• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

advanced learners: 8 ways to support them at home

home / family life / parenting / advanced learners: 8 ways to support them at home
794 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Ways to Support Advanced Learners at Home

The following guest post is written by Natalie, ofย Afterschool for Smarty Pants. ย  Natalie shares ways she enriches her daughter’s learning at home, after school.ย  Check it out.

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”

As you can guess from my blog title, Smarty is a gifted learner who loves books and enjoys math and science, so these subjects are the main themes of my blog. She is now in the second grade and attends our local public school.

I will not go into details in this post as to why we are not considering โ€œskippingโ€ her at this point. You are welcome to visitย my blogย where this year I will write more about advocating for and supporting gifted learners in school setting.

In this post I want to share some ideas about what you can do at home to support your academically advanced children.

  • 8 Ways to Support Advanced Learners at Home:ย n this post I want to share some ideas about what you can do at home to support your academically advanced children.

I am honored to be here at Teach Mama today.

As you can guess from my blog title, Smarty is a gifted learner who loves books and enjoys math and science, so these subjects are the main themes of my blog. She is now in the second grade and attends our local public school.

I will not go into details in this post as to why we are not considering โ€œskippingโ€ her at this point. You are welcome to visit my blog where this year I will write more about advocating for and supporting gifted learners in school setting.

 

Time to Build, Read, and Create

1. Give Them Time


Our gifted learners already spend too many hours a day trapped in the classrooms doing what others want them to do. They need time to unwind, to think, to read, and to tinker. It is good for them to be bored and to be able to find creative outlets for their brain power. If you want them to do something extra, consider sports or arts classes. Our daughter goes to gymnastics once a week and attends one after school class (it was stop motion animation last term) that is given during the time that she would normally spend in her Y after school.

Leave Things Behind to Be Found

2. Strew Things

What is strewing? Basically, itโ€™s leaving interesting things for your children to discover. It can be books, maps, building materials, toys brought back into circulation, or art supplies. I caution, however, from doing it every day, or you will turn back into the source of their entertainment. Our gifted learners, just like everyone else, need to learn to find happiness on their own.

Snap Circuit - Hands On Introduction to Electronics

3. Limit Screen Time

With abundant options in educational software and video products, itโ€™s so tempting to let electronic devices teach our children something that they didnโ€™t get in school. I believe that school age children should have access to technology, but this access should be limited and supervised for younger children. Our daughter has 30 minutes a day of screen time that she can accumulate up to 3 hours to use all at once on the weekend if she wishes to do so (she mostly prefers to use a little every day). If you want to know what sites Smarty frequents, jump here.

4. Play Games

Board Games for Brainy Kids

ย Put away that worksheet already! There are so many wonderful ways to spend time together and teach your children bysimply playing games. You can check out our favorite games for brainy kids, and I also want to recommend this terrific list of Math Games for different ages. Playing against parents or older siblings might also give our children a very valuable lesson in losing gracefully or accepting the fact that they might not be the best at everything.

5. Challenge Them

Challenging advanced learners at homeItโ€™s true that our advanced children are usually not challenged in the classrooms in the areas of their strength, and this is why itโ€™s important to challenge them at home โ€“ not necessary with complex math problems even though we do that as well, but also with challenges that require using more than one skill and, ideally, cooperation with a buddy or a sibling. You can check our mystery substance challenge and an engineering challenge, and we plan to have these challenges regularly this year.

6. Teach Them Life Skills

Teaching Kids LifeskillsIt might not be easy to get advanced learners to focus on practical skills. My daughter is would much prefer read in her room than load a dishwasher. I believe itโ€™s really important to teach our advanced learners cooking, taking care of their clothes and cleaning their rooms. They will appreciate it when they are young adults and need to spend more time on their studies than they do now.

7. Spend Time in Nature

Get OutsideOur advanced learner is a โ€œthinkerโ€. Sometimes itโ€™s hard to get her out of the house, but time spent in nature or even simply playing outside is very important to children like her. She gets to engage her other senses and her whole body while interacting with the world outside her safe routine of home and school. Itโ€™s even better when friends or siblings can join this time of exploring and discovering natureย around us.

 

 

Find Teachable Moments by Being Available

8. Find โ€œTeachable Momentsโ€

You donโ€™t need to be available to your children at all hours to support them. I work full time in technology sector, and my time with my family is limited. Nevertheless, even 30 minutes a day can go a long way if you really tune in to your child. Time in a car, time before bed or dinner time all could be great opportunities to connect to your children, learn what they are interested inย and lead them to new discoveries.

———————————————————

Natalie Photo

Natalie blogs atย Afterschool for Smarty Pants. She is working full time in high tech industry and raising one daughter.Follow her onย Facebook, onย Pinterestย and onย Google+.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Natalie, my longtime bloggy pal,ย  for sharing!

Looking for more activities for keeping the wheels turnin’ forย your littles?

