Q
People are always telling me that my three-year-old is very intelligent, even gifted. She's already learning to read, just from listening to me read to her. How do I know that she's gifted? Should I encourage her interest in reading at this age?
A
Continue to provide a loving, stimulating, playful home environment for your three-year-old. It's not at all surprising that she may be ready to begin learning to read. Every child is hard-wired differently for major developmental milestones and reading is no exception. Follow your daughter's lead in terms of her learning to read and spell. As long as it's fun for her, respond to her curiosity about anything with appropriate encouragement. familyeducation.com has a wealth of information on giftedness. I encourage you to thoroughly investigate this area and to apply this knowledge and information in parenting your daughter.