With the sudden change in emphasis from indoors to outdoors, we can easily overlook the dangers that are lurking under the sun. We need to change our mindset from indoor safety to outdoor safety.

Exposure to the sun comes with many possible problems. The glare of the sun and rising temperatures can ruin the fun of summer. The remedies take us back inside and no one wants that on a beautiful summer day.

Almost all health organizations and many communities and parent organizations offer advice and tips on how to keep children safe from brilliant sunlight and searing heat.

Here are a few of their suggestions for a safe summer.

Sun Safety

is considered the most-visited site on the Internet for information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years.On a typical weekday, the site gets as many as a million visits. The site delivers health advice for kids, teens, their parents, and educators. It is part of The Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health Media.

The organization recognizes that children get the vitamin D they need through a healthy diet (and supplements if needed). Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium that is good for the bones.听 We also get vitamin D by being in the sun.

But while the sun helps kids get vitamin D, it also sends out strong ultraviolet (UV) rays that can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer like melanoma.

Apply Sunscreen

Every child needs , especially those with light skin color. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends that all children wear听sunscreen听with an SPF of 30 or higher. The sunscreen should be broad-spectrum (protects against both UVA and UVB rays). If children are near water, the sunscreen should be labeled water-resistant.

Seek Shade During the Day

The hottest part of the day in the northern hemisphere is usually 10 am to 4 pm. Children should try to stay in the shade for that part of the day. Even if the day is cloudy or cool, UV rays still reach the earth and can cause skin or eye damage.

Sun umbrellas or trees or the shade of buildings can help by becoming an oasis in the desert-like brilliance of the sun.

Cover Up Exposed Skin

Babies have thinner skin and underdeveloped melanin 鈥� the body chemical that absorbs UV rays. Their skin burns more easily. Babies under six months of age should actually be kept out of bright sun if possible. If the baby has to be in the sun, you can apply an SPF 15 sunscreen.

Children of all ages should wear enough to cover the exposed parts of their bodies. Lighter, long-sleeved shirts and long pants may be needed for short times during the hotter times of the day. Baseball caps or wide-brimmed hats offer shade for the face.

Wear Sunglasses

Kids love to wear sunglasses with cartoon characters, superheroes, or multiple colors or designs that are just plain fun. Encourage them to pick out a pair. Sun exposure can damage the eye as well as the skin.

can cause burning of the outer area of the eye (cornea) or the precondition for later cataracts (clouding of the eye lens) that leads to blurred vision later on. Sunglasses also help children to see more clearly, reducing the sun鈥檚 glare and making it safer to get around.

Check Medicines

Some medicines (like acne medicines and antibiotics) react more to UV rays than others, making the skin more sensitive. Over-the-counter medicines and those prescribed by doctors should carry the label warning of sun exposure. Ask your child鈥檚 doctor what other precautions you should take if he or she is taking these medications.

Treating Sunburn

Sunburn can cause a great deal of pain after prolonged sun exposure. Children will feel a sense of heat and because their skin is dry, some will get chills, too. Applying cool, wet compresses to the area will help cool the skin and reduce the pain.

A cool bath will help, too, as will the application of aloe vera, a soothing gel that is available in most pharmacies. You can add an anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen but consult with your child鈥檚 doctor on the safety of any medicine and ask for advice on what can reduce swelling and pain for your child.

If skin starts to peel, make sure your child does not scratch the area because infection can occur beneath the outer layer. If blisters occur, do not try to pop them because infection can occur here, too, as well as scarring. Call your doctor for advice.

You can apply a moisturizing cream to help with rehydrating the skin or hydrocortisone cream to help with pain. Don鈥檛 use petroleum-based products because they inhibit heat from escaping.

Be mindful of where you are and how the sun鈥檚 rays may be stronger.听 They reflect off water, sand, and snow. They are stronger near the equator and at higher elevations where the air is thinner. Being aware of the danger is the first step in avoiding it.

Heat Safety

鈥嬧�婽he sun鈥檚 UV rays can cause enough harm to the skin and eyes. But extreme heat can cause children to become sick in many different ways. Children need protection from the heat as well as the glare of the sun.

Extreme heat can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or . These are serious enough to consult with a doctor. Home remedies like keeping kids inside on hot days may help with one problem but may also cause another. Kids get anxious when they have to stay inside for prolonged periods.

In its advice to parents website, cites The 听guidelines on how to protect kids from the dangers of summer heat.

Limiting sun exposure is important. Finding an air-conditioned space can provide relief from the heat. If you don鈥檛 have AC at home, plan to take your children to a library or other location that does have it. Find other ways to cool down like heading for a swimming pool or lake.

Children should stay by drinking water regularly. They should in light-colored clothing. They should be given rest from time to time because they will feel tired.

Another big area of concern is . Never leave children unattended in a closed motor vehicle on a hot day. The temperature inside the car can quickly escalate to a much higher degree than outside, rising almost 20 degrees in 10 minutes. Child death from hot cars happens far too often.

