Library Resources to Support Your Gifted Children
Books, educational databases, and makerspaces can help accommodate your child’s growing academic needs
Teaching and supporting a gifted child is fulfilling work, but it does present a unique challenge for many parents. Often, the ways that we help most kids learn simply don’t work for gifted kids, and this can create frustration for parents who aren’t equipped to support a gifted child.
If you’ve found yourself in this scenario, reach out to your local library! Libraries offer a number of resources that empower gifted children and their families to adapt to their circumstances and thrive. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know.
Books for Their Reading Level
If your gifted child is an active reader, we’re sure you know the struggles of trying to find something suitable for them to read. They run through each and every book you give them like it’s the last one on earth, and while that’s great for their intellectual development, it makes it difficult to keep them supplied with just-right reading materials.
Many gifted children, especially younger ones, find themselves in an awkward spot where their reading level is too high for typical kids’ novels, but they’re still too young for some of the subjects that come up in books for older teens and adults.
Libraries, naturally, offer the perfect solution: a huge collection of books for all audiences, age levels, and reading abilities. While you may have to do a bit of extra searching to find a book that fits your child’s needs, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll come across it eventually.
Makerspaces That Encourage Creativity
Of course, your child may not be a reader. Giftedness manifests itself in many different ways, so your child may not enjoy reading but excel in other areas instead. Even so, the library can still help to support them, believe it or not.
Many libraries, like Oregon’s Beaverton City Library, have designated areas for creatives called makerspaces. These makerspaces are fully stocked with almost every artistic tool and resource you can imagine, even those you wouldn’t normally think of.
There are, of course, traditional art materials, musical instruments, and other offerings you’d expect to find in a creative facility, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. They also offer a variety of unique and specialized equipment that you’d be unlikely to find at home, like laser cutters and even basic sound recording setups!
Bear in mind that not all libraries have a makerspace, and each makerspace will have different offerings. No matter what you end up finding, though, we think it’s definitely worth a look.
Rich Educational Databases
If you’re still unsure how to support your gifted child, you can look at the library’s online educational databases and resource lists, attend a workshop, or simply ask your librarian if they have any pointers.
Databases like the World Book Activity Corner or Scholastic ScienceFlix, for example, offer a vast number of resources and activities for gifted children of all ages. If your library subscribes to these databases, you can access them at home for free with your library card number. We recommend using them in conjunction with the library’s other resources so that you always have access to the information your child needs to succeed.
If you want bit of hands-on advice and applicable skills to support your child with, the workshops we mentioned above might be just the thing you need. Libraries host workshops fairly often, so visit your local library’s website and see what workshops are coming up soon.
If any of them strike your interest, make a day out of it! Take your child to the library, set them up with a good book in a comfy corner, and take your time attending the workshop, taking notes, and learning how to offer your child the support they need.
At the end of the day, your child will be much better prepared to handle everyday academic challenges, and you’ll have everything you need to support them as they navigate those challenges.
Looking for more great info on how the library can help you and your gifted kiddos? Check out the stories on our Reading and Families feature pages today!
Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries.
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