by Lucius Trae

Created on: August 09, 2010

Gifted children have personalities like everyone else, and most of them are regular kids. The images of a child reading Shakespeare and playing with a chemistry set aren't commonplace, even amongst gifted children. Kids don't always gravitate towards academically challenging material because, well, they're kids that like to play sports and watch cartoons. Some kids fill the stereotypical "nerd" role and wear their lab-coats at age six. However, many of these children are pressured by their parents and end up with issues later in life. Genius or not, it's important to let kids be kids.

On that note, gifted children may enjoy reading a variety of books. If you have access to their library, you can utilize sites like Librarything or Goodreads. These websites allow you to input lists of books, and they will then produce suggestions of things to read based on those who have similar interests (usually other kids with accounts or their parents). They also have accompanying ratings and even reviews of the books in question.

Additionally, selecting books with a child is always an option. Children enjoy making their own purchases, and a gift certificate to spend on books can allow a child to make their own selections. However, you can also surprise them by purchasing something that looks interesting. Knowing your child's interests, look for material related to those subjects.

Selecting books for children is difficult, and it's beneficial to choose something that is either a classic, popular, and/or award winning. Unknown or less popular authors can be good, but it's less likely compared to the above. Furthermore, determining your child's reading level can be helpful in determining what books will be challenging for them. Some children will read at a high level and make adult books most appropriate for them in terms of "difficulty level."

To end off, it's also important to recognize that gifted children will not melt if exposed to some adult material. Historically, many children read classical philosophical and literary texts as part of their education. They did not turn out psychologically scarred from reading Shakespeare, and if anything, it broadened their perspective. The idea that some topics just aren't age appropriate is a myth. Topics are appropriate with respect to who is capable of understanding the concepts. Adults don't understand everything themselves, despite what they like to believe, and it's part of the education process to become exposed to material that introduces new concepts.

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