help them . For instance , they would benefit from having access to toys that could on one side assist them in taking advantage of their academic or creative potential , and on the other support their social and emotional growth , which is usually quite immature compared to other areas of their development .
They are usually characterized by their asynchronous development , which means that they might be like they have different ages at once . For instance , at a physical age of 7 years old they might be intellectually similar to a 10-year-old but show the emotional outbursts of a 5-year-old . As you can imagine , this represents an issue for parents and educators trying to find out the best toys for a talented kid , as they are not able to follow the manufacturer ’ s age-appropriate recommendations . This factor is also a challenge to solve for the toy industry .
But even if targeting gifted children is complex , in part due to the disparity of peculiarities between them , there are some common characteristics that the industry can take into consideration to create meaningful and highly useful toys for them .
Toys to promote and foster their natural motivation to learn
Talented and gifted children occasionally experience a lack of motivation and performance . Data shows that an important number of gifted children do not perform well in school . Sadly , they might be eager to learn but they can ’ t do well in the way regular schools are teaching them .
An 8-year-old gifted kid can spend hours immersed in finding rocks , playing with something related to geology or reading an advanced book about minerals , but won ’ t be able to finish a page of English homework . On one side high-ability learners usually struggle with executive functions , on the other side we have to consider that their skills in several subjects might vary quite drastically .
packaging and communication . The line of products Crazy Science by Lisciani can be a good example of how to also approach this target .
Crazy Science Explosive Experimente im Labor , Lisciani Toys to support their emotional well-being
Most people expect more mature behavior from an academically advanced kid , when in fact they usually experience social and emotional difficulties . They might be able to multiply earlier than others but struggle with impulse control for a longer time . No doubt this also presents a challenge for parents and educators .
For high-ability learners , it is especially important to work on these two aspects ( social interactions and emotional management ) as early as possible . The good news is that lately , our industry is providing the market with great toys to support children in this regard .
As for toys that support socialization , we have to consider that gifted kids tend to think they are right and might have some issues sharing responsibilities to achieve the same goal , so you can think about how to create toys that promote cooperation instead of competition . That is the case of games such as Hero Town by Djeco .
How can toys help them in this matter ? Well , as they are usually good autonomous learners but in the things that interest them , we can provide toys that , based on different interests , promote other skills at the same time . For instance , children with a passion for minerals can practice attention and concentration or literacy with a puzzle such as Mineralogy Jigsaw by Hinkler .
But to design for gifted kids we need to forget the stereotypical image of a nerd , as most gifted kids are “ cooler ” than we might think . Many are popular , enjoy jokes and are less serious than what we might have previously imagined . So have that in mind when thinking about topics for toys , and even the aesthetics of the product , its
Hero Town , Djeco
As for emotional intelligence , it is relevant to point out that talented children are usually highly sensitive . They
Kids India E-Magazine - June 2022 | Page 19