As parents of a gifted child, you are the most important teacher your child has! You know your child better than anyone else. In reality, you can not rely on the school to meet all the needs of your child. You must take on some of the responsibility for your child's learning by becoming actively involved in challenging and enriching his/her learning. Listed below are some ideas to develop a child's gifts and encourage creativity:

• Read to your child. Read with your child. Read in the presence of your child. Talk to your child about the what he/she reads. Talk to your child about what you are reading. Go to the library often. Select fiction, non-fiction, how-to books, joke books, biographies, mysteries, drawing books, etc. Help your child find interesting reading materials. Make reading FUN! :o)
• Encourage play and creativity. Don't underestimate what your child can learn through it!
• Select challenging games and play them with your child. Find age appropriate crossword puzzles, word searches, Sudoku puzzles, board games, and mazes for your child.
• Encourage your child to start a collection. Let him/her sort collections into categories of sizes, colors, differences, similarities, etc. Go beyond just gathering objects. If you child's hobby is collecting trains, arrange a ride on a real train or visit a train museum. If your child collects postcards, visit antique shops to add to your child's collection.
• Foster an appreciation for the arts. Visit art museums, attend concerts and plays, encourage your child to get involved in community theater productions or get involved in simple plays with your family or friends. Encourage drawing, painting, making things out of junk, etc.
• Encourage your child to keep a journal. Write about daily activities, vacations, books he/she has read, things he/she dreams about, etc. If journaling doesn't suit your child's style, promote other types of writing. Write a letter to a pen pal or distant relative. Make a cartoon, using a favorite cartoon character or create his/her own.
• Encourage your child to investigate science projects and experiments. Check the library for various books containing fun and interesting projects. Also, read about the history of inventions and encourage your child to create his/her own invention. Let your child take apart broken motors or appliances and create new things made out of junk.
• Encourage questioning, especially open-ended questions. Challenging a child's thinking is necessary to become an active, engaged learner.
• Challenge your child in new ways--play an instrument, play a new sport, learn a second language, help a neighbor or someone else with a task, etc.
• Help your child learn how to fail, looking at the experience as a step in growing instead of a negative reflection on his/her own self.
• Be a good model! Have a positive attitude toward learning, school, teachers, homework, reading, etc.
• Pray A LOT! Don't forget about nurturing and enriching your child's spiritual life and encouraging servanthood and humility at home, at school, and at church.