Tauranga Explorers Group

Tauranga branch of the NZ Association for Gifted Children

What is Giftedness?


There is no ONE definition for the Gifted or Talented Child. Below is a brief outline, but for more information check out some of the sites listed below.

Giftedness is involuntary - a natural gift. It gives no cause for claims of elitism.

Out of every hundred children, approximately five can be classified as "gifted", yet only a small proportion may be identified as such in school.

Some may be very lonely because their interests do not match those of their peers. They may have difficulties at school because of their unconventional behaviour and questioning attitude. They can become distressed through frustration and boredom, or through imbalance between their intellectual and emotional development. They may deny their intelligence and underachieve so as to become more acceptable to their peers.
We need to recognise and cater for gifted children to ensure this does not happen.

The following are some signs of giftedness, children may have one or more of these characteristics:

  • an early interest in their surroundings
  • a high level of curiosity
  • a large vocabulary
  • a good memory
  • the ability to talk early and fluently
  • the ability to read early - sometimes self-taught
  • a questioning attitude
  • high expectations of oneself and others
  • a thirst for knowledge
  • the ability to concentrate for a long time
  • creative ability
  • artistic ability
  • leadership ability
  • overly sensitive / emotional


For further information on identifying gifted children, have a look at these sites:

Or simply do an internet search with a search engine like google.

Tauranga Explorers Club, the Tauranga branch of the NZAGC
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Last Site Update: March 2010.