Call your pediatrician if your child experiences symptoms like these:

• Feeling faint or tired.
• Having headache or fever.
• Having nausea or vomiting.
• Having muscle aches or spasms.
• Breathing much faster than normal.
• Feeling tingling or numbness.

Knowing how to protect your children from the sun,you and they can still enjoy summer the way it鈥檚 supposed to be. You can still have that 鈥渇un in the sun.鈥� Just do it in moderation.

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Here are some tips for keeping that balance.

First, let鈥檚 start with the moms. According to the听, women now make up half of all workers in the United States. The successful women find ways to be effective and efficient in both worlds 鈥� family and work.

And this requires coming to terms with choices and focusing on priorities, according to Lisa Pierson Weinberger, an attorney and founder of . There will be good days and bad days, and mothers should discuss their feelings with their partners and with support groups like other mothers in the same situation.

Daycare Is Critical

Both moms and dads should check their network of family and friends for references to babysitters, nannies, and daycare providers. Try to hire caregivers with long histories and long-term associations with and commitments to families.

A good childcare provider should have a lot of experience with children of similar ages, excellent references, and a proof of both. A good daycare facility should have a low teacher-to-student ratio, outdoor space for recreation, current licenses, and employees whose backgrounds have been thoroughly checked and verified.

Parents should schedule a paid playdate for their kids with the potential nanny 鈥� maybe include some of the kids鈥� playmates 鈥� to see how the nanny interacts with the children in a less formal setting.

Talking with the kids after a day with the nanny can do a couple of things. It can reinforce the job that the nanny is doing or raise issues the parents should know. It will give the children and parents a chance to interact and exchange points of views. It provides a measure of context for working parents to sit down with their kids at the end of the day without having to think up topics.

Get Others Involved

Moms can consult local mom blogs like , to reach out to with similar responsibilities and challenges.

See if there are neighbors in the same situation and share ideas and timetables. Ask your spouse to get involved with activities and childcare. Maybe he or she can take over for an hour here and there or take the kids to the park or another recreational site. Road trips are great when there鈥檚 time 鈥� for all the family members.

Don鈥檛 forget going over the fields and through the woods to grandmother鈥檚 house. Grandparents would love to spend time with their grandkids. They may not have the abilities to spend extended time and care but for brief periods and scheduled visits, time with grandma can be extra special. There are often surprises involved like cookies or gardening.

Make Time for the Kids, Activities

Nurture your family and spend as much time together as possible. Have a and go to a movie or play table games or watch a movie together. Ask the kids for their ideas and support them. It鈥檚 not about quantity of time; it鈥檚 about the quality of time.

Make your home a hangout for not only your kids but their friends as well. If your home has some special characteristic, use it to your advantage for entertaining your . A swimming pool will give everyone a great place to hang out it the summer. A large backyard will facilitate sports or outdoor group activities. A garden can offer a great way to work on as a group project.

If you have a lot of books or board games, art or , outdoor games, or a pantry full of supplies and a mother or father who likes to cook and will gladly show the kids how to make the cookies, snacks or desserts they will love. And it will teach them life skills as well. Activities can be done when the parent is home and available.

Bridge the Gap With Family Trips

That family trip or vacation is a chance to get away from the stresses of work and the daily routine of housework and family chores. Camping and fishing trips can allow family members to see each other in refreshingly different and natural settings to share stories and adventures.

Trips to museums and art galleries, concerts, holiday celebrations, ball games, and recitals are ways to build relationships and create lasting memories.

Planning Is Key (for the Day, Week, Year)

Know ahead of time what special events are important to your children the next day. If you cannot be with them, try to connect in some way. Give them a good luck charm or see if someone can video the event for you to see later and discuss with your children later.

Try to spend some time at breakfast together, even to greet each other and wish one another a 鈥済ood day.鈥� Dinner together is just as important. Parents should try to spend as many dinners with their children as possible for bonding.

Any meal should be enjoyed without cell phones or reading the paper or checking reports or files. Put away the distractions for this quality time. It鈥檚 brief and very valuable.

During the day, stay connected with your kids. Find some time to check with the babysitter or daycare facility and with the kids themselves if they are old enough.

Look at the week ahead so you are up to speed on any special event your child is looking forward to 鈥� anything planned by the babysitter or daycare center, or a birthday or holiday, or maybe a visit from a family relative.Talk about it and discuss something your kids can do to get ready.

If the work week will be especially tough for you, explain that to your kids and tell them how you will make up for any lost time with them. They may be dismayed or disappointed, but at least you are being honest and giving them something to look forward to.

Allow Time for Yourself, Your Partner

Being away from your kids is stressful. Being with them and trying to make up for your absence is stressful. Make sure you take some time for , with an occasional spa treatment or a golf outing or some other personal obsession. Take that warm bath and read that book at bedtime.

Spend time with your partner so you both will support each other, share ideas, and just enjoy each other without worrying about the kids. You deserve some fun, too.

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Let鈥檚 start at home where a lot of can be planned and carried out.

