My son just recited the alphabet backwards from memory.

FutureGuy

Hi all,
My son (25 months) was getting ready for bed this evening. He came to to me and said the alphabet from start to finish. Now he’s been doing that for about a month now so no surprise there.

Once he finished. He paused and then, without faltering, went from Z back to A. Again from memory.

He is constantly surprising us with his learning but this caught me completely off guard. FFS I can barely do that.

We are always trying to challenge him and he is soaking up everything we broke at him. Now that I know he can do this, I’m terrified we aren’t stimulating him enough as we never once challenged him to do that. Are there any websites I can read that gives me ideas on what to do next.

I promise this isn’t a humble brag but if he shows signs of being anyway gifted in a part of his life, we want to maximise it as much as we can.

shesty

No, I would do nothing.
Let him play.The only websites I would suggest looking at are the ones that give evidence of play based learning and the impact of creativity on the development of a child.He is at the prime point of his young years for it.Let him learn how to amuse himself, without you providing the entertainment, and let him do it unguided through play and outdoors as much as possible.By all means sit and do jigsaws and colour with him to help fine motor skills and read tonnes of books, or try building Duplo and that, but I would absolutely shy well away from making flashcards or teaching numbers or letters or writing.There is time enough for all of that, now is the time for him to learn about social interactions and the world around him.
I am only speaking from my own short experiences of watching the development between 2 and 5....I just think there are things far more important than numbers and letters that they need to learn in those years.

lawred2

Not sure I could even do that now

Homelander

lawred2 wrote: »

Not sure I could even do that now

Not sure? I barely got past Z on an imprompu attempt

realdanbreen

FutureGuy wrote: »

Hi all,
My son (25 months) was getting ready for bed this evening. He came to to me and said the alphabet from start to finish. Now he’s been doing that for about a month now so no surprise there.

Once he finished. He paused and then, without faltering, went from Z back to A. Again from memory.

He is constantly surprising us with his learning but this caught me completely off guard. FFS I can barely do that.

We are always trying to challenge him and he is soaking up everything we broke at him. Now that I know he can do this, I’m terrified we aren’t stimulating him enough as we never once challenged him to do that. Are there any websites I can read that gives me ideas on what to do next.

I promise this isn’t a humble brag but if he shows signs of being anyway gifted in a part of his life, we want to maximise it as much as we can.

I'm not sure if this is impressive or scary.
What do you intend doing next?

volchitsa

FutureGuy wrote: »

Hi all,
My son (25 months) was getting ready for bed this evening. He came to to me and said the alphabet from start to finish. Now he’s been doing that for about a month now so no surprise there.

Once he finished. He paused and then, without faltering, went from Z back to A. Again from memory.

He is constantly surprising us with his learning but this caught me completely off guard. FFS I can barely do that.

We are always trying to challenge him and he is soaking up everything we broke at him. Now that I know he can do this, I’m terrified we aren’t stimulating him enough as we never once challenged him to do that. Are there any websites I can read that gives me ideas on what to do next.

I promise this isn’t a humble brag but if he shows signs of being anyway gifted in a part of his life, we want to maximise it as much as we can.

As a recent grandmother, I would say from experience and observation that if he is really gifted (and TBF the alphabet backwards sounds pretty amazing alright) then he has his whole life to develop in an all-rounded way that won't leave him unable to deal with the social and interpersonal relationships that are probably more important in terms of being happy in your life.

He's not going to become stupid just because he isn't constantly being pushed to the extreme limit of what he is capable of academically or intellectually.

To caricature, perhaps, (but not that much - look up some of those kids who went to Cambridge at 14 or became a chess grand master at 6 and see what happened when they reached adulthood and realized how much their parents had deprived them of) do you want an amazing geek who is interviewed on RTE for having got his Leaving Cert at 9 and been taken to Harvard at 12 (when he is far too young to make any friends there)? And who quite possibly "explodes in flight" as a young adult?

