Daughter excels at games like Wordle - what does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Over the past year, we’ve realized our daughter enjoys and excels at pattern recognition games and all the NYT app games. She’s a big reader but also our youngest and it has caught us by surprise since we are used to her being the baby of the family. My husband and I are smart people and my high schoolers do very well in school, yet the 12 year old beats us consistently in Wordle, Spelling Bee, etc. I guess what I’m asking is how I should guide her given her abilities. She is not “advanced” per se in math nor writing really. Are there fields of work or the like that would be a smart move for someone like this? I definitely want to nurture her interests and skills but am not super knowledgeable with these sort of games and what it all means. Thanks for any advice.

[Anonymous]

She has a good vocabulary, which is great. She doesn’t need any guidance. Just let her enjoy.

[Anonymous]

It's the reading. I fully acknowledge that DH is probably "smarter" than me across the board, but I've always read for fun and he hates to read, though he does so frequently for work. I'm better at all those games. It doesn't mean anything other than I have more experience with words in print.

Just let her enjoy and continue to nurture her love of reading.

[Anonymous]

It means that a NYT Games subscription is a good gift for her. That’s what it means.

[Anonymous]

Those games do encompass patterns and probability, so maybe she'll be good at algebra and stats.

I'm "not a math person," but I liked those classes because my other skills helped me understand them.

[Anonymous]

Ive noticed big reader + mathematically minded+competitive=wordle standout.

[Anonymous]

I have a child like this who in general isn’t noticeably strong in most games other than Wordle however she was insanely, freakishly good at the hasbro simon game, so maybe it has to do with good working memory?

[Anonymous]

She has a future at NSA. That kind of game, along with other word puzzles or chess, is an indicator for the kind of mindset needed to analyze messages. Read up on how Bletchley Park recruited puzzlers during WW2. (No, I am not kidding.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She has a future at NSA. That kind of game, along with other word puzzles or chess, is an indicator for the kind of mindset needed to analyze messages. Read up on how Bletchley Park recruited puzzlers during WW2. (No, I am not kidding.)

Crosswords are an order of magnitude harder than wordle, lol.

[Anonymous]

Kids have more fluid intelligence than adults.

[Anonymous]

Don't get too excited. AI has already replaced any human pattern talents.

[Anonymous]

Are there fields of work like this? She's 12. Stop it.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it has any greater meaning. My 14 year old with severe ADHD hates to read and has a middling vocabulary, but high IQ per his neuropsych testing, and he is amazing at the NYT games, including Wordle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ive noticed big reader + mathematically minded+competitive=wordle standout.

Haha. I am fabulous at wordle and didn’t take math after 10th grade!

[Anonymous]

No, but if she starts a Wordle Club at her school and appoints herself President, and incorporates a non-profit to teach Wordle to underprivileged youth, it will look great on her college resume in six years (if they still ask for that stuff by then).