Summertime Starts at Home

It doesn鈥檛 have to be raining outside to focus on having fun inside. There is a host of activities that can be planned regardless of the weather. Some are educational, like in the kitchen. Kids can learn to prepare foods and help with the cooking. They can learn about ingredients, mixing, using different spices, cooking temperatures and timing, making salads, setting the table, folding napkins and so much more. And that鈥檚 just in the kitchen and eating area.

It鈥檚 always possible that your children鈥檚 friends will visit or your children will be going to their houses for a play date or or maybe a picnic will come up. Preparing some simple foods ahead of time will get them ready to roll when the time comes. Cubes of cheese and vegetables can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator. Making or cupcakes adds some creative fun to the cooking tasks and the reward is being the first to do the taste testing.

Some families come up with butcher paper and tape it to the kitchen or dining room table. Mom gives the kids crayons or pencils or watercolor brushes and 鈥� or even finger paints 鈥� and lets the kids do what they want. Let their imaginations run wild. Summertime is big for of all kinds.

Summer is a great time for reading. Kids can be encouraged to read and discuss what they read with the family. Some families like to stage plays with everyone acting out a part for a book the read or a movie they saw. Some parents will provide a reward system with prizes for books read during the summer.

Family game nights are fun, too.

Summer is also a good time to practice responsibility in the home. Parents ask their children to clean up after breakfast, clearing the table, washing or wiping dishes, loading the dishwasher, making sure the bedrooms are neat, and maybe helping get the laundry started. All this is done before kids are 鈥渞eleased鈥� to go have fun.

Similar situations occur in the evenings when kids are asked to put away toys and things they used or played with during the day. Bikes and go-carts, doll buggies, wagons, Legos, balls, and everything else gets put away before bedtime, and often, before dinner.

Another aspect of discipline that many parents feel is important is for all electronics including television, video games, cellphones, laptops, tablets, and home computers. One mother suggested creating a set of 鈥渢echnical sticks鈥� made of Popsicle sticks. Her children did chores to earn one technical stick good for 30 minutes of screen time.

And don鈥檛 forget the yards 鈥� a great place for exercise and education. Cutting grass and trimming shrubs is good for older children. Younger children can learn about planting and gardening and how plants grow. They can be given plants to care for. They can cultivate the vegetables they grow, bring in lettuce and tomatoes and make their own salads.

Neighborhoods are great for bringing kids together during the summertime. Get together with other families and plan a neighborhood for the kids.

Summer Camps and Programs

Town libraries have summertime programs that keep children interested in reading. They have calendars of activities that should be checked out by every parent with young children.

Local and colleges have summer camps and summer programs for students interested in various subjects, some of whom plan to attend that college when they are old enough. Many towns offer summer camps with swimming and daily activities that keep changing. Some towns and organizations offer special summer programs, too.

There are also recreational opportunities in addition to swimming and activities at camp. Kids love to go bowling, go on picnics, or see the newest summer movie. You can take them to a nearby garden center or outdoor nursery where they can see a myriad of , shrubs,and plants.

Day Trips

Hop in the car and head for a farmer鈥檚 market. Share your knowledge and experience with different fruits and vegetables with your kids. Let them pick out some that they are familiar with and like. Let them wash and prepare what they pick for a later snack or to go with a family meal.

Or go one step further and take your kids to a farm. See how crops are grown and managed. Talk to the farmers about their challenges and how they plant, grow, and cultivate. Ask to see any animals on the farm (or visit a ranch or zoo).

Summers are a great time to visit museums. That鈥檚 where book knowledge becomes alive with the excitement of personal experience and interaction. Locate a museum for art or history or science. Plan a day trip. Maybe do a little reading or research on the museum before you get there. And let your children enjoy the experience of walking around and learning more about what interests them.

Visit an aquarium or experience a at a university or conservatory.

When you get home, continue your discussions of what you saw and have your children do another activity like draw pictures, write a story, or do more reading on the subjects.

Summertime is concert time, too, and many older children (and young adults) love to go to concert venues as often as possible (if they can get tickets).

Many families take extended vacations of a week or more during the summer. You can take advantage of this time to bond with your children no matter where you decide to vacation. It could be at a theme park, an amusement park, a national park, a wildlife refuge, a cabin in the woods, a mountain retreat, an oceanfront, a lakeside resort, or visiting grandmother in another state. All that matters is that you share family time and give your children time to have fun.

As important as it is to plan for the summer and oversee the activities your children enjoy, don鈥檛 forget to allow some downtime, too. Kids need time to chill and not have to 鈥渨orry鈥� about getting ready for a trip or 鈥渁lways鈥� cleaning up or taking care of their brothers or sisters all the time. A little idle time, a little personal time, is OK, too.

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Show, Extent Support to Fellow Parents of Gifted Kids

Parents of children who are newly identified as gifted are often surprised at just how much is involved with raising an exceptional child. While parents love that their child excels in certain areas, they may still be struggling with common challenges such as trying to keep their child stimulated or dealing with behavioral issues. Let the new parents of students at your child鈥檚 school know that you are always there for support. Whether you enjoy a quick chat over lunch or lend them a copy of your favorite parenting book, supporting other parents helps build your child鈥檚 school community.