Or do you want to raise a well balanced adult who, assuming he is really intelligent at two, will still be just as intelligent at 20 or 30, and will have emotional and social skills as well?

volchitsa

Homelander wrote: »

Not sure? I barely got past Z on an imprompu attempt

Me too, I got stuck after ZYX! And I think I'm a fairly literate person.

That is seriously impressive and he sounds like a very clever little man.

One thing I would do is check that someone has not taught him this by heart at creche or at a childminder's. My son sometimes does things that surprise us but before declaring him a genius I always check with his childminder and inevitably it is something she has taught him during the day.

shesty

shesty wrote: »

No, I would do nothing.
Let him play.The only websites I would suggest looking at are the ones that give evidence of play based learning and the impact of creativity on the development of a child.He is at the prime point of his young years for it.Let him learn how to amuse himself, without you providing the entertainment, and let him do it unguided through play and outdoors as much as possible.By all means sit and do jigsaws and colour with him to help fine motor skills and read tonnes of books, or try building Duplo and that, but I would absolutely shy well away from making flashcards or teaching numbers or letters or writing.There is time enough for all of that, now is the time for him to learn about social interactions and the world around him.
I am only speaking from my own short experiences of watching the development between 2 and 5....I just think there are things far more important than numbers and letters that they need to learn in those years.

Solid advice. If they self teach themselves how to read and write don't stop them, but their social and emotional development at that age is hugely important. Give the child as many opportunities as you can to play with other children and to develop those skills.

FutureGuy

shesty wrote: »

No, I would do nothing.
Let him play.The only websites I would suggest looking at are the ones that give evidence of play based learning and the impact of creativity on the development of a child. He is at the prime point of his young years for it.Let him learn how to amuse himself, without you providing the entertainment, and let him do it unguided through play and outdoors as much as possible.By all means sit and do jigsaws and colour with him to help fine motor skills and read tonnes of books, or try building Duplo and that, but I would absolutely shy well away from making flashcards or teaching numbers or letters or writing.There is time enough for all of that, now is the time for him to learn about social interactions and the world around him.
I am only speaking from my own short experiences of watching the development between 2 and 5....I just think there are things far more important than numbers and letters that they need to learn in those years.

This is great advice shesty, thank you. Myself and my wife have been thinking along those lines. The funny thing is that, speech wise, he only had 4-5 words at the start of February and now he can just repeat 2-3 syllable words and make short sentences (mama light on thanks). It's just exploded out of him.

The only thing we tried to instil in him is a love of learning from the get-go and not to be afraid to get something wrong. Since then, he wants to learn non stop. He can point out about 40 animals in English and Polish, knows the planets (knows he lives on Earth and can say Mars, Satu(rn), Urth, Moon, Sun. Can count to 20 (he can't pronounce some of them buy you can make out he knows it), he's doing 20-piece jigsaws (once we think he is doing it from memory, we give him another one). The funny thing is we are not forcing any of it on him, he is constantly asking for it.

I think the social element is crucial - we even said we don't want him to know all the letters and numbers but not be able to socialize - he now goes to playgroups three times a week and will go to preschool in September. We get to an outdoor and indoor playground when we can. He is making friends too. We were worried last year but he is being so nice with other kids now - sharing toys and waiting his turn. So yeah, the socialization is one of the main areas for us now.

FutureGuy

Deleted User wrote: »

Solid advice. If they self teach themselves how to read and write don't stop them, but their social and emotional development at that age is hugely important. Give the child as many opportunities as you can to play with other children and to develop those skills.

Absolutely. As teh weather picks up again, he will go to the park every day too.

FutureGuy

volchitsa wrote: »

As a recent grandmother, I would say from experience and observation that if he is really gifted (and TBF the alphabet backwards sounds pretty amazing alright) then he has his whole life to develop in an all-rounded way that won't leave him unable to deal with the social and interpersonal relationships that are probably more important in terms of being happy in your life.

He's not going to become stupid just because he isn't constantly being pushed to the extreme limit of what he is capable of academically or intellectually.

