Typical Characteristics of Gifted Children

Here are some of the typical characteristics of gifted children:

• Unusually large vocabularies for their age
• Ability to read earlier than most children, often before entering school
• Greater comprehension of the subtleties of language
• Longer attention span, persistence and intense concentration
• Ability to learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice
• Wide range of interests
• Highly developed curiosity and a limitless supply of questions
• Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
• Tendency to put ideas or things together in ways that are unusual and not obvious (divergent thinking)
• Ability to retain a great deal of information
• Unusual sense of humor

(Guiding the Gifted Child, by James T. Webb, Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, Stephanie S. Tolan)