Enrichment for Gifted Students
Enrichment courses for gifted students can be found in the form of pull-out, after school, and/or weekend classes. A successful gifted enrichment program provides students with the opportunity to explore advanced topics. Enrichment programs should focus on nurturing the gifted mind by providing gifted children with the opportunity to study topics and material that their age-peers may not be yet prepared for.
Most public and private schools offer a gifted and talented enrichment program that either pulls students out of class for select class periods or meets after-school. Enrichment programs focus on exposing students to topics not normally covered in school. They can serve as a great opportunity to socialize with other gifted and talented students too. Enrichment programs typically don’t provide the opportunity to accelerate through the standard curriculum; they serve as an “add-on” to a gifted child’s education — they enrich your child’s education by exposing them to other subjects and experiences.
You may also find an education center near you that offers enrichment classes for gifted and talented students. This may include robotics, engineering, competitive math, science, art programs, and more.
The qualification method and criteria for these gifted and talented programs vary by school and program. For more information on identification of gifted and talented students, click here.
Pull-Out Enrichment
Many schools offer pull out programming for identified gifted and talented students. Some of these programs may meet daily. Others meet as infrequently as once per week or even once per month. Typically, these programs allow students to “miss” some portion of their class time to attend a specialized program exclusively for identified gifted and talented students.
In-Class Enrichment
In-class enrichment options are often a simple way to differentiate for a gifted child. In some cases, teachers may allow students to work on independent projects after completing the required course work. In other cases, students may be allotted the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of a given chapter. After demonstrating mastery, students may be allotted the correlating class time to work on other activities.
Weekend & After School Enrichment
Some public and private schools run programs, similar to pull-out gifted programs, that meet after-school. Private centers may also offer your child an opportunity to study more advanced topics after-school or on the weekends. You may find more options in your child’s area of interest than specific gifted programs. For example, if your child is interested in math, they might enjoy competitive math. Students in NJ can apply to HEROES Academy’s weekend classes.
At Home Enrichment
Parents may opt to enrich their gifted child’s education at home by using purchased curriculum, creating their own projects, visiting museums, and more. Parents can also use some of HEROES Academy’s math curriculum at home by visiting our Resources Store.