Parenting Gifted Children

By: Wendy Behrens

Minnesota Department of Education

Instructional Specialist

Parents play a vital role in supporting the needs of gifted and talented children and youth. They may be the first to recognize and respond to a child's unique needs and the most able to advocate for them. In partnership with schools, they can assist in determining a course of action that will likely provide an environment that will allow for the best possible curriculum enhancement, intellectual growth, and the social and emotional well-being of their children.

A number of extraordinary resources are available to parents providing guidance, and information on parenting gifted children. The glossary link has been included to clarify common terms used by professionals in the fields of psychology and education regarding this unique population. Links to recommended articles, books, Websites and other media have also been included for your convenience. For further assistance, parents may contact state Gifted Education Specialist Wendy Behrens at wendy.behrens@state.mn.us or 651-582-8786.

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Related Information

Books

Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy and Successful Kids by James R. Delisle. view
A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children by James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore, Edward R. Amend & Arlene R. DeVries view
Being Smart About Gifted Children: A Guidebook for Parents and Educators by Dona J. Matthews and Joanne F. Foster. A parent guide addressing underachievement, sensitivities, twice exceptionalities, friendships, siblings, schools and identification. view
Encouraging Your Child's Science Talent by Michael S. Matthews. view
Encouraging Your Child's Math Talent by Michael J. Bosse, Ph.D. and Jennifer V. Rotigel. view
Encouraging Your Child's Writing Talent by Nancy L. Peterson. view
Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model by James T. Webb & Arlene DeVries. A user-friendly guide for facilitating a gifted parenting group. view
Grandparents' Guide to Gifted Children by James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore and Frances A. Karnes. Grandparents, with their greater life experience, will often realize-even before the parents-that a child is gifted, and that the child will need additional emotional and intellectual sustenance. view
Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers by Carol Ann Strip. A user-friendly guidebook educates parents and teachers about important gifted issues: an ideal resource for the beginner to seasoned veteran in educating gifted children. view
Infinity and Zebra Stripes: Life with Gifted Children by Wendy Skinner. An unvarnished chronicle of life with two gifted children and their successful education within a public school setting. view
Parenting Teens with Love & Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood by Foster W. Cline and Jim Fay. view
Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Preschool to High School by Judith Wynn Halsted. Finding quality children's literature includes theme, genre and reading level. view

Related Resources

Glossary of Frequently Used Gifted Terms: view
Parents and educators working cooperatively can make a significant difference in the emotional and intellectual growth of the gifted child. view
Who are the highly gifted? How many are there? How do I know? view
Although IQ testing is useful, it doesn't provide enough specific information to pinpoint students' abilities in math view
Parenting Highly Gifted Children: The challenges, the joys, the unexpected surprises by Kathi Kearney. view
Intellectual complexity goes hand-in-hand with emotional depth. view
Parents' conceptions about giftedness may affect their interpretations of their gifted children's characteristics and behaviors and, in turn, may influence their reaction to them. view


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