[flowers222]

My daughter is very intelligent and becomes bored easily. She's also very mature for her age. She likes to talk to adults about serious subjects. I have 4 daughters, and she has always been different. I feel guilty because I'm spread so thin between them all. She learned her multipication in 5 days. She wants to move on, and complains about why they have to do the same thing over and over. Her chess teacher told me I need to do something with her, because her chess moves demonstrate traits of a genius level. My eldest daughter is also in the class and he didn't have much to say about her, so I feel he's not just saying something that isn't true to keep her in chess. She's interested in becoming a doctor and I'd like to continue to learn at her pace so she can achieve what she wants in life. Sometimes I feel like pulling her out of school and having her taught by a private tutor, but she really likes her friends. She's also been put up a grade level in an enrichment program. She stll gets bored. I heard there is a window for children who are really smart to get them on the right path for them. Thanks for your time. I lose sleep worrying that I'm not doing the best thing for her.

[Wondergirl]

Teach her to rely on herself, to entertain herself and not have to depend on anyone else to keep her from getting bored. That is the best thing my parents did for me.

Always encourage her to go beyond the assignment and not expect extra credit or special happiness from the teacher. After all, your daughter is doing it for herself, to learn more and more on her own.

For instance, when I read an assigned book for school, I did that but also make a booklet about the characters and drew pictures of them or, if food was mentioned in the story, I would make that food with my mother's help. I had my own encyclopedia set and read all 20 volumes from cover to cover. I took piano lessons and studied bugs and spiders and always kept an open mind to learn more.

[linnealand]

Teach her to rely on herself, to entertain herself and not have to depend on anyone else to keep her from getting bored.

I loved this line, and I couldn't agree more. Intelligence and natural curiosity go hand in hand. Some of the best things you can do as her mother would be to encourage that curiosity, to provide her with the resources that allow her to keep challenging herself, to instill in her a healthy amount of confidence and self-belief, and to supply her with as much balance as you can in all aspects of her life.

What's more important than the exact books she chooses is that she has a large resource of books available for her to choose from. She will probably dabble in different kinds of books and find herself naturally attracted to certain categories. This can help to show you where her interests lie and what her strengths are, which will also give you the possibility to foster those things within her. Regularly scheduled trips to a good public library would be a great idea.

As far as specific books go, I wouldn't dream of raising a child without having them read every single book ever published by Roald Dahl. The BFG is my favorite of the bunch, but they're all wonderful. Granted, they fall into the category of children's books, but I find them to be so special that I will still go back to reread them again as an adult. Other great and classic reads appropriate for her now or in the near future are Ann of Green Gables, books by Madeleine L'Engle (like A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels, the Nancy Drew series, The Chronicles of Narnia, books by Shel Silverstein, and various books of poetry.

I can understand some of your frustrations when watching your daughter get bored despite the efforts that have gone into ameliorating her previous boredom. Although I was given all of the opportunities available to me when I was in school, from gifted programs to being placed in advanced classes up to three grades higher than my own, I also had times when I still ran into real boredom. I think it had much more to do with the structure of the classes and the methods of teaching than with the materials themselves. It's true that most schools don't know how to deal with the needs of highly gifted children in the best way possible, but they usually just don't have the financial resources or enough time to dedicate to a single child with very special or very different needs. Moreover, I don't believe that most teachers get enough training to supply them with all of the necessary tools that could help them to better handle then needs of all gifted children. I do believe that this simply means that parents need to be as proactive and involved as possible in their children's education.

I can understand your consideration of homeschooling over classical schooling, but you're also going to have to weigh the social implications of that kind of a decision. Perhaps you could find a happy medium between the two. If this were my child, I would be looking into any available private schools or magnet schools that might be a better fit long term. I happen to love the Rudolf Steiner school system; there are Rudolf Steiner schools all over the world, so you might very well be able to find one in your area. As I see it, when I do have my own children, that's exactly where I will want to send them.

Great after school activities can also be a wonderful addition to your child's life. I loved reading that your daughters are involved in chess lessons. It's an ideal example of a fun, constructive and learning-based activity in which people of above average intelligence really have a chance to thrive. Of course, you don't have to stick with purely intellectual activities to encourage your daughter's overall growth. Girl Scouts, horseback riding lessons, dance, art lessons, music lessons, acting, language classes, team sports, and storytelling workshops are also wonderful options. Creativity in general is a phenomenal foil for personal growth, intellectual growth, social interaction, confidence building, and discovery.

Have you had your daughter's IQ tested? If not, it might be something to consider. However, if you do go this route, I would suggest that you not reveal her score to her. You might not even want her to know that she's being tested for her IQ. No matter what the result, you do not want her to get caught on the meaning of that number. Mensa has some great resources for gifted children and their parents. They also do testing. I would suggest contacting them for more information.

I would absolutely love to hear an update as this story unfolds. Please let us know how everything goes! Best wishes.

[claireinNC123]

Hey. Im gifted like your daughter and I'm in 6th grade. I think you should put her in the gifted program because it will challenge her to her full potential. She will be kept with children her own age and are mature and have the same interests as her. Some will be smarter and some less smart, but give or take a few, most will be at her level. From personal experence I LOOOOVE the gifted program AND school!! ( how many pre teens do you hear say that, lol) Now I don't sit bored all day, drowning out what the teacher says, and getting in to trouble. I'm with people like myself and your daughter, and I think this is wear she should go.