To caricature, perhaps, (but not that much - look up some of those kids who went to Cambridge at 14 or became a chess grand master at 6 and see what happened when they reached adulthood and realized how much their parents had deprived them of) do you want an amazing geek who is interviewed on RTE for having got his Leaving Cert at 9 and been taken to Harvard at 12 (when he is far too young to make any friends there)? And who quite possibly "explodes in flight" as a young adult?

Or do you want to raise a well balanced adult who, assuming he is really intelligent at two, will still be just as intelligent at 20 or 30, and will have emotional and social skills as well?

Thanks volchitsa. Our goal was to nurture his love of learning and make him fearless when it comes to making mistakes. But we want him to also have a childhood full of fun and excitement. We have no inetntion of being parents that will lock him away in a room so he becomes a genius as, being brutally honesty, I have very little faith in the modern school environment where a child is tested on a small range of the human spectrum.

TheW1zard

Buy him a rubix cube

realdanbreen

Sounds like he would be a good kid in later years to bring to Vegas and get him playing Blackjack!

shesty

FutureGuy wrote: »

This is great advice shesty, thank you. Myself and my wife have been thinking along those lines. The funny thing is that, speech wise, he only had 4-5 words at the start of February and now he can just repeat 2-3 syllable words and make short sentences (mama light on thanks). It's just exploded out of him.

The only thing we tried to instil in him is a love of learning from the get-go and not to be afraid to get something wrong. Since then, he wants to learn non stop. He can point out about 40 animals in English and Polish, knows the planets (knows he lives on Earth and can say Mars, Satu(rn), Urth, Moon, Sun. Can count to 20 (he can't pronounce some of them buy you can make out he knows it), he's doing 20-piece jigsaws (once we think he is doing it from memory, we give him another one). The funny thing is we are not forcing any of it on him, he is constantly asking for it.

I think the social element is crucial - we even said we don't want him to know all the letters and numbers but not be able to socialize - he now goes to playgroups three times a week and will go to preschool in September. We get to an outdoor and indoor playground when we can. He is making friends too. We were worried last year but he is being so nice with other kids now - sharing toys and waiting his turn. So yeah, the socialization is one of the main areas for us now.

Absolutely, if he is interested then go for it with the jigsaws and books and that, just make sure to balance it with loads of time where you are not involved with entertaining him, and he is knee deep in duplo, or muck or sand or whatever!My own eldest is very bright and absolutely sucks up information, probably far past her age, but I have realised that while I can easily give her all the information her heart desires about writing her letters, and why the moon changes shape, and what the speed limit signs mean (our conversations are vast), it is much harder to give her an answer when she she says someone called her bossy, or why she has to take her turn in class and let other people have a go at talking, or why she can't throw a tantrum if she doesn't win playing snakes and ladders.

You do have to remind yourself they are ONLY 2, or ONLY 5 when they are like that and just let them be their age, and keep an eye on what is suitable for their age.To paraphrase one of the other posts, if goes into JI knowing all the academic stuff, but can't deal with being told no, or taking his turn, or realise he can't control all the games, then it is a trickier problem than if he goes in with no academic knowledge, but better skills in the other areas.Play is everything at that age, unregulated free play.

BarryD2

I'm think this child is your first? So finding your way? Our eldest was something like that, very keen and quick to pick things up. I think the thing is to help them go where their interests take them. There are several different areas of ability and intelligence, so maybe he excels in some and not others. As long as he leads the learning and you facilitate him, you'll be grand. Don't take any notice of people who advise against 'nerd' tendencies. It's important to distinguish between letting a child or anyone learn at their own rate and 'hot housing' them - that latter is not a good idea.

If he shows an interest in numbers, mental arithmetic and solving wee problems without paper are great. Likewise in time any sort of puzzles, card or board games that encourage strategy and logic. Gaming comes in many forms but there are very good strategy games when he gets older. Lots of self led reading - join the local libraries.