Explore New听Strategies for Parenting听Gifted Children

With each new stage of your child鈥檚 development, there is always something to learn. For instance, you may find it hard to balance encouraging your child to step out of their comfort zone and trying not to be overly pushy. You may also discover that you need to try new types of discipline strategies as your child gets older and begins to test their boundaries. Parenting any child is a fine art, but raising a gifted learner requires special strategies that you can learn from your child鈥檚 teachers, books and online resources such as blogs that focus on giftedness.

Preach Giftedness, Pitch Your Community’s Stories to Local Media

This week is all about raising awareness, and your community needs to know about the importance of supporting gifted learners. Spend some time brainstorming newsworthy events that are happening with gifted learners in your community. For instance, your child鈥檚 summer enrichment program may have art or new science discoveries to share. Alternatively, you could pitch a story to the media or local newspaper that highlights what to look for when identifying gifted children. Either way, getting the information into the public eye helps everyone know how to support gifted learners.

“Gift” Yourself a Much-Deserved Break

Parenting is tough work, and you may be exhausted from trying to fulfill your goal of stimulating your child鈥檚 learning through the summer. Whether you鈥檝e been hustling to get your child to and from club meetings and school enrichment classes or you just helped them out with an independent research project, you deserve to kick your feet up every once in awhile. Consider planning a date night with your spouse, or arrange for someone to watch your child while you head to the spa or library. Whatever you do, remember that this week is also about you. Coming back to your parenting duties refreshed after a short break gives you the energy you need to keep up with your child when their brain starts running wild.

This Summer, Create Family-Enriching Experiences

A little summer fun is just what your family needs to release the stress and enjoy a little bonding. You can use this week as the perfect excuse to have some fun before the summer is over. Take your kids out to the water park, or plan a camping trip for the weekend. While your kid may not be able to stop themselves from analyzing the plant life in the area or the speed with which they fly into the water, you will all enjoy this chance to step away from your daily routine. Just make sure to bring your camera and snap some photos of your favorite family memories.

Strengthen听the (Gifted) Child-Parent Bond, Relationship

In addition to just having fun, you can use this opportunity to help your child delve into one of their special interests. For example, you could pick up some tickets to the local play to encourage your child鈥檚 developing interest in drama. Or, you could go to the science museum where summer programs are often available to let kids enjoy hands-on experiences such as fossil digs. Historical sites in your area are also great places to visit that help your child expand their worldview.

Assist, Grow Your Community by Volunteering

Gifted learners tend to be more socially aware at a younger age than their peers. In fact, it is not uncommon for exceptional children to worry about issues such as school violence, homelessness and global warming. Talk to your child about the things that concern them about the world today. Then, brainstorm solutions together that inspire you to make a plan of action. From initiating a school supply drive in the community to making some lunch sacks for the less fortunate, you can work with your child to be the change that they want to see in the world. Depending upon your volunteer plan, this is also a great way to help your child get started on planning their independent research project.

Raise, Spread Awareness Through Social Advocacy

The internet is an asset for families with gifted children, and your child likely already uses their smartphone or computer to research their special interests. Now, you can also use it to get the word out about this week. Many families are unaware that National Parenting Gifted Children Week is even a thing, or they may not know how to show their support. Plan to put out a few updates on your favorite social media platform about this week, or share a link to your favorite parenting resources for your friends to check out.

Parents of gifted children give their all every day to make sure that their children have what they need. While you may not expect to be recognized, your efforts make a big difference in the community. Whether you head to the pool with your kid or send a few shout outs to your child鈥檚 school on social media, celebrating this week helps every child and parent understand the importance of supporting gifted learners.

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Other has found that grateful children better, have more energy and are less anxious. They are also more likely to be kind to others and help others, even strangers.

There are many ways to teach and share thankfulness with children, beginning with aged and all the way up through the later grades. Being thankful is a mindset that is developed early and stays with us our entire lives.

We couldn鈥檛 possibly cover all the possible ways you can celebrate thankfulness with your child, but we can name a few.

Lead by Example, From a Place of Gratitude

You can comment on so many around the house, thanking your child for cleaning his or her room, taking out the trash, helping set the table, sweeping the floor, cutting the grass, carrying in the groceries 鈥� and many more. By actually living what you preach and 鈥渨alking the walk,鈥� you will be setting the culture in your household for thankful behavior.

Thank听Those Who Serve

Let your children hear you thank those people who quietly do things for you in everyday activities like the bus driver that takes your child to school, to teachers, coaches, babysitters, doctors and nurses, waitresses and busboys, mail persons, and more.

Thank you鈥檚 should become part of your home vocabulary. When it should be said but is not, you can say it with your child so your child can learn to respond in the future the same way without your nudging.

There are also organizations that recognize servicemen and women and their contributions including Blue Star Families and Operation Gratitude. As your children get older, you can point out organizations such as these and discuss their purpose and history.

You can also talk about police and fire persons and first responders and all that they do to help others and express your gratitude as another example for your child.

惭补办别听骋谤补迟颈迟耻诲别听Fun

There are many ways to involve your child in activities that are fun as well as educational. Help your child make a thank-you video for someone who gave her a gift or showed her a kindness.