Stop by and follow these great educational Pinterest boards:

  • Afterschool for Smarty Pants Blogย |ย  Natalie, After School for Smart Pants
  • Resources for Gifted Childrenย |ย Natalie,ย After School for Smart Pants
  • Scienceย  | ย Natalie,ย After School for Smart Pants
  • Mathย  | ย Natalie,ย After School for Smart Pants
  • digital literacy |ย  teachmama
  • cool & creative indoor funย | teachmama

This post is part of our new rockstar Sunday posts. ย Each week, I will highlight one ‘rockstar’ in the parenting and education field. These posts? Seriously awesome.

rockstar sunday promo teachmama

You May Also Like...

  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
    Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:word building, letter writing, stamping to spell
Next Post:summarizing: at-home practice of a super-important reading skillsummary checklist teachmama.com

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
Today, tomorrow, and forever. 
โค๏ธ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ–ค๐ŸคŽ๐Ÿฉต๐Ÿฉท

๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ = @missjohnstonsjourney 

#pridemonth #youarelovedโค๏ธ #pridemonth๐ŸŒˆ #teachersofinstagram #parentsofinstagram
View
Open
Thank you @upliftyogaolney for a fun and joy-filled afternoon of yoga with goats! ๐Ÿง˜๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ

#goatyoga #marylandyoga #sundayworkout #motherdaughtertime #yogawithgoats #ourfaves
View
Open
loved our first @saltvinemd experience 

cannot wait to return!
View
Open
Had THE BEST dinner at Olneyโ€™s newest restaurant, @saltvinemd โ€”

Our hostesses were kind and welcoming, our server was THE BEST, and food was delivered to our table by SUPER food runners. 

Everything we ordered we LOVED. Cannot wait to return. 

(Swipe to see what we ordered!)

#saltandvine #mocoeats #mocofood #marylandeats
View
Open
What a DAY!! 
Any book festival is a great festival, but @gburgbookfest KNOWS how to put together a celebration of books and authors!!

Loved meeting 
@evascreativity 
@zigzagzeph 
@jackieadrian_art 
@nomoreblankpageskids 
@palavergames 
@jessicadallauthor 
@keanstrategies 
@gurkirtsinghvirk 
@teegarner 
@lincolnhartlaub 
@jadesocoby 

and so many others! And loved hearing @authoralexandrarobbins speak!

#gaithersburgbookfestival #gburgbookfest #bookfestival #readingteacher #featuredreels #marylandlife
View
Open
still peaceful

#yogapractice #peaceful #sheepadoodle #bigfuzzydog #yogaeverydamnday
View
Open
The must-have guide for every woman:  The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs is officially out in the world today! 

Congratulations to my pal @laura.tremaine ! 

This book WILL:
๐ŸŽˆEncourage you to look around at your current life landscape to really SEE your acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, and friends
๐ŸŽˆFill you with gratitude for the friendships of your past
๐ŸŽˆOffer suggestions for how to navigate the complications of modern friendship
๐ŸŽˆGive you space to mourn the friendships that are over
๐ŸŽˆOutline 10 types of friends that can shape your life 
๐ŸŽˆHelp you name the type of friend YOU are on other peopleโ€™s Life Councils 
๐ŸŽˆInspire you to let friendship take on the important role that it deserves 
I want this book to spark a million This book WILL:
๐ŸŽˆEncourage you to look around at your current life landscape to really SEE your acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, and friends
๐ŸŽˆFill you with gratitude for the friendships of your past
๐ŸŽˆOffer suggestions for how to navigate the complications of modern friendship
๐ŸŽˆGive you space to mourn the friendships that are over
๐ŸŽˆOutline 10 types of friends that can shape your life 
๐ŸŽˆHelp you name the type of friend YOU are on other peopleโ€™s Life Councils 
๐ŸŽˆInspire you to let friendship take on the important role that it deserves 
I want this book to spark a million conversations.

Laura, I know it will. Love you, girl. 
#TheLifeCouncil #happybookbirthday
View
Open
I was in #annapolis today demanding our lawmakers take meaningful action on gun safety. 

Are you fed up with lawmakersโ€™ inaction, too? 

Join me & turn your anger into action with @MomsDemand by texting FED UP to 644-33. #FedUp #MDpolitics 
#notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice
View
Open
I started my teaching career at @hcpss_wlhs โ€” a place packed with really awesome educatorsโ€” and @eric.ebersole.for.maryland was one of them!

LOOK at us now! Delegate Ebersole is moving mountains in Annapolis! 

It was so cool to run into my friend while Iโ€™m here with @momsdemand โค๏ธโ™ฅ๏ธ 

Want to get involved? YOU NEED TO. 

Please text FED UP to 644-33 to find an event near you and make your voice heard!

#FEDUP #notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice #bethechange #momsdemandaction

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 39
794 shares