can help. You really can teach kids Javascript without pulling out your hair.
My favorite part of BitsBox is that it doesn’t just leave you with one way to use a skill. It outlines how to code an app and then it gives you challenges that help you learn how to adjust settings.
Erin at Royal Baloo
Even Gifted Kids Need To Study the Core Subjects: Discover a Great Resource that Expands Core Learning
Gifted kids can easily become bored with the core subjects. That’s because they’ve usually moved past where core subjects think they can be. And, moving them ahead doesn’t always allow them to develop a full understanding of materials. That’s not the case with Kendall Hunt. Because it’s written specifically for gifted kids, it helps to widen the scope of learning and provides a way to learn core subjects without them becoming bored. Discover more about gifted homeschool math and unit studies from Kendall Hunt.
I have to say again how much I love this program for the hands-on, interactive activities. Even though it is set up for a classroom I had an easy time adapting for home and enjoyed engaging in conversations and exploration with my daughter.
Heidi at Starts at Eight
A Library of Documentaries Provide Hours and Hours of Extra Learning for Gifted Kids
Nothing can fill a gifted child’s insatiable need to know more, to explore their own thoughts and ideas, and to test those against another’s thoughts quite like the use of documentaries. Watching historical or scientific shows can help a student discover new ideas and test their own ideas concerning a given topic. With the CuriosityStream Educational Video Network, you’ll find hundreds of documentaries that are high quality and offer a range of philosophies to explore. CuriosityStream is the world’s first ad-free, on-demand, streaming service for quality educational programs that both inspire and entertain.
CuriosityStream has a video for just about any science or history topic, as well as various other subjects. We’ve watched several and haven’t even made a dent in the 1,000+ high-quality documentaries and series created by some of the most accomplished producers from around the world.
Amy from Amy’s Wanderings
Extra Learning with Scientific Literacy Helps Gifted Kids Remember the Big Picture
Sometimes, when our young children are exploring rabbit trails of knowledge they can miss the big picture. They might be able to tell you everything there is to know about the periodic table at age 10, but they might not be able to explain the scientific method and how it relates to experimenting with elements of the periodic table. Scientific literacy is a more generalized scientific knowledge. And it’s important for us to ensure our gifted students have good scientific literacy so they don’t become so hyper-focused that they miss the big picture.
Marci explains in her article the importance of how to promote scientific literacy in your homeschool. And shares how the book Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned … But Probably Didn’t!
Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned … But Probably Didn’t!
Marci at The Homeschool Scientist
What are some of your favorite ways to keep your gifted learners engaged?