Depending on how things work out, you may find in time he finds school frustrating and boring as there can be endless repetition. There's a one size fits all approach, despite what teachers can do here & there to help more able students. For a child that picks up concepts quickly, that can be a real downer.

StupidLikeAFox

If he does indeed show signs of being gifted down the line then this is the place for him: https://www.dcu.ie/ctyi/index.shtml

cant26

shesty wrote: »

Absolutely, if he is interested then go for it with the jigsaws and books and that, just make sure to balance it with loads of time where you are not involved with entertaining him, and he is knee deep in duplo, or muck or sand or whatever!My own eldest is very bright and absolutely sucks up information, probably far past her age, but I have realised that while I can easily give her all the information her heart desires about writing her letters, and why the moon changes shape, and what the speed limit signs mean (our conversations are vast), it is much harder to give her an answer when she she says someone called her bossy, or why she has to take her turn in class and let other people have a go at talking, or why she can't throw a tantrum if she doesn't win playing snakes and ladders.

You do have to remind yourself they are ONLY 2, or ONLY 5 when they are like that and just let them be their age, and keep an eye on what is suitable for their age.To paraphrase one of the other posts, if goes into JI knowing all the academic stuff, but can't deal with being told no, or taking his turn, or realise he can't control all the games, then it is a trickier problem than if he goes in with no academic knowledge, but better skills in the other areas.Play is everything at that age, unregulated free play.

Omg your eldest sounds exactly like my eldest! Six almost seven year old! So inquisitive and like a sponge but so emotional too! The factual questions are easier to deal wilt!!!

downwesht

I don't want to be alarmist or anything here but we had a similar experience with our girl at that age,she has since been diagnosed with ASD.Emotional issues also arose ........I'm not saying that your children have this but maybe keep it in mind.....the earlier the diagnosis the better.

Roadtoad

Next: The periodic table. Frontways until he's 36 months.

This guy can really piss off teachers.

antix80

Maybe get him into poker. Have you seen rainman?

Honestly.

If he simply heard someone else doing it and repeated it, it's not exactly a feat.

If he heard someone counting backwards and decided to apply the same logic to the alphabet, that's pretty impressive.

If he took it upon himself to say the alphabet backwards.. That's a bit weird.

PokeHerKing

Man I can't get past W! I'd be excited and terrified if my 2yo blurted that out to be honest.

shesty

downwesht wrote: »

I don't want to be alarmist or anything here but we had a similar experience with our girl at that age,she has since been diagnosed with ASD.Emotional issues also arose ........I'm not saying that your children have this but maybe keep it in mind.....the earlier the diagnosis the better.

It is something I am very aware of and was even thinking of last night....and I have asked the question alright over the last few years....but no, for us, I am happy she isn't.Emotional regulation has been tricky, but I can see improvements in her all the time and I can see her changing as she grows and managing better, which is a relief.If she wasn't, I would be worried.

shesty

shesty wrote: »

It is something I am very aware of and was even thinking of last night....and I have asked the question alright over the last few years....but no, for us, I am happy she isn't.Emotional regulation has been tricky, but I can see improvements in her all the time and I can see her changing as she grows and managing better, which is a relief.If she wasn't, I would be worried.

I wouldn't stress about ASD yet. I'm a teacher and have a gifted child in my class at the moment. One of his biggest issues is that he cannot understand why his classmates are not operating at the same level as him and can be quite condescending and mean spirited towards them. He also tends to try and hijack lessons and dominate class discussions.

As they are quite young the other children don't pay much heed to this now but I have warned his parents that as he moves through school this will become more apparent and they will start to notice that he is different.

At the moment I am working with his parents on social and emotional empathy and understanding the need to wear his learning lightly.

With this in mind, I think that social and emotional development is hugely important in gifted children. Facilitate play - with others their own age where possible - as this is where children learn so many of the important building blocks for life. Organise play dates and get them into clubs and even sports if they are inclined.