Help your child make a gratitude photo book and use a cellphone or camera to gather photos of the things she is thankful for. If you have magazines on hand, your child can cut out some of the photos as examples of things she is thankful for.

If your young child is to bashful about saying 鈥渢hank you鈥� herself, let her do it through a doll or stuffed animal. It鈥檚 more fun for teddy bear to say鈥� thank you.鈥�

Help Children Appreciate Helping Others

The world needs volunteers. People who help out in important causes without being paid are so important in the world. Many people volunteer to help when a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood, earthquake or other natural disaster strikes a town or city. Make your child aware of these volunteers who see that others are less fortunate and want to help out.

Maybe there is an opportunity for your child to help out at a local fair or soup kitchen, or help a neighbor with yard work or take their dog for a walk.

Try to make giving and volunteering a habit. Help your child set aside toys and clothing no longer needed and in good condition. Help deliver the items to a deserving cause together. Talk about what you are doing and why.

Teach the Gift of Oneself

At Thanksgiving, children and parents often share the things they are grateful for as part of the holiday celebration. At Christmas and other joyous holidays, children are thankful for their store-bought gifts. Parents often have to remind their children to say 鈥溾�� to the gift giver, so expressing thanks is a work in process for many families.

But gifts are not always store-bought. Gifts also come from within. Children can learn to give of themselves, create crafts or offer some kind of service as a gift to others. And children should learn to appreciate the personal gifts of others. Thankfulness should be about people first, and sharing personal gifts will bring families closer together.

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Parents can handle this situation in one of . Some are not only proud, but really 鈥渙ver proud鈥� to the extent that they view their gifted children as exhibits or some kind of recognition that they (the parents) are special. They have a new status symbol to talk about.

These 鈥減roud papa鈥� parents recognize that their gifted children are special but don鈥檛 see the need to get involved other than to make sure the school knows that they are the family with the .

Another group of parents are just the opposite. They are living in denial, not acknowledging that their children are different or special. They don鈥檛 consider it important enough to worry about and put other family issues first.

The third group is the concerned parents who recognize that their children are gifted, and that as parents they have an awesome responsibility to do all they can to learn about and nurture those gifts and support their children.

Hopefully, you will be the kind of parent who will realize the importance of finding to spend with your gifted children, because they will have a lot of questions, feelings, behaviors and interests that are very different from other children their ages.

They need you to be a responsible filter to help them make the right decisions about their unique skills, knowledge and abilities and how it all relates to 鈥渘ormal children鈥� and their brothers and sisters.

Why spend special time with them?

are not as self-sufficient as they may appear to be. They have needs like any other children. They need parents for direction and support especially when they start to notice they are different from other children.

Build self-esteem

Gifted children are often shy and not comfortable with siblings or classmates. They are sometimes ridiculed for being different, for being too smart or for being too preoccupied with their special interest. These children need to feel that they are not better off or worse off than their peers 鈥� just different.

Learn and support their gifts

It is important for you to learn what it is that makes your children gifted. Is it an academic skill, one of logic or mathematics, or is it one of the arts like music, dance or drawing? Is it their advanced level of reading or ability to use an adult vocabulary in communicating with adults and older children?

Whatever the gift, only by it can you as a parent prepare the way for that gift to be further developed, whether in school or or at home. Give your children opportunities to use their gifts, share with them their enjoyment and fascination with it and become their with all the people they meet.

Share feelings

Gifted children have concerns and sometimes disabilities that go hand in hand with giftedness. They might not try hard at something because the seek perfection and don鈥檛 want to fail. They may not want to succeed because they will look superior to their friends or classmates.

It would be helpful to ask these children how they feel and why they think the way they do. Offer explanations and express that their feelings are natural. Share your pride in what they are doing.

Provide guidelines

Gifted children might be so focused on a given talent or project that they don鈥檛 see the future. You as the parent can talk about what might be , or that there may be a different school involved, not the one they expect to attend.

You can advise them of how to deal with classmates and friends who may not understand them. And should they have some challenges like reading or inability to organize or focus, you can help them with ideas or practice.

Where do you find the time?

Parents are busy these days. Quite often, both parents work all day. Or one parent works and the other parent takes care of the children, possibly several children. There are many situations where a single parent must do both 鈥� work and take care of the children. Discretionary time is a rare and valuable commodity.

However, there are ways to find the time needed to spend with your gifted child, some more familiar than others.

Help with homework

Certainly spending time working with your children on homework not only helps them but helps you understand how they are doing. You can help them think through problem situations, or if they jump ahead to solutions, discuss their reasoning. It鈥檚 also a good time to talk about real-world applications, because many courses and programs for gifted children do focus on these real situations.

Do some reading at night

Gifted children are often creative and imaginative. You can provide books with fascinating stories and read with them. This works especially well for younger children. You can find time, maybe after homework, to share some reading time.

Take a walk or share a sport

Exercise is good for everyone. Many parents go to the local gym for exercise. Why not exchange a gym trip for a walk around the block or at a with your gifted children? There are many natural sights and sounds to experience, as well as time to discuss any private concerns or apprehensions they may have.

