Rapid learner; puts thoughts together quickly
Advanced vocabulary
Excellent memory
Insightful
Has abstract ideas
Vivid imagination
Enjoys solving problems
Intense concentration and long attention span
Wide range of interests (or extreme focus in one area)
Deep, intense feelings and reactions
Highly sensitive
Abstract or complex thinking
Strong sense of justice
Preoccupied with own thoughts—daydreamer
Asks probing questions
Creative
Highly developed curiosity
Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
Unusual sense of humor
Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schema
Perfectionist and self-critical
Demonstrates leadership characteristics
Is self-confident with older children and adults
Offers unique or clever responses
List compiled from the following resources: nagc.org; us.mensa.org
The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids by Sally Yahnke Walker
The Survival Guide for Gifted Kids by Judy Galbraith
Living with Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults by Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski (Editors)
Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing Never Good Enough By Lisa Van Gemert
National Association for Gifted Children
https://nagc.org/page/family_tip_sheets
Hoagies gifted offers a wealth of information on gifted children for parents.
www.hoagiesgifted.org/parents.htm
Mensa--Where Brilliance Belongs
https://www.us.mensa.org/learn/gifted-youth/parentteacher-resources/
The Kid's Story--A Gifted Kid's Guide to Life (Helpful for Parents and Gifted Kids)
The Gifted Guru: many ideas for teaching gifted students; offers advice for teachers/parents that work with gifted students
Often gifted children enjoy playing games or doing projects that stretch their minds. Here is a list of gift ideas that cater to those who enjoy fun, challenging, or creative games, hobbies, or reading materials.
GAMES
Battleship, Boggle, Checkers, Chess, Clue, Capsela, Domino set, Mancala, Mastermind, Outburst, Perfection, Pictionary, Puzzles, Scattergories, Scrabble, Stratego, Tangrams, Traverse, Tri-Ominoes
BOOKS or MAGAZINES
Dictionary, Thesaurus, Newbery award books, Fairy tales, Guinness Book of World Records, Kids Discover Magazine, Muse Magazine, Games Junior, Sudoku for Kids, National Geographic for Kids
HOBBIES
Art supplies, camera, chemistry set, coin collecting kit, electricity kit, insect kit, journals to write in, M.C. Escher tesselations, models of cars/planes/skeletons, musical instruments, puppets, rock collecting kit, stamp collecting kit
TOYS
Robot, Kites, Sunprints, Binoculars, Calculator, Magnifying glass, Telescope, Stop-Motion movie making kit/materials, Sphero