Encourage them to be kids even if, as they grow, they are inclined towards solitary play, reading and researching. The child in my class has become obsessed with and overwhelmed by completing projects on topics from black holes to chemical engineering - he's 6! - and sometimes struggles to just enjoy himself and be a kid and have a childhood.

minikin

He’s two years old, the only things you should be concerned about maximising are hugs and fun with him. Please don’t dedicate his life to intellectual challenges, the results of which are to be managed and measured.... plenty of time for that in adulthood.

FutureGuy

Deleted User wrote: »

I wouldn't stress about ASD yet. I'm a teacher and have a gifted child in my class at the moment. One of his biggest issues is that he cannot understand why his classmates are not operating at the same level as him and can be quite condescending and mean spirited towards them. He also tends to try and hijack lessons and dominate class discussions.

As they are quite young the other children don't pay much heed to this now but I have warned his parents that as he moves through school this will become more apparent and they will start to notice that he is different.

At the moment I am working with his parents on social and emotional empathy and understanding the need to wear his learning lightly.

With this in mind, I think that social and emotional development is hugely important in gifted children. Facilitate play - with others their own age where possible - as this is where children learn so many of the important building blocks for life. Organise play dates and get them into clubs and even sports if they are inclined.

Encourage them to be kids even if, as they grow, they are inclined towards solitary play, reading and researching. The child in my class has become obsessed with and overwhelmed by completing projects on topics from black holes to chemical engineering - he's 6! - and sometimes struggles to just enjoy himself and be a kid and have a childhood.

I agree with this. Our focus is on interaction and socialization with other kids. He wasn't great but he is coming on leaps and bounds.

We go to parkrun any Saturday we can so he sees that running is a great passtime and we are enrolling him in Littlekicks soon.

I will of course worry about his interaction with kids when he gets to school but I will work towards this.

shesty

He will do a lot of socialising and learning about it in the ECCE years. If you can find a play-based playschool, even better.

FutureGuy

shesty wrote: »

He will do a lot of socialising and learning about it in the ECCE years. If you can find a play-based playschool, even better.

Hi all,
Thanks for all the advice from this group. So it’s 6 months later and he’s now 2 1/2. He’s become far more social and is going to play dates and to the park nearly every day to play and meet other kids. He’s also really enjoying playing with his toys and is role playing with them.

He still is incredibly hungry for learning. Is speaking some Polish (mom is from Kraków) and is able to do a lot of other things - knows all the planets, about 30 different dinosaurs by name (can say them all) in addition to animals, can count to 100+, can use sentences with 10+ words when necessary (we go to the shop and buy some blueberries and raspberries and bread etc., knows were animals come from (the giraffe is from Africa).

We were thinking of taking him to a child psychologist to to make sure he is all good.

Sounds like he's doing great. Well done.

I'm not sure a child psychologist is going to tell you much this early. It kinda sounds like you might want some confirmation that he is a gifted but, again, there is not much that can or will be done about that until he gets to school and then maybe when he gets to 7 years of age he can enrol in a special programme.

Ash.J.Williams

FutureGuy wrote: »

Hi all,
My son (25 months) was getting ready for bed this evening. He came to to me and said the alphabet from start to finish. Now he’s been doing that for about a month now so no surprise there.

Once he finished. He paused and then, without faltering, went from Z back to A. Again from memory.

He is constantly surprising us with his learning but this caught me completely off guard. FFS I can barely do that.

We are always trying to challenge him and he is soaking up everything we broke at him. Now that I know he can do this, I’m terrified we aren’t stimulating him enough as we never once challenged him to do that. Are there any websites I can read that gives me ideas on what to do next.

I promise this isn’t a humble brag but if he shows signs of being anyway gifted in a part of his life, we want to maximise it as much as we can.

How many decimal places can he recite Pi?

something i found interesting the chap with the record for reciting Pi sees numbers in the same way jimi hendrix saw music.

i heard that from separate interviews with them both and linked them.

I guess if you see maths as numbers and music as notes, you will struggle, but if you see them as colours you are a natural!

I think your boy sees colours!