From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   50 Ways to Bring Out Your Child's Best   
      
   by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.   
      
   (first published in Family Circle, February 2, 1993).       
      
   Richard loved to tinker with mechanical devices.  As a 6-year-old, he took   
   apart an alarm clock. At 9, he helped his dad fix the lawn mower.  In high   
   school, he spent hours tearing apart and rebuilding stereo equipment.  Now, as   
   a young adult, he's a    
   sound technician for a professional theater company. Richard's parents   
   encouraged his interests at an early age, which helped him become a successful   
   adult.  However, Richard was never labeled as "gifted." In fact, he had   
   trouble with math in school. The    
   definition of "the gifted child" has traditionally been based on   
   school-related skills and limited to the upper 5 to 10 percent of children who   
   achieve high test scores, write well and excel academically.  These are   
   certainly important, but there may be    
   hundreds of other ways for children to show their gifts.  "Today's   
   intelligence researchers emphasize that nearly all children-not just the   
   celebrated 5 percent-have special talents, "says David G. Myers, Ph.D.,   
   professor of psychology at Hope College in    
   Holland, Michigan.  Studies at Harvard University bear this out, suggesting   
   that kids can display intelligence in many different ways-through words,   
   numbers, music,pictures, athletic or "hands-on" abilities, and social or   
   emotional development. As an    
   anonymous observer once said: "All children are gifted, some just open their   
   packages later than others.  "You can play a crucial role in awakening latent   
   talents or developing current strengths through experiences you give your   
   child at home.  Here are    
   50 ways for you to bring out your child's best, regardless of how his gifts   
   are packaged:    
         
      
   1.  Let your child discover her own interests.  Pay attention the activities   
   she chooses. This free-time play can say a lot about where her gifts lie.   
      
   2.  Expose your child to a broad spectrum of experiences.   They may activate   
   latent talents. Don't assume that he isn't gifted in an area because he hasn't   
   shown an interest.   
      
   3.  Give your child permission to make mistakes.  If she has to do things   
   perfectly, she'll never take the risks necessary to discover and develop a   
   gift.     
      
   4.  Ask questions.  Help your child open up to he wonders of the world by   
   asking intriguing questions: Why is the sky blue?  Find the answers together.   
      
   5.  Plan special family projects.  Shared creativity can awaken and develop   
   new talents.   
      
   6.  Don't pressure your child to learn.  If children are sent to special   
   lessons every day in the hope of developing their gifts, they may become too   
   stressed or exhausted to shine.  Encourage, but don't push.   
      
   7.  Have high expectations.  But make them realistic.   
      
   8.  Share your work life.  Expose your child to images of success by taking   
   him to work. Let him see you engaged in meaningful activities and allow him to   
   become involved.   
      
   9.  Provide a sensory-rich environment.  Have materials around the home that   
   will stimulate the senses: finger paints, percussion instruments, and  puppets.   
      
   10. Keep your own passion for learning alive.  Your child will be influenced   
   by your example.      
      
   11. Don't limit your child with labels.  They may saddle her with a reputation   
   that doesn't match her inner gifts.    
      
   12. Play games together as a family.   
      
   13. Have a regular family time for reading, listening to music, talking.   
      
   14. Have reference materials available to give your child access to the world.   
      
   15. Allow your child to participate in community activities that interest her.   
      
   16. Use humor, jokes, silly stories to encourage creativity.   
      
   17. Don't criticize or judge the things your child does.   He may give up on   
   his talents if he feels evaluated.   
      
   18. Play with your child to show your own sense of playfulness.   
      
   19. Share your successes as a family.  Talk about good things that happened   
   during the day to enhance self-esteem.   
      
   20. Provide your child with access to a home, school or public library   
   computer.   
      
   21. Listen to your child.  The things he cares about most may provide clues to   
   his special talents.   
      
   22. Give your child a special space at home to be creative.   
      
   23. Praise your child's sense of responsibility at home when she completes   
   assigned chores.   
      
   24. Visit new places as a family.   
      
   25. Give your child open-ended playthings.  Toys like blocks and puppets   
   encourage imaginative play.   
      
   26. Give your child unstructured time to simply daydream and wonder.   
      
   27. Share inspirational stories of people who succeeded in life.   
      
   28. Don't bribe your child with rewards.  Using incentives to get children to   
   perform sends a message that learning is not rewarding in its own right   
      
   29. Suggest that your child join peer groups that focus on her gifts.   
      
   30. Discuss the news to spark interests.   
      
   31. Discourage gender bias.  Expose your child to both feminine and masculine   
   toys and activities.   
      
   32. Avoid comparing your child to others.  Help your child compare himself to   
   his own past performance.   
      
   33. Be an authoritative parent.   
      
   34. Use community events and institutions to activate interests.  Take trips   
   to the library, museums, concerts, plays.   
      
   35. Give presents that nourish your child's strengths.   
      
   36. Encourage your child to think about her future.   Support her visions   
   without directing her into any specific field.   
      
   37. Introduce your child to interesting and capable people.   
      
   38. Think of your home as a learning place.  The kitchen is great for teaching   
   math and science through cooking.   
      
   39. Share feelings.  A child's gifts can be stifled by repressed emotions.    
      
   40. Encourage your child to read.   
      
   41. Honor your child's creations.    
      
   42. Do things with your child in his areas of interest.   
      
   43. Teach your child to trust her intuition and believe in her capabilities.   
      
   44. Give your child choices.  It builds willpower and fuels initiative.   
      
   45. Show your child how to use books to further an interest.   For example,   
   "how to" books for the "hands-on" learner.   
      
   46. Set aside an area of the house for displaying creations and awards.   
      
   47. Encourage your child to tackle areas that are difficult for him.  Help him   
   learn to confront any limitations.   
      
   48. Be a liaison between your child's special talents and the real world.    
   Help her find outlets for her talents.   
      
   49. Introduce children's literature that honors and develops gifts.  Books   
   like the Little Engine That could encourage a "can do" attitude.   
      
   50. Accept your child as he or she is.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)