Very Smart, Hates Everything

[shinyhappypeople]

5 yo DD learns everything (so far) quickly and easily. She's particularly good at math. And yet, if I even mention math the first words out of her mouth are "I hate math!!!" She can't articulate *why* she hates it, she just does. Same with reading, even though she's darn good at that, too.

She went to a "good" (high scoring) PS kindergarten where they pushed the kids pretty hard. Kindergarten is the new first grade. :( I do know that there was a long stretch of time when she was really bored because she was forced to review (over and over and over) concepts that she caught onto the first or second time around. Now, she doesn't want to learn anything anymore :( Basically, if it was shoved down her throat last year, she hates it this year.

The exception is science. She still LOVES science. Coincidentally (?) that's the subject that they spent relatively little time on, and what they did do was actually geared for K'ers (butterfly life cycle, for ex.)

How do I help her find her love of learning again? She's smart but she's also only 5. I want to inspire and challenge her in a way that respects both her intellect and her emotional development.

[Capt_Uhura]

Are you HSing her now? If so, she just needs decompression time. I've even seen a formula....a month for every year in PS??? Maybe more. My son was the same way. Just ask her what she wants to learn about and then facilitate that. Slowly start adding in the other subjects, one at a time. ONce she gets used to that subject being added, add another. For now, just pursue her love of science at her pace. There's lot of math to be done in science...graphing, analyzing, sorting, hypothesizing. At that age, my son could do simple experiments, make a guess at the outcome, we did it together, and discussed if the outcome supported his hypothesis.

[nova147]

In addition to decompressing, I would encourage you to do things more non-traditionally when you start them. If she did lots of math worksheets in ps, focus on games when you start math. Read non fiction with her. When she gets into a science topic, try to find a related fiction book to get her back into stories. Let her play with those things they "shoved down her throat" last year. In time, you will be able to approach them more traditionally (if you so choose).

[Karin]

At five, I'd keep it fun. Do what she loves. Don't do math with a curriculum, but incorporate it as part of life without necessarily quizzing her on things. Don't force her to read. Only one of mine liked to read at five, and they're all far ahead of grade level in reading now. That doesn't mean that they all read for fun at the levels they're capable of reading, though.

My gifted dc don't like doing school and they're all older than that, so that have to do things they don't like with currcula they don't always care for (but I do work to find what fits best.) However, perhaps since I grew up when kindergarten was about playing, art, crafts, etc, I have no problem with not doing academics at that age. My uncle is a genius, and he didn't go to school until 6; there was no kindergarten. He managed to get his Ph.D. and make his mark in his field anyway :). Your dd won't have any trouble catching up, either, when she's 6.

Just because children are gifted doesn't mean that they love academics, or that they want to do it young. There are so many great ways to learn at five. She might need more than a mont or two to decompress.

Also, I'd have books around on topics she enjoys and not tell her to read them. Or simply read aloud part of a book or a chapter in a chapter book and then leave it for a while; sometimes they'll pick them up on their own or finish them on their own.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading books out loud to her instead of her reading them at that age if she enjoys that, even if she could easily read it herself. Also, books on tape/CD are a great idea, too.