CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GIFTED

What are the characteristics that make gifted children stand out from their friends? Parents keep asking this question. They know their child is smart, but can they be gifted, too? It is actually not that difficult to spot gifted children, because they are usually very different from their peers and have some common characteristics. 

First of all, they observe their environment very carefully and ask a lot of questions about it. They can even be annoying at some point because they ask too many questions. The answers to these questions might not be very easy to find. For example, a gifted 4 year-old might ask why there are wars in the world and they won’t be satisfied with a simple answer. Gifted children usually have a strong passion for a certain topic and they think about it all the time. When they get a new hobby, they can spend hours on it. This is called “intense interest”.

They are usually sensitive to social issues like crime, poverty, violence, hunger, etc. They always try to find a way to solve these problems. Gifted children are also very good at using the language. They have a wide range of vocabulary and they love crossword puzzles, word games, and puns. Such children also have an advanced sense of humour thanks to their language skills.

Most importantly, gifted children enjoy learning new things. They prefer books and magazines to less challenging pastime activities. The more they learn, the more they fall in love with knowledge and the more they want to learn.