Riding bikes together can be a similar experience for you to share thoughts and feelings with your children. It isn鈥檛 just a physical activity, but a mental one as well.

There are also opportunities to share sports activities. If your gifted children are not inclined to join school sports, there is always the back yard or front yard where you can kick a soccer ball or play catch. It is the time you spend, rather than the activity itself, that is most important here.

Bake a cake

Kitchens provide great places for learning and sharing. Gifted children enjoy new experiences. When are baking a cake, you can discuss the recipe and ingredients with your gifted children. If you are making a meal for four people, ask your gifted child how to change the recipe to serve eight or 12 people.

Taking your gifted children along on a shopping trip can also spur some creative thinking, whether it is for groceries or some new clothes.

If your child is very young, something as simple as drawing or playing a simple game, or even playing with blocks can signal your care for how they think and feel. There is nothing like a 鈥溾�� to make learning and sharing fun.

Take in a play or concert

Support your gifted child鈥檚 imagination and possible love of the arts by scheduling a trip to a play or a concert. Being part of an audience for a live performance will give the child a new appreciation for the art form and perhaps provide more motivation to advance his or her own skills and talents in the arts.

Family movie nights also provide valuable experiences, not only from the movie subject but also from the interplay of family members and to help counter what may be sibling rivalry. Giftedness can cause a problem , and parents need to treat all their children equally 鈥� but differently.

The pressures of everyday life leave little precious time to spend with your children. But the decisions you make today on how to spend that precious time will help shape the kind of adult your child will become.

Gifted children, especially, need their parents to help them understand why they are different and how to navigate a world that may not appreciate them as it should. This is the awesome responsibility you now have as a gifted parent.

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A provides the best opportunities for these students to identify and develop their talents. But what happens at when school ends? What happens at home, on the weekend, and during the summer months?

There are a host of other opportunities available to gifted learners outside of school. Parents can take advantage of these by directing their gifted children toward those activities best suited to their children鈥檚 strengths and interests.

The with finding the right activities and gifted programs is that there is no systematic method for doing so. Parents are really on their own to come up with a custom plan for their children. Taking your children to libraries can only help so much.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of opportunities to explore, due to the increasing awareness of the need for resources for the gifted and talented.

At Home Activities

Many parents, when faced with the problem of how to help their gifted children keep growing and learning, look for outside activities and sources. They don鈥檛 realize that they can really start by simply talking with their children.

Giftedness is genetic, and so parents are also intelligent and can share their own viewpoints, opinions and experiences with their curious children who want to know about this mysterious place called 鈥渨ork.鈥�

What parents do at work is of great interest to gifted children. So that鈥檚 a good place to start discussions. That can be followed by all sorts of discussions and activities. Parents can provide , play cards or table games with their children, share maps and explore new places, provide opportunities for creative writing or art projects.

Parents can help build cars, airplanes, boats, make a robot, or build one of many elaborate Lego structures. 听There are many games that have been developed for gifted and talented children. They can be categorized as strategy games, thinking games, and creative games.

Strategy games

Some games challenge players to think ahead and evaluate possible outcomes. Many of these strategy games have become popular over the years.

• :听This game is easy to learn but it is always challenging. It uses double-sided discs that flip to opposite colors to force strategic changes.
• : This is a game of pushing marbles and is good for younger children.
• : This game is a traditional maze with a fantasy twist using mythical characters to stimulate imagination as well as logical thinking.
• 听A game with pieces that have multiple attributes and requires deductive reasoning.
• : Strategic thinking is important in this game of blocks, and it helps if the players have good spatial reasoning.

Thinking Games

• : 听It helps to have good thinking skills in this game of shaping cubes to match game cards in a timed competition.
• : Another thinking game, this one asks players to fit different shapes together. It has multiple levels and simple to complex challenges.
• 听Chess is a very challenging intellectual game and can be played for a lifetime. But for children starting out, it can be a daunting challenge. This version of the classic game uses illustrated cards and a 2-sided board where the game can be learned without the stress that will come later with the 鈥渞eal game鈥� of chess.
• 听This is a great thinking game that is similar to Scrabble but is played without the letters. It can be played by non-readers and those with reading difficulties. The game has received many awards.

Creative games

• 听 This is an enjoyable and award-winning app for children.
• This is a bright-color app for kids.
• 听 This app helps children express creative artwork.
• Musical expressions are made easy with this app.

Internet resources

Most gifted children are fortunate to live in a home with a computer and internet access. The provides a world of opportunities for students to explore their areas of interest, and there are many sites that are designed just for them.

• offers puzzles and brain challenges.
• provides interactive challenges to classroom subjects.
• offers resources connecting subject areas with educational TV programs.
• provides opportunities for online field trips.
• offers geography lessons and offers a section on medieval history.

Gifted children love technology, and the internet is a great tool to open their minds.

After School Activities

Many schools offer after-school activities, extracurricular classes, organizations and clubs, intramural sports, and field trips. The child鈥檚 learning doesn鈥檛 have to end听with school.

