Home
Log in / Sign Up
    Private Messages   Advanced Search   Rules   New User Guide   FAQ   Advertise   Contact Us  
Forum -> Parenting our children
Keeping gifted kids entertained
1  2  Next



Post new topic   Reply to topic View latest: 24h 48h 72h

missknowitall




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 9:31 am
My 7 year old is very bright, and she gets bored very easily. I am out of ideas. She loves doing math and word problems, puzzles, mazes, hidden pictures etc... She can finish a fat workbook in an hour. Does anyone have ideas of things that will keep her busier for longer, or unique ideas I haven't thought of? We do limit electronics/ screen time so preferably nothing like that.
Back to top

amother
Tangerine


 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 10:58 am
There are a lot of fun puzzles to print on https://krazydad.com/.
Does she have rushhour? Check out any other games by the same maker as well.

A huge puzzle can last a while.
Back to top

Queen18




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 11:10 am
big lego sets including lego architechual
200-300 piece puzzles and more depending on her abilities

The best thing you can do for her would be to get her interested in reading. If she becomes a reader she'll never be bored! Try to find books that appeal to her. Even offer bribes or have a reward system for every 10 minutes she reads a day. Once she's interested on her own the reading will be its own reward.
Back to top

Inspire




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 11:38 am
Try the Alex brand of crafts/games. Teach her how to use a sewing machine. Encourage learning a musical instrument. If she's interested, encourage creative writing. Try exercise to Jewish music.
Back to top

mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 11:42 am
My seven year old son is also gifted in the areas of comprehension and verbal skills. He is a voracious reader which keeps him very busy. He loves to learn about anything. Like many kids like this his social skills and maturity do not match his intellect so we spend quite a bit of time on his social emotional needs which also keeps him busy.
Back to top

zgp




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 12:53 pm
Give regular activities adjusted to use more brain power.

eg. if jumping rope, get her to jump while saying a poem
let her bake one and a half times a recipe
get her to build something from cereal boxes
get her to write a play and act it out for you
give her hands on measuring and working out eg I have five boxes 5x5 to fit on this shelf, how can I make it work? let her measure and work it out
teach her map reading and let her work out five routes to one place
teach her to write music notes and ask her to write out tunes for you

gifted kids love doing things which have a practical purpose

get her to prepare a dvar torah from easy seforim for shabbos table
get her to design a cushion on paper and then embroider it

You are basically using regular activities but pushing them up a level to design rather than being given a designed task and doing it
Back to top

seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:16 pm
If she's crunching through workbooks so quickly, I'm thinking you should steer more toward creative pursuits. Something open-ended. Instead of random puzzles, see if there's a topic that interests her that she'd like to learn more about and then do things with. Lego is a fabulous idea, other building/creating toys are also helpful.
Back to top

flowerpower




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:19 pm
Check out “thinkfun” games. They are good for the brain.

What about pretend play? Any imagination stuff like dolls, magna tiles etc?
Back to top

amother
Floralwhite


 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:37 pm
Why does it have to be educational.
Color, sew, jewelry making, hook rug, easy needle point.
What interests does she have.
Back to top

missknowitall




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:44 pm
She is very creative and spends a lot of time drawing and writing, I encourage her to use art supplies and create but she hates cleaning up afterwards so that becomes a problem. She has a lot of lego but again she hates cleaning up little pieces, so she would rather not play with it. She does play with her barbies sometimes.
Back to top

missknowitall




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:45 pm
We did get a toy sewing machine as a gift a few years ago that I put away for a later use, I should probably take that out and see if she enjoys it.
Back to top

seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:47 pm
Oh well, then let her decide if she wants to clean up after herself or just be bored. Also, not all art is equally messy.

Does she have a social life that could keep her busy?
Back to top

missknowitall




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:50 pm
seeker wrote:
Oh well, then let her decide if she wants to clean up after herself or just be bored. Also, not all art is equally messy.

Does she have a social life that could keep her busy?


We just moved so she doesn't have a great social life currently, hoping it will get better when school starts.
Back to top

amother
Chartreuse


 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:58 pm
try weltman's 'this is not a mathbook'

it is very logicval and still extremely creative and CHALLENGING

my gifted kids LOVE it
Back to top

seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 2:58 pm
Oh, I see now. Good luck! Is there any place you can go out to meet people meanwhile?
Back to top

SpottedBanana




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 3:20 pm
Maybe encourage her to think like a businesswoman? Lemonade stand? I remember playing an online lemonade stand game as a girl but it would have been so much fun to make one in real life -- you give her some startup capital of say $10 and unlimited water and you say OK, you have to determine how much to spend on lemons and sugar. Is it worth it to buy fresh lemons or will lemon juice from the store do just as well? Maybe sell both sugar and Splenda versions? How high can you price the lemonade before you start to significantly lose customers? Are there any other products people would like the convenience of buying on a sidewalk, like ice cold water? She might love the idea of you giving her enough money to "invest" in a water cooler and then she gets to keep whatever she makes from selling ice cold water minus your investment.

I also love the ideas above. I did a lot of small cross-stitching sets at that age, they are self-contained and can be found at any craft store or on Amazon.

Major kudos to you for limiting screen time! You are instead encouraging her to do activities which will build self-confidence Smile
Back to top

DVOM




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 3:29 pm
We are constantly looking for things to engage my gifted son. My son has currently taken up welding, with my husband's help. He really loves taking apart old electronics (computers, phones, toasters, anything with an engine) and welding the parts back together to make other stuff. I confess I don't really understand half of the things he's doing, but he's built a weather alarm (it sticks out the window and BEEEEPS when it rains) and a clock and lots of other stuff that don't actually do anything but were great fun to make. Past passions include outer space (for almost two years we were all avidly following the New Horizons space probe as it traveled to Pluto), baking (which has a surprising amount of math) and of course his most favorite thing in the whole wide world, LEGO. He is also a great reader. Hope this helps! Good luck OP!
Back to top

amother
Azure


 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 9:14 pm
I don't know how much you are willing to spend, but there are a lot of games that can keep a smart child occupied for a while. There are also STEM subscription services that send a box each month with something for the child to build and experiment with.

Here are some things my daughter enjoys:

https://www.amazon.com/SmartGa....._1_12

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.....QZHE2

https://www.amazon.com/Think-F.....a_1_3

What about a Rubik's cube?
Back to top

amother
Cyan


 

Post Wed, Aug 08 2018, 9:31 pm
I don't know your daughter, but I do know that many gifted children have an underdeveloped sense of empathy. Because they are somewhat different from their peers, and often get praised for their intellectual gifts, they don't exercise their compassion muscles as much as they should. Seven is pretty young, but maybe she can visit senior citizens or an animal shelter or otherwise be involved in chessed.
Back to top

erm




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 09 2018, 7:30 am
learn a musical instrument
Back to top
Page 1 of 2 1  2  Next Recent Topics




Post new topic   Reply to topic    Forum -> Parenting our children

Related Topics Replies Last Post
Some kids don’t thrive in a school setting 24 Today at 6:00 pm View last post
I love frum fashion for kids
by amother
146 Today at 5:50 pm View last post
Are all kids like this??
by amother
4 Today at 11:49 am View last post
Belati Kids
by amother
0 Today at 8:05 am View last post
Saying no to kids for selfish reasons
by amother
47 Today at 4:37 am View last post