…So why bother putting a lot of effort into their development? According this article from CNN, only 2-5% of kids are ‘gifted’ and studies show there is almost no link to the amount of developmental activities the children participate in during infancy and toddlerhood.

The vast majority of children are not gifted. Only 2 to 5 percent of kids fit the bill, by various estimates. Of those, only one in 100 is considered highly gifted. Prodigies (those wunderkinds who read at 2 and go to college at 10) are rarer still — like one to two in a million. And despite the boom in infant-stimulation techniques, educational DVDs, learning toys, and enrichment classes, those numbers haven’t been increasing. You can’t build giftedness; it’s mostly built in.

The article goes on to state that children just need the basics. “In the first three years of life, all children need to feel a sense of security and attachment. Being held, being loved and having one’s basic needs met are all critical for future learning.” I think sitting in dad’s lap while he watches football qualifies.

The lesson to take away from this is not to feel guilty about your lazy parenting. Even if you were to spend crazy amounts of time doing ‘proper parenting’, it probably won’t affect your child’s development into a genius anyways. Look at some of our previous tips on ways to maximize your neglect!

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Tags: child development,genius,gifted
Categories: Tips
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