1. 50 COMMON
CHARACTERISTICS OF
GIFTED CHILDREN

2.  Very observant. He or she will notice
things in the environment that the
average person will not. The child will
remember faces, colors, and details.
 Extreme persistence. They will keep
trying to find a way to accomplish
something long after others have
given up.
 They pick up and respond quickly to
non verbal clues.
 Large vocabularies. The gifted are
usually verbal and articulate.
 Have a vivid imagination.

3.  Prefer the company of older children
and adults to that of children their own
age.
 Disagree with others and are not afraid
of a spirited debate.
 Learn very quickly. Most people require
a certain amount of repetition to master
a skill. The gifted don’t need to practice
nearly as much, and often learn things
after seeing or hearing it only once.
 Have many hobbies and interests. They
want to be involved in a variety of
activities.
 Quick to grasp generalizations, pointing
out similarities in events and situations.

4.  Have the ability to focus on more than
one thing at a time.
 Special sensitivity to beauty, or
another extreme trait that stands out in
another individual.
 Has a great sense of humor, and may
even be the class clown.
 High level of energy. Sometimes they
are even diagnosed as hyperactive.
 Transfer thoughts and ideas from one
set of circumstances to another.

5.  Bossy in group situations.
 Have better comprehension skills
than their peers. They are able to
understand and explain in detail
something they have recently
read.
 Possess excellent problem
solving skills, and is able to think
outside the box.
 Have more street smarts than
book knowledge
 Coming up with a better way of
doing things.

6.  Want to do things on their own. They
don’t like relying on other people.
 Begins reading at an early age.
 Very curious. Gifted individuals are
not content with superficial
knowledge. They want to know as
much about something as possible.
 Working independently for long
periods of time is a trait of gifted
children.
 Have good memories. They will be
capable of recalling specific events in
vivid detail that others will not.

7.  Enjoy putting together jigsaw
puzzles.
 See relationships among things
that seem to be different.
 See relationships among things
that seem to be different.
 Have long attention spans. When
other children become fidgety, the
gifted child will still be attentive.
 Enjoy sarcasm.

8.  Discovers an error in his work he
may erase until there is a hole in
the paper, or crumple and destroy
the work completely.
 Become frustrated if others don’t
meet their own high level of
expectation.
 Manifests his or her ability through
the arts and various musical
endeavors.
 Can think quickly on their feet.
 Original thinking. They think in
unconventional ways when solving
problems.

9.  Good guessers.
 Don’t like to waste time and
may be impatient.
 Have emotional sensitivity.
They have a keen sense when
something is bothering another
person.
 Demonstrate playfulness
intellectually. They like to
imagine and take risks with
their ideas.
 Sloppy handwriting.

10.  Nonconformists in their dress and
behavior.
 Critical and can be quick to spot
inconsistencies.
 Natural born leader.
 Perfectionists.
 Seeing cause and effect
relationships.

11.  Harbor inner insecurities
because they fear losing their
intellect or talent.
 Harbor inner insecurities
because they fear losing their
intellect or talent.
 Daydreamers. They get bored
focusing on the conversation of
their peers.
 Not believing at face value
everything they are told. They
want to research, investigate,
and find out things for
themselves.

12. VISIT
HTTP://YOURGIFTEDTALENTEDCHILD.COM
FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR GIFTED
AND TALENTED CHILDREN