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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why does she need to do anything??  It's something she likes, so get her a Kindle, but I don't think reading is really something you can be "gifted" at.  Anyone who reads enough will be good at it, and some kids progress faster than others, but[b] it's not really a "gift" so much as just something you learn to do[/b].  I was an advanced reader at an early age, too, and frankly it isn't very useful.  I now have multiple graduate degrees in literature and I've got to be one of the best readers in the world, and it's a completely useless ability.   I think reading early might be an opportunity for her to do other things, since she is able to access information better than others her age. Perhaps it would be more beneficial if she used her ability to learn about another subject or to participate in some interesting activities generally reserved for older kids - i.e. plays (memorizing lines is hard if you can't read them!),  [/quote]

+1
Sorry...I know OP is serious and loves her kid and all. And it's great to be a proud parent.
But I read this post a little while ago and I'm still chuckling at the idea of reading being her "gift"...[/quote]

Well, to be fair, there are people who are natural speed readers (like 4 novels on a cross country flight), which is a gift. There are also people who remember everything they read (I clerked for a judge who could tell you which page of which volume a particular holding of a case would be found!!). And I know several people who can recite a long quote from a variety of novels at just the perfect moment in a conversation - always freakishly on point and impressive. And many people are so widely read, with impressive memories of what they read, that you will never keep up with them in a conversation about books.

There is such a thing as a gifted reader.[/quote]

OP: I am really appreciating the conversation.

DD was/is an advanced reader. I don’t think that is a “gift”, although one could argue it does open up opportunities to learn more at an earlier age. DD is also “gifted” per a psychologist. I also don’t think of that as a gift. She’s not a genius, nor is she good at everything (she was tested for LDs).  But her ability to read the way she does (prolifically, at high levels, indiscriminately), her love for books, her effortless comprehension and mature analysis... It seems innate. Like a natural talent. Wouldnt we all want our kids to have this? (Not all my kids do.)  seems like a gift to me.

It really is her one passion right now. I hate that it’s considered useless. I guess the whole point of this discussion is to figure out how to turn a gift that is a hobby into something more useful and celebrated. I’m hoping it translates to writing or a passion in another subject. I’ll encourage it. Thank you for all the links. I’m looking into everything. 
[/quote]

Honestly . . . why? There is nothing wrong with loving to read. I'm an English professor, so I have made it my life. But I think these things you're doing are more to highlight your daughter's "accomplishment" than because she needs it, or because it helps expand her sense of the world, or lead a richer life, or be a better member of her community, or reflect on things that are important to her, or etc. It frankly seems a bit weird to me. She likes to read. So what if others are in sports or medalling in math olympics? If she has her thing in life, just help her follow her interests and be secure in herself. There is no need to make it into something "useful and celebrated." If you want to encourage creative writing, maybe have her take some creative writing lessons. Poetry. Keep a journal. Write op-eds on issues she cares about. It should be in a particular genre rather than some kind of general "I'm gifted at reading." Reading in itself is nothing, it's what you use it for. [/quote]

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