Do I have a smart child?

Question

My daughter will be 3 in May and I am just wondering if she is smarter that average. She can name about 7 colors, 4 shapes and can count to 17. She has started counting to 4 in Spanish recently too. She also says the alphabet and has been doing so for about a year. She is starting to name numbers and letters too. She seems to remember every song she hears and sings all the time. I have a 7 year old and a 5 month old so unfortunately I am not exposing her to this stuff all the time. She just seems to know lots of things that I don't remember having taught her. Just wondering....

Answer 1

For your daughter being 3 and knowing all that i would say she average. She learned on her own so thats wonderful!

The three-year-old is eager to please. It's a wonderful time to establish excellent lifelong habits, if parents have the patience!

During the third year of life a child typically:

May sleep 10 to 12 hours at night
Hops on one foot
Walks a line
Walks on tiptoes for a few steps
Brushes teeth, washes hands, retrieves own drink
Puts on shoes (no laces)
Completes a six-piece puzzle
Draws simple shapes
Enjoys helping with household tasks
Follows simple directions
Plays spontaneously with two or three children
Identifies some common colors
Counts to three
Enjoys "pretend" games such as playing house
Wets the bed at night occasionally
Uses the toilet often and may need help (boys may not be toilet trained until later this year)
Feeds self completely using a fork and spoon and can butter bread with a knife.
Speaks in three- to five-word sentences
Uses plurals (cats, dogs, etc.)
May have difficulty getting some words out (not a sign of stuttering)
Sings a simple tune
Asks a lot of the "Five W" questions
Demonstrates a three-minute attention span
Remembers yesterday's happenings
Understands some dangers, such as moving cars
Feels shame when caught doing something wrong
Is interested in similarities and differences
Understands difference between self and younger children
Doesn't understand difference between self and older children
May show preference for opposite sex parent
Develops sense of humor and enjoys making people laugh

Answer 2

Every child is smart in their own way...there are some kids who can be more advance in their way of thinking or precessing skills. Like adults, children all interpret the world and learn differently. Some kids can retain and understand information easier than other kids. My niece who is 2 years old, has always had an unbelievable memory. She too can also name all her colors, count to 10 (and fully understand the concept of counting), say her alphabet, can speak a few Spanish phrases and words, and just has a very clear and concise way of communicating since about a year old. Now, my niece doesn't have any older siblings, but I would be certain that your daughter's learning has a lot to do with what she observes from her older sibling. It makes a HUGE impact. It also seems that your soon to be 3-year old daughter easily picks up on things (whether it's from her sister, other people, books, perhaps TV, or just being out in the world...anything she's exposed to!). She is getting this information somewhere and seems to be able to process it quicker and easier than most things. If you feel she may be "gifted" or advance for her age, I'd try and get feedback from her preschool teachers and see what they think. Also, be aware that shapes, the alphabet, and counting (yes in both Spanish and English these days), colors, animal names, etc. are all basic things that she should be familiar with already. Be thankful that you have a child who so far doesn't have learning problems!

Answer 3

She is smart and probably picks up alot from the older sibling. My son will be 3 in june and he knows all of the basic colors (8), knows his shapes(7), and recognizes all of the ABC's when he sees them. He will not sing the abc's yet but can tell you what every letter looks like. He can count to 10 and recognizes what the numbers look like. I think that they are very smart for this age. I have a friend with a 4 year old that couldn't tell you one letter or number. She never shows her anything and has no older siblings. Keep doing what your doing, they love soaking up all this knowledge.

Answer 4

Congratulations on being a wonderful parent!!!

You daughter is lovely to be able to do all that & it's by all the positive encouragement around her.
Keep up the Great work and when she is in grade school they begin assessments, she should do very well.

Studies show that children who learn from a positive household are most likely to succeed in their future.

My daughter at 3 years old also was able to do that and now she is 5 and have mastered reading at a 3rd grade level. I work with occasionally and she enjoys good habits. She also has music and arts over the weekends. But I do not pressure her at all.
My 2nd daugther is 4 now - very creative, love puzzles (200+ pieces) and she writes short sentences. She memorizes phone numbers of all our close relatives and love technology and stars - i've taken her to an observatory and she was so fascinated.

Your 7 year old has alot to do with it. younger sister will be interested to see what older sibling is doing and learn and want some too.
Do praise all your children and tell them you are proud.

Answer 5

Well, my 3 yr old at the time, named all the planets, how many moons each planet had, and named their moons. "Yeah, mommy- Mars has 2 moons, Phobeos & Diemos. He would tell me. And knew all your daughter knows. He began reading at 3, He knows Beethovans music, Motzart & Bach! He speaks 2 languages fluently. Know how to say hello in Japenese, Greek, Spanish, French, & English - At 3. He know in Spanish -colors & numbers and small sayings. Even knows sign language - some! I thought he was a Rocket scientist! But, I learned all kids know this kinda stuff, maybe not the planets & space stuff (thats his interest. He knows computers and he knows how to write his name, alphabet & numbers. He can count to 100. count by 10's to 100, and he can count by 5's to 100. I am not kidding! But when you tell him, dont knock your brother down- guess what? Go Figure! He knows so much, they absorb everything! He can tell time to the hour and knows what time the Power Rangers are on! Amazing!

Answer 6

She seems smart to me!! It's amazing how much they pick up. I still sit in awe when I see the little guy jump on the pc hit the explorer icon then go into favorites and pick out which one of his sites he wants to surf. Sesame street or PBS kids. My older two didn't do that however with my older two we didn't have a pc when they were 2. So I don't know if the kids today are smarter or if we are exposing them to more stuff.

Answer 7

Nope she's not any smarter than other 3 year olds I know. Around here most preschoolers can not only count but they can say "how are you" or "my name is" in Spanish simply because a large portion of the populaton here is Mexican/Spanish. At three years my daughter was counting to 100, she knew more than 4 shapes, triangle, circle, square, rectangle, octagon, and pentagon. At three she could tell you every color in a 32 count box of crayons...and just like your daughter mine was just like every other child. Nope your child is not a candidate for Mensa. Individual children develop different skills at different times. At three my daughter was reading. Some children at three are much better at motor skills

Answer 8

She is smart but dont go thinking that she is a genius. Kids minds at this age have minds like sponges but eventually most kids once they get in school end up being about the same as their peers. This happened with my daughter everyone thought that she was so smart now at 10 she is only a little above average.

Answer 9

It sounds to me like you have a really smart girl. You should be proud of yourself because most parents don't spend the time it takes to teach their child something. Keep up the good work! They have a better chance at learning things while they are younger. You should also try to intrigate some sign language. My 3 year old nephew, and my 1 yr old is doing really good with it. You'd be suprised at what they can learn!

Answer 10

She sounds average to me. Before my daughters were 3 they knew all their basic colors, could count to 20, knew a few shapes, recognized all their letters and some numbers, sing songs and they are getting brighter everyday!