When dropping DD 20mths off at daycare this morning one of her teachers commented to me that I will have a challenge on my hands with my DD.
My instant reaction was that she had been naughty (which she rearly is) but often very independant and likes to always be doing something.
The teacher was quick to say she is never naughty but advanced for her age in all areas. She mentioned that they are often giving her things to do that the others children aren't and that my DD is quite happy to find something else to do if what the group is doing is too boring for her.
I guess my question is from any Mum's out there and particulalry early childhood teachers what can I be doing to keep her wanting to learn. I by no means think she is a brainiac and well aware that she may very well be advanced now but the other kids will catch up eventually.
She is my first and my background is in Finance - so I have no clue what else I can be doing here. I just want to make sure I give her the best chance and don't want bordem to set in which may result in her being naughty.
I think the key is to keep her happy. If she wants to learn, teach her, if she doesn't, let her play.
I would offer a variety of toys (as learning has everything to do with play at this age no matter the IQ), and make sure they are able to be used in different ways.
For example, imaginative play toys... tea sets, play kitchens, legos, things that she can create a scene etc are fantastic & they don't grow out of them too quickly, they alter how they play as they grow older.
Reading is wonderful if they like it. So read to her everyday.
At that age, we did/do heaps of things like playdough and baking at home in order to get her fine motor skills clicking, and painting in the back yard.
All of this skills are needed as they grow, and can be refined as they mature mentally. They are all vital in growth... so no matter the rate of the growth, physically or mentally, they will help her keep occupied
I think the main thing you need to keep in mind is that a child's/toddler's learning is all through play and will be for years to come. So don't focus on learning activities or academic concepts but rather setting her up for play situations- esp ones where she can play alone and involve herslef in imaginative play which she will with the right equipment and time alone but near mum/dad etc. By the right equipment it cold be stones in baskets, coloured clothes pegs and a shoebox with a cut out slot, coloured scarves etc not just toys that only do one thing ie pretend mobile phones that light up! If you check the Fun with Toddlers thread at the top of this section, you will find many great ideas from other parents.
Sound like your DD is a smart cookie. Congratulations! I think it will be important to have her in a peer group with other kids who are smart, or at the least with other kids who are a little older than she is, so that she has peers who are into the same things that she is at the same time. Whether it's learning to count, learning to read, or whatever.
It's really tough on a bright child to be way ahead of the other children in their class (I know, it happened to me). It's boring academically, which can turn a lot of kids off learning altgoether, and can be social disaster at the same time. But you wouldn't want to slow her down at all, either, obviously - that brings its own problems. So I think you might want to have to think ahead and plan to have her in a kindy and a school where she will have academic peers who are in the same league she is in, so that she has people she can relate to.
Which is not suggesting that kids should be hothoused or force-fed anything academic at this age. But I'd have this in mind, all the same. For example, you might try to get her into a daycare group where some of the other kids are a bit older than she is, rather than one in which she is the oldest. That way she'll have people to play with (or alongside) that are doing the same things, and it's easier for the teachers to find them all something stimulating to do, too.
Good luck with it!
(all of this my own opinion, of course, but something I've thought a lot about since my own experiences in early primary school which were rotten)
I find with DS1 that he gets along better with older kids. Lucky for us many of our friends have kids of various ages from 8 months older to 8 years! He loves playing with them and I'm sure he learns a lot from them as well.
But Christy has really hit the nail on the head. If you have to "keep DD interested in learning", then let her lead the way and play with what she wants. If she's anything like my DS, you'll know when she's looking for something more structured or stimulating, because she will get bored and misbehave. The key here is that the carers have said she's never naughty - that either means she's not getting bored, or they are dealing with it as soon as she is. If she does show signs of needing something more stimulating, just keep experimenting until you find something she enjoys. My DS loves books (he reads them himself these days), puzzles, and number games (he's 4 1/2 though!). But he also loves running around outside, riding his bike and playing with cars.
It's all about finding the balance - enough stimulation, enough imaginative play, enough free time, enough creativity and enough activity.
kts, I also wanted to add that I think the reason the carers mentioned it to you is not such much because keeping her interested is going to be hard, but keeping her challenged might be. Kids that are intellectually bright can really struggle at school. It's too soon to worry about yet, but it's something you might need to think about in the year before school - if she is still intellectually ahead it might affect your choice of school.
Keeping a 20mth interested in learning?
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I think it will be important to have her in a peer group with other kids who are smart, or at the least with other kids who are a little older than she is, so that she has peers who are into the same things that she is at the same time. Whether it's learning to count, learning to read, or whatever. 
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