Dear Parent,

Thank you for your question!

I'm glad to hear that you will be using CHC's materials next year. If you use the 2nd and 3rd grade lesson plans, you can easily supplement or move ahead if your children are ahead in reading and math. If you use the lesson plans, you can make sure that as you supplement the materials, you won't skip over any valuable concepts. I'm assuming that you will be using the religion program that is age-appropriate, as well as the history and science program.

The lesson plans also offer many enrichment ideas. Particularly in history and science, you can make the lessons more challenging. If the assignment calls for three paragraphs, have your child include five. If the map calls for identifying three countries, have your student identify seven countries. Since you know your children's developmental levels, you can easily challenge their abilities appropriate to both their physical and academic levels. Encourage them to broaden and research more deeply the topics of study, rather than always moving to a higher level, but at less depth. This way they can be challenged, and learn even more than they would in a public school setting, but not be placed in an academic level that would be inappropriate for their age.

One really neat aspect about homeschooling gifted children, is that they have time to pursue their individual interests, and you can help foster this. If you see that they are interested in a particular subject or field, you can help develop their interests. There are numerous science, math and history topics your children could pursue more deeply if they wanted. I can imagine your children inventing cures, contributing to the world of science, medicine, mathematics or literature. The door is open to many possibilities, and you can help them find this door.

It is great when your children are gifted, because it often takes little teaching and review for your children to learn any concept. However, it is important to remember that while they are gifted, they are also children. And though they may be gifted academically, there are other aspects that cannot be overlooked, such as their emotional, social, physical and spiritual well-being that would be at age-level. So, if they have trouble with a concept, you are there to make sure they do not become frustrated. Children will come across topics that might take a little longer to learn, be they disabled, average or gifted.

Also, it is important not to focus on the academics alone. Every-day skills cannot be overlooked. Yes, school and academic intelligence is important, but it is also important to enjoy family time, and living as a child of God. Again, you have to take into consideration their physical and emotional abilities as they grow older, to make sure that they are age appropriate as well.

Finally, it is so necessary for the parents to take particular care in valuing each child's achievements, letting him know how important his unique abilities are to God and the world, and find talents or activities that each child can have as his alone. A little sibling rivalry is good, but it is equally important for the parents to demonstrate to their children how much they appreciate and love their unique talents and gifts.

God bless you and your family!

Laura Nicholson