To discover talented children, we need to have faith in them and the passion for discovering them

Paper

SUMMARY:

We need to be aware that all pre-school children are potentially talented. Therefore it is essential that every one of them is part of enrichment programmes. It is vital to discover talented children in their pre-school period, to give them special attention, and to help them in developing their potential. This article presents different definitions of talent and summarises rules for the observation of potentially talented pre-school children by their educator in order to identify such children more easily. Distinctive signs of potential talent in pre-school children and their specific needs are presented. The role of educators in the planning of work with them will be highlighted and the possibilities will be given for where the professional staff can be further educated to work with such children. Attendance at the seminar Learning Maths Through Play in the pre-school period at the Faculty of Education in Maribor has enabled me to present an example of successful inclusion and differentiation of pre-school math plays (Cuisenaire rods, link cubes, dominos, and tangrams) in pre-school education. Games meet different needs and abilities of children in the department under my leadership. Special emphasis in this article will be put on the work with talented children in mathematics.