Field trips are a great way to develop special interests in a given field. For example, the organization offers many enjoyable and educational programs that bring children to wildlife sanctuaries and closer to the fascinating world of nature.

These programs and field trips are coordinated with the Massachusetts Department of Education and align with curriculum standards. There are field trips like these all over the country.

Gifted Programs at Universities

There are institutions of advanced learning that provide special courses and programs for gifted students who are still in secondary schools. Stanford University has an 听(EPGY) that offers self-paced, computer-based instruction accessible CD Roms or the Internet.

There are programs like this nationwide. ,听, and听 offer independent study programs for gifted and talented students.

The听听(AoPS) is a web community and school that offer virtual classroom learning in the area of mathematics. The goal of AoPS is to teach students how to that they are unfamiliar with and have never seen before.

Summer Programs

Summertime is a time of relaxation and enjoyment for most school-age children. Enjoyment can mean exploring a gifted child鈥檚 area of interest in some kind of summer program that fosters that interest.

There are summer programs and summer throughout the country that cater to almost any area of specialization. For example:

• Alabama听–听 provides camp options for children of all ages who might be interested in subjects like space exploration, aviation or aerodynamics.
• California听–听 provides academic workshops in composition, music theory, musicology and technology.
• Colorado听–听听allows students to work alongside professional archaeologists and learn excavation techniques to uncover real artifacts.

There are public and private organizations that provide traveling programs across the country. These organizations bring portable classrooms and learning environments to schools, private events and nature centers.

One example is the Sky Connection鈥檚 programs which are based on a portable planetarium and allow students to study the Earth from a different

The school for the gifted and talented offers the basis for developing your child鈥檚 special gifts. But the learning opportunities don鈥檛 stop there. There is a lot more to take in after 3PM, on weekends and during the summer. Just look around.

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Join Their School鈥檚 Parent Association

encourage the involvement of parents, and your child will appreciate knowing that you are offering your support to their gifted education program. From helping with the school鈥檚 book sale to recruiting corporate sponsorships, there are many ways to serve. Being involved with the parent association will also ensure that you always hear about fun bonding opportunities such as accompanying the class on a field trip early enough to make arrangements to attend.

Volunteer in the Community Together

Service learning projects are a significant part of programs for gifted students that foster leadership skills while adding a little something special to those college applications. Find out what your child is interested in, and sign up to serve together. Working side by side to help others allows you both to see each other in a different light.

Enroll Them in a听Programs for Gifted Students

Talented children often find their schedules overrun with things such as auditions and competitions. When these are combined with school and your need to go to work, it is easy to see why there is so little time for bonding. Distance learning programs for gifted children are designed to allow more flexibility with your child鈥檚 schedule. Knowing what coursework is coming up enables you to plan around your child鈥檚 school and personal activities.

Get Involved in their Projects

allow gifted children an opportunity to explore new interests while strengthening their talents. Use these classes as a springboard for finding things to do together. For example, helping your child decorate a bench they build in woodshop or listening to a song your child is working on in choir are simple activities that go a long way toward letting your child know that you care.

Use Pockets of Time to Ask Questions

Believe it or not, you are alone with your child for long enough to have a every day. Those small increments of time that you are together in the car commuting to school or gathered around the dinner table really do add up. Keep a running list of topics in your mind that you can bring up with your child. Remember to avoid simple yes or no questions, and instead ask open-ended questions about their interests. Alternatively, you could pose a question about a problem and hear out their solution. Engaging your child in conversations allows you to guide their development, and it really only takes a few minutes to make a big connection.

Staying involved in your child鈥檚 life gets harder as they gain new interests and delve deeper into their gifted education programs. Yet, encouraging their development does not mean having to let go. With a little creativity and determination, you can squeeze plenty of time into a packed schedule to make sure your child knows that they are your priority.

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There are many ways to categorize games for gifted children. Games can be grouped by age or grade level, size of group, type of game, or theme. There are also individual games that can be played without a group or leader.

During holidays, gifted children have the opportunity to spend more time with friends and family, or just relax and enjoy their games of choice on an individual level. There are many games that have holiday themes as well as standard games that can be played at any time.

Christmas Games

abound and can be found on many websites. Games include Christmas Carol Pictionary, Candy Canes and Guess the Christmas Character (20 questions). These games stimulate the imagination and fuel the curiosity that is common with so many gifted children.

Other Christmas games include Funniest Christmas Presents, where children describe the funniest present they ever received, and the other children try to guess whether the child鈥檚 story is true or false.

Another game is Christmas A-Z where children take turns coming up with Christmas-time words that start with a different letter of the alphabet. This helps build vocabulary and allows children to share experiences.

Hannakuh and Passover Games

There are many as well. Among them are Hanukkah and Passover Concentration. Children can also take a Mitzvah Moonwalk and look for Space Challah or Kiddush Cups.

Just like the games with Christmas themes, they also come with Jewish themes. Classics like Pictionary and Charades can be played with just about any theme in mind.

