My 3 Year Old Is Running Academic Circles Around Me! Is This Normal?

My son was like this. He's 13 now and in the gifted program and is still a smarty with academics. My advice is to keep exposing him to new things, math, puzzles, reading, etc. Once he's in school they will most likely test him for the advanced academics program. Here this happens in 2nd grade. Keep in mind you want to raise a kid who will keep trying in school and not be lazy and complacent bc everything comes easy to him. Don't praise him for smarts...praise him for effort and stress the importance of working hard at things.

I would indulge his need to be a child, to play, to imagine, to create things with age-appropriate Legos, to swing in the park, to ride a bike, to be a friend and share.

I graduated from college with a degree in education, and when I was doing a term project that involved observing an actual kindergarten class, I met a little girl who was stunningly intelligent. She knew Latin names for plants, could spell things like tyrannosaurus, etc. She was also amazingly insightful. One day I had the assignment of working on a worksheet with her, and she got to talking. She seemed a little sad and I asked her if she was okay. She said she was sad about her little sister, who was 3. I thought perhaps the sister was ill, but my student continued by saying that her parents were already training her sister (like they did her) in spelling, in math, etc. She basically said "it would be nice to play with a ball or go for a walk but my parents won't allow it because it doesn't enhance our academic skills". Her parents did not interact with her and her sister on any level except academics. She didn't know how to jump rope or ride a bike, but she could do long division. I have never forgotten that encounter.

If your son's intellect is so advanced, sooner or later it sounds like he'll be entered into a gifted program, or you can homeschool him at an advanced pace when it's time for kindergarten or 1st grade, or you can enroll him in a virtual cyber-school that offers enhanced classes, or a faster pace for the kids who can handle that.

But in the meantime, teach him to be a child, to be a human, to play, to jump and splash in puddles, to be polite, to respect others (especially important when he'll be in social situations with children who are functioning at a more traditional 3 year old level, or with children who are developmentally delayed), to be kind, to enjoy bugs and sticks, to relax, to imagine.

Try to help him see more than the scientific or academic parts of things. If he sees a bird and knows exactly what type of bird it is and tells you "hey mom that's a black crested jay and it belongs to the crow family" or whatever, help him see another side of it. Have him close his eyes and listen to the sound the bird makes. Or pretend you are both riding on the bird's wings and pretend you can see down into the city from up in the sky.

There are some kids who just latch on to certain topics. What I would do is acknowledge it but be sure you aren't driving the Academic Car and make sure other areas are being addressed. He needs outdoor free play (not fact memorization), gross motor skills (get him a tricycle or other "vehicle, get a soccer ball and a couple of plastic cones), hand-eye coordination (so throw a soft frisbee or get one of those soft ball/mitt sets with velcro on the mitt to aid in catching), go on a nature walk with a bucket and collect leaves/rocks, fine motor skills (wash those rocks and paint them to give paperweights to Grandma and Aunt Tillie, paint or do crafts, cut up magazines with kiddie scissors and make collages), use driveway chalk to create a "roadway" with lanes and parking places for his kiddie car), paint a birdhouse or feeder (and have him learn to sit quietly and observe the activity), sing & dance (get a DVD or CD from the library), do puzzles and age-appropriate board games that don't emphasize reading but rather sharing and taking turns, get dress-up supplies at the thrift store, get a refrigerator box or other appliance carton to build a fort, make blanket forts, cook/bake, and so on. Get some activity books from the library on simple games, crafts with household objects, and so on - it's a great and free resource.

The trick is to not just play to their strengths but also ensure development in other areas.

what about writing, he may know his letters but can he write them and can he write numbers?
what does he know about planting and tending a garden? or washing dishes after dinner? how about beginning sewing activities or other things necessary for life like cooking (with heavy supervision with the hot stuff)
if he is good on a computer there are many sites that will teach how to type and code both of which will eventually be necessary in life... my son was a quick learner, and by age 3 could follow his dads directions and assemble a ceiling fan or bookshelf. now that he is 7 he can do it without dads help and i know some adults that cannot follow directions well enough to build an ikea chair!
just keep going. if hes learned that much without teaching then bring in toys for an age level above him ( my 5 yr old loves a circuit builder kit that is for ages 8 and up and does an awesome job of building the circuits and they work too)

let him play, let him explore find what interests him and build on that interest.

Read with him.
Find books about anything that interests him and read.
Our son loved dragons, wizards, dinosaurs, fire trucks, aircraft carriers, and sharks.
While he might be ahead on some things right now, he might not always be ahead.
There are lots of areas of growth besides academic - social, emotional, etc.
Writing/printing takes a lot of small motor control that 3 yr olds typically don't have - and won't have for 2 or 3 more years.
Teaching him how to button, snap, zipper, tie, etc all help - and will help him learn to dress himself.

I'd talk about this with your pediatrician and see if he has recommendations.
If he turns out to be a baby Einstein - it's a lot of work and commitment to keep up with his learning if he's one of the few who graduates college by the time he's 12.

"Tell-tale signs of a genius child"

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-17702465

i would let go of the need to 'teach' him and simply strew his path with opportunities and let him bounce happily through them like a bunny.

don't get too invested in your child's academic prowess. please.

you've had him for 3 years now. it shouldn't be a complete mystery to figure out how he picks things up. if you haven't spent time sussing out his learning style, it's never too late to begin.

and then just foster it.

but don't tip over into THAT parent. he's barely past toddlerhood. don't try to *enrich* every movement he makes. i'm betting that at 3 he just wants to play, and through playing he just picks up a lot.

and that's a great start.
khairete
S.

Yes, this is very normal!

Honestly, just keep having fun with him. Read books (even if he doesn't "learn" anything), go to parks and play, go to museums, go to the mall. Just do things with him.

It sounds like he just enjoys learning things and has a quick mind. You don't really have to "do" anything expect be excited with him when he learns something new.

If the daycare teachers don't know what to do with him ... I'm not sure what to say. They should know what to do with him. They can read, do arts and crafts, play games, sing songs. If they don't know what to do with him, I'd be concerned that you need to find another daycare center.

Many kids are just as curious as your son. Kids at that age are sponges and soak up everything they are interested in. Have fun and go with it. The more you encourage him now, the more excited he will be to learn when he starts school.

Just relax... he needs to play and learn to get along socially.

Children develop at different levels and stages. Typically around 5-7 they even out and catch up with each other.

Play with him, read with him, have play dates, go do fun things with him.

Stop focusing on how smart he may be right now. He needs to be an active 3 year old with no pressures put on him.

Let him read, give him access to learning sites like Khan academy. Some children are truly gifted, I had a child I used to babysit in high school who was in first grade who often helped me with my calculous homework. But make sure you also foster his social skills, this same kid got bullied a lot in middle school because he was never very good at social cues.

Read to him a lot and also teach him to read. Check out the book “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”.

My girls were advance too. My oldest could say the alphabet by 25 months which I thought was great until my youngest did it at 22 months. (They could also identify colors at 8 months old before they could speak (I would tell them to hand me the aqua crayon etc). Both my girls went into 1st grade reading at a 4th grade level. One was reading at a 11 grade level in 3rd grade the other read at a 12th grade level in 5th grade. (My oldest achieved nearly a perfect score (98%) on the verbal section of the SAT. My youngest is in 9th grade so we will have to wait and see how she scores.)

My girls are above average in math but not to the extent of their verbal abilities.