Gifted children are fascinating because they are always seeking new challenges and wanted to be tested again and again. They are ahead of the curve and are able to understand things before others can. This also requires specific, honed training to make sure they are maximizing their potential and not starting to get bored. One of the biggest concerns with gifted children is not challenging them enough and seeing them fall behind and becoming reserved with their educational progress. This is why it is essential to focus on the different types of enrichment activities for gifted children.
Exploratory Activities
When it comes to enrichment activities for gifted children, there is nothing better than exploratory activities. These are activities where the student’s mind is going to be opened more and more as they are able to interact with the world around them.
Examples of these kinds of activities include things such as field trips and just moving out and about to get a better understanding of how the world works. This is essential for those students who are always able to excel with regular school activities and need to be placed in a more open environment.
Small Group Problem Solving
Group tasks are essential for gifted children as they can become used to independent learning methods. They need to be placed in groups to maximize their potential and increase their socialization skills along with their problem solving abilities.
Examples of these kinds of activities include doing things such as written reports, group presentations, or debates. It is just a little interaction between classmates to get the most out of the gifted child. Allowing them to only study independently is not a successful formula and will put them down the wrong path. These activities are essential to make sure they are progressing correctly and honing their gift.
Group Training
The final enrichment activity comes through a more extensive group training method. Instead of focusing on smaller groups with debates and presentations, this method looks at larger groups. These groups provide an extended look at how the gifted child is able to interact with those around them and learn to both lead and follow.
Examples of these group training activities include things such as group circles. These are designed to help the child learn more about critical thinking, facilitation and classification skills that otherwise would not be used in a more independent setting.
These are some of the methods that can be employed when trying to find the right kind of enrichment activities for gifted children. It is easy to get complacent when it comes to gifted children because they are ahead of the curve, but often they require the most attention. They want to be challenged like anyone else and their minds are often running at a thousand miles per hour. It is important to rein them back in and control that energy in a direction that is going to compliment their learning abilities.
