A Genius In the Making: The First Two Years

Lekkk · Jun 30, 2012

Hi Lakshmi,

I am very much worried about my son… He is 6 years old and in class II. He is in fact the brightest boy in his class from the start. His teachers are all praises for him. He grasps things well and gets full marks in all his exams. He has an excellent memory. He writes stories and poems on his own. But the problem is he has difficulty in copying the question and answers written on the board. He brings his class work incomplete almost daily. His handwriting is very bad. He has difficulty even while copying from the book while doing homework. But, if I teach him and he learns the content, he is able to write without mistake and that’s how he gets full marks. Problem comes only when copying something. He loses track of where he left and keep searching for that word. I am worried about his eyesight and will be checking with an ophthalmologist soon, but I feel his sight is pretty good only. Please give me some suggestions as to what to do and what to expect.

lakshmi13 · Jul 11, 2012

Thanks a lot Gayathri

lakshmi13 · Jul 11, 2012

You are really lucky to have such an intelligent kid. His only problem while copying is that he loses his attention. Your child's thoughts are faster than actions when it comes to copying that is why his handwriting is bad. When he is made to understand things and is allowed to write on his own he is able to score well. It is really good that he understands things and then learns. Dont worry if he doesnt copy from the board or the book. Copying encourages rote learning which after sometime makes learning difficult. As far as his handwriting goes, improving it is easy. Just ask him to write something on his own, maybe a story, a poem or even few sentences. This will not only improve his handwriting, it will stimulate his imagination and enhance his creativity. An eye specialist is required only if he is having headache or complains of watery eyes or is unable to see things clearly. As far as what appears from your description, your child is intelligent and learns after understanding things. Please let him continue his outstanding performance.

Lekkk · Jul 23, 2012

Lakhsmi,

Thank you so much for replying. Last week I met my son's teachers after his monthly assessment, and he has done exceptionally well. I have told the teacher about his copying problem and asked that he be seated in the first bench. Hope this solves the problem. Thanks again for your suggestions....

SM11870 · Sep 5, 2012

Hi lakshmi,

I am a working mother of a 2.5 yr old baby.My son is very active,loves playing,watching ad in tv,plays ball with his papa,listens to songs on laptop and is a good copycat.He copies the way Big B moves his hand in an ad and other characters also.The problem is that he is not speaking except for few words like mama,papa.He mixes with the children of his group but doesnt know how to play.He blabbers a lot but we are unable to understand.We have put him in a playschool and daycare-the teachers say that he has adjusted properly,never cries,plays there but do not speak.I feel the language may be a barrier coz our mother tongue is oriya,school they speak in english,outside home both english and hindi.....I am totally confused how to teach him atleast one language.Infact he doesn't pay attention to what i am teaching at home.I feel his mind is distracted most of the time due to TV and computer.
Pls suggest what to do???????Except for speaking he is good in other activities.My husband is not ready to listen to my words.He says some children take time so dont worry but I feel that we ought to be careful.Pls guide me.

PriyaPrahlad · May 30, 2013

Wow.. This post is really an eye-opener for today's parents. Thanks for posting.

JanetWinslet · Jul 19, 2013

useful!!!i can recommend it for my cousin,her baby is near 1 year old.i think this may be very helpful for her.

amritavarshini · Sep 12, 2013

lakshmi thank u very much for the wonderful posts and patiently answering the readers' questions...my DD is 3.9 months old, she is in LKG now...now we have shifted our base to my husband's place for his convenience..she likes everybody at his place but she s not able to adjust with the new school surroundings...she has been in play school for 2 years and she has not cried or created problems in the old place...she gets ready but refuses to eat and board the bus...she cries while leaving the house...but teachers say she s very comfortable at school, smart and attentive...can u please suggest some ways to avoid this situation?
also she sleeps very late at night...she is a very active child and finds it difficult to settle down to sleep however hard i try...enlighten me on this too...another question..what is the right time to start teaching art and music to children? my DD loves music and she has been identifying raagams from 1.5 yrs..she loves to draw too...

vairamak · Dec 13, 2013

Hi lakshmi,

I had the opportunity to go through this thread. My son is 8 yrs old. I was a home maker taking care of him till he was 6 yrs and only for the past 2 yrs i have taken up my career. That too a career , close to my house.

My son is a brilliant child and he performs the tasks which he has clearly understood at the first time. For eg. if he has understood multiplication and division on the day when his teacher taught and he does it very well , but not in addition and subtraction.

He is more addict to TV. I spend time with him, taking him for a walk, playing shuttle etc from 6 pm. He is very much interested in reading books etc. But, above all , when he sees the TV remote , he is more inclined to it, than all his hobbies. He gets into the character itself.

As of now, I hide the remote. I have advised him a lot. But, once in a while he goes crazy. All he tells lots of lies for even small things. This was not the case with him 2 years back.

FYI, my parents are taking care of him from the time he comes from school.

Please guide me on how should I divert him and show his career path.

Need your guidance to streamline by son's character

Regards
Vairamak

deepagopalan · Dec 13, 2013

Dear Vairamak,

if your son is addicted to TV,then set a task and tell ur son like if u finish homework you can watch TV for 30min,If you do this ..if u do that like that,
try to lock his favourite channel and divert him giving some task,teach him telling lies are too bad and god will punish him in other way something like that.
spend more quality of time with him and make him busy like painting,indoor games,reading stories,devotional prayers etc.it will be tuff in the beginning to divert him but you shouldn't loose your courage...