Is It Possible to Have Too Much Math?

calmom
Sun, 16 Mar 2014 23:42:20 +0000

1) Don’t hold him back
2) Don’t push
3) Don’t categorize or narrow your son’s interests by the qualities you see now.

By #2 and #3, I mean, don’t get the sense that your son is a budding math genius and it is your obligation to buy a bunch of software or enroll him in all sorts of programs. Just let the interest naturally develop, but at the same time encourage exploration of other areas and remember that the interests of a 7 year old can change and develop over time.

I mean, it is possible that your son’s math talents will continue to develop at a pace far beyond his years – but it is also possible that his 7 year old brain won’t be quite able to fathom some of the more difficult concepts beyond basic algebra and geometry – and that his interests will diverge. For example, maybe he will get as far as he is comfortable with the EPGY algebra course, and then develop an interest in music or electronics or computer programming or whatever.

So let him be 7.

I think it’s wonderful when a kid shows an early talent, but it can be a mistake if at a young age everyone starts to see the child through the lens of that talent. The child can then become constrained by parental expectations, and lose out on opportunity to explore different interests as he grows. So your 7-year old “mathy” kid could grow into a 9-year old who wants Karate lessons or a 12 year old who is fascinated by archeology. You never know.