Who, What, Why?

Characteristics and Behaviors of Gifted Children

After all this we still ask the question: What is a gifted child? What characteristics jump out at us so we know whom to test? Is there a concrete definition of a gifted child? As you read the characteristics listed below you will discover that gifted children are as diverse as the number of snowflakes in a blizzard! But, observing a variety of these characteristics in any one child should be a good indicator that the child may be a candidate for referral for the gifted program.

General Behavior Characteristics

Gifted children's behavior differs from that of their age-mates in the following ways:

  • Many gifted children learn to read early, with better comprehension of the nuances of language. As much as half the gifted and talented population has learned to read before entering school.
  • Gifted children often read widely, quickly, and intensely and have large vocabularies.

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Learning Characteristics

Gifted children are natural learners who often show many of these characteristics:

  • They may show keen powers of observation and a sense of the significant; they have an eye for important details.
  • They may read a great deal on their own, preferring books and magazines written for children older than they are.

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Creative Characteristics

Gifted children's creative abilities often set them apart from their age-mates. These characteristics may take the following forms:

  • Gifted children are fluent thinkers, able to generate possibilities, consequences, or related ideas.
  • They are flexible thinkers, able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving.

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parent iconShare this list of characteristics with the parents of your students.  Being familiar with the characteristics and behaviors of gifted children will be helpful when they assist their children with their learning activities.

Many of these characteristics are found in almost everyone we meet leaving us two choices – teach everybody as though they are gifted developing a totally unique educational plan for each child, or select several significant areas where some tend to rise/perform above the rest. Thus, creativity becomes a major factor when determining who will be eligible for gifted programs