For just plain fun, children can play Hanukkah or Rosh Hashanah Bingo. Many board games like these can be found from many toy and game providers,

Game Types May Vary for听Gifted Children

There are many types of games that can challenge gifted children, including classical board games, drawing games, card games, action games, video games, riddles, and PowerPoint guessing games.

Many board games have been popular with children for decades. Monopoly teaches financial management. Scrabble builds vocabulary. Sudoku strengthens mathematical knowledge.

Riddles require out-of-the-box thinking where children have to deduce relationships and follow the course of logical events to reach a solution. Riddles encourage children to think of problems from different perspectives to navigate misleading clues.

PowerPoint games provide an opportunity to use graphics for . There are templates that can be downloaded from the Internet for PowerPoint Jeopardy. This medium is also great for Memory games or Zoom-in games where objects or secret words are distorted through 鈥渃lose-ups.鈥�

Some games combine elements from other games. is a game that combines Taboo, Password, and Charades. love complexity.

Retailers Offer Games to Challenge all Intellects

Almost all department stores and general retail establishments offer games, including Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys R Us. The Internet offers a host of games that are continually updated for current content and for current thought on child development philosophies. Many games, puzzles and related gifts can be found on .

鈥淒ays of wonder鈥� is an award-winning game developer that has distributed over 5 million board games in 40 countries and hosted 45 million online games. It offers digital versions of its games in the IOS App Store and on Google Play as well as on its website.

Popular games include Ticket to Ride (best-selling train game), Small World, and Shadows over Camelot.

Parents should Limit Screen Time

The suggests limited media exposure for children under 2. For children 2-5, parents should limit exposure to 1 hour a day. After that, parents should decide how their children are reacting to the exercise of watching and/or interacting with video.

The Academy recognizes the value of video but also encourages parents to use reading, music and physical activity to complement these activities. 听Parents should also be aware of unwanted ads or confusing information (fact vs. fiction) for children.

The Game of Baking Cookies

Making cookies can be a very educational exercise and can be made a game. Children can read a box and see what the recipe requires. They can also be asked to double the recipe and determine what the new requirements might be. This exercise combines reading and math skills as well as real-world application.

In addition to recipes and menus, there are instructions for assembly or installation that can also combine development skills. Thermometers can be used to show conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit. 听The night sky is there to find and discuss constellations. Why buy a game when you have so many sources of intellectual challenge in your home already?

The next time you go shopping, ask your children to apply the store鈥檚 discount percentage to the price being offered. This is a test of mathematical skills and can be made a game by parents. It鈥檚 a good example of 鈥溾�� time that parents should spend with their children in gaming situations. Not every game needs to be with peers. In addition, personal attention enables parents to provide full explanations and answer all questions.

magazine suggests a 鈥渇amily night鈥� so that children can enjoy the emotional support of family in a game-based environment.

Whether you buy a game or allow your children to access other game sources, or participate in family game time, the purpose should be fun and emotional release. If the process is also educational and developmental in some way, that鈥檚 all the better.

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Journalism or Creative Writing
Getting their thoughts out on paper can give your child an outlet while also helping them strengthen their communication skills. For gifted children, journalism is a great starting point for learning how to report news that makes a difference in the community. If factual writing is less your child鈥檚 style, then creative writing groups can allow your child to expand their imagination while building upon their writing strategies.

Yoga
Too much intellectual activity can cause your child to neglect their physical health. Gifted children are also prone to stress, and it is important to teach them ways to relax. Taking a yoga class will give your child time in their schedule that is specifically designated for physical activity. Additionally, manipulating their body into poses and practicing deep breathing will promote relaxation that can clear your child鈥檚 mind and fill them with confidence.

Service-Learning Projects
Volunteering in the community builds leadership skills while giving kids opportunities for socialization. As your child works side-by-side with others, they learn powerful lessons about how important their contributions can be to society. From packing lunch bags for the homeless to cleaning up the beach, service-learning projects give gifted children real life experiences where they can practice their skills and develop new ones. As an added bonus, service-learning projects look great on those college applications.

Speech
Public speaking is one of the most feared skills among adults, yet starting your gifted child in a speech class can help them overcome this common barrier to success while they are young enough to adapt. In a speech class, your child will be provided with opportunities to develop their oral communication skills in a supportive environment. If this makes them nervous, then don鈥檛 worry. Classes designed for gifted children use a variety of techniques such as performing in skits and mock trials that take the pressure off of having to perform until they are ready to stand behind the podium.

Foreign Language Learning
Today鈥檚 global economy demands that children leave school knowing at least one language other than their own. Currently, Mandarin Chinese is one language that is highly sought after among professionals due to its prevalence in the business field. For gifted children, learning a language that involves new characters and completely foreign sounds can be more stimulating than a language they have heard before in their every day life. It is also important to note that learning a new language increase neural activity in the brain that can have a positive impact upon the other areas of your child鈥檚 education.

Keeping your gifted child fully immersed in learning opportunities is the best way to keep that little mind churning with knowledge. Whether your gifted child leans toward serving in the local animal shelter or turning upside down on a yoga mat, planning a few will give them an outlet to develop their personality along with their intelligence.

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