All children’s names have been changed.
Back to: Indicators of Possible Intellectual Giftedness
Example, anonymous, from the notes of a mother
I fetch two Papilotten (foam curlers) from the cupboard, which we want to use as swimming noodles for the dolls. I show them to Iris and want to explain something to her. Iris protests: „When we unpacked them, I was there, after all! That was at least one year ago! (3;8 years ago.)
Date of publication: May 2021
Example by Martina Werner
Our trainee started the therapeutic riding programme during her time at school, which she continues to supervise at the moment. The four-year-old children could register there. Malte was really looking forward to it and went along enthusiastically the first time.
Once there, he held back again and just watched. But even then he retained an amazing amount of information and details. For example, on the next outing he knew that the part of the hoof you are supposed to scratch out is called the „frog“. The other children have also noticed that he knows a lot and ask him when they don’t know something. He is the „expert“, so to speak.
Date of publication: April 2021
Example by Lucy Rüttgers, Cologne
In the course of our project “Countries of the world” a new colleague of ours and I arranged for a singing group for the more talented among our children.
Selin, a little Turkish girl, was leading the session and taught us the song “Brother John” in Turkish. Earlier we had sung the song in German. Edith (4;7) picked up the Turkish lyrics so quickly that Selin honourably mentioned her: “Edith is already getting it right.”
The next day we also sang the English version and Edith knew the words so quickly, it made me think she had known the song all along, which she denied.
At the weekend Edith learned the Italian lyrics together with her mother and then wanted to teach us. Singing the song out to me, she was rather relaxed and at ease. However, in front of the singing group she was rather shy and low-key. Together with me she was able to sing the song in Italian and she became increasingly confident.
This activity, “Little Choir” is great fun for Edith.
More to be read about Edith here:
Project “Letters” – An Activity for Small Groups (German version)
Doing Maths in a Group of Two (German version)
Published in German: September 2012
Example by Verena König, Remscheid
Our intern has founded a choir, which Murat (6;1) joins with great joy. Their first song was “…und wenn ein Lied…” [“…and when a song…”] by the Söhne Mannheims [Sons of Mannheim, German Pop-Group]. After the first session Murat knew the words of and was able to sing the chorus, for the entire lyrics (and they are really difficult) he needed only two more sessions.
Date of publication in German: May 12th, 2010
Example Mara, observation int he family, anonymous
This week Mara (2;3) recites from the book „Meine Fahrzeuge“ [My Vehicles], she does so in the exact wording and from memory. This is done 5 sentences each, throughout several pages. All the while she is checking with the book and moving her lips much more elaborately than usual.
Date of publication in German: May 12th, 2010
Example by Petra Cohnen, Herzogenrath
Ergün (3;10) recalls, effortlessly as it appears, incidences from months ago. On annual festivities he strikingly recalls the exact course of events during that same festivity the year before.
Example: Ergün talking about the previous year’s Easter festivities to a kindergarten teacher: “Right, and last year we were hunting for bunnies and eggs outside, mine and Nina’s were underneath the jungle gym.”
Date of publication in German: May 12th, 2010
Example by Sabine Handke, Frankfurt/M.
John (4;5) is being picked up by grandma. It’s 3:30 pm. John hugs his grandma and reminds her to buy cheese, bread, milk and some goodies. (The mother had mentioned this in the morning.)
This also shows an early readiness to take on responsibility.
Date of publication in German: February 2 nd , 2010
Example by Monika Meeus, Bornheim
When the talk was of sweets recently, Enno (4;0) told us, he liked rice paper the best. … He suggested that I buy rice paper to have at our kindergarten some time.
I answered: >Sure, why not.<
Said Enno: >I even know where to get them.<
Then he took his time to tell me which shop to go to, which aisle to walk down, which objects I would go past, in which exact shelf it would be and what there would be next to it.
He was actually able to tell me to the last detail where the rice paper was to be found.
Date of publication in German: September 10 th, 2009
Back to: Indicators of Possible Intellectual Giftedness
Translated by Arno Zucknick
Copyright © Hanna Vock 2010, see Imprint.