Challenging Exceptionally Bright Children in Early Childhood Classrooms

Support exceptionally bright children with strategies that challenge them to think with more complexity, depth, and creativity

Nearly every group of children includes at least one exceptionally bright child. From the especially creative child to the child who has already mastered learning outcomes to the “twice exceptional” child, exceptionally bright children have a wide range of talents and behaviors. This book will help you understand what it means to be exceptionally bright in preschool and prekindergarten and help you guide children to reach their full potential. It includes three broad strategies—differentiation, conversation, and connection—for creating rich and satisfying learning experiences that meet the needs of all children. Use these techniques to adapt your practices, challenge children to think more deeply, and create opportunities for children to learn from each other throughout your literacy, math, and science curricula. You will also learn assessment methods that can help you identify exceptionally bright children and techniques to support children’s social-emotional development and strengthen your partnerships with families.

When exceptionally bright children are supported and challenged, they will be more confident about their abilities to think and learn. And they will go on to make creative contributions to their future classroom communities.

Ann Gadzikowski, a graduate of the Erikson Institute, has more than twenty years of experience as an early childhood teacher and program director. She is the early childhood coordinator for the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University and teaches early childhood education courses at Oakton Community College.