Are All Gifted Kids Naturally Good at Math?
Understanding the Myth: Giftedness and Math Talent
If you're the parent of a gifted child—often referred to as HPI (High Intellectual Potential) in French—you've likely heard the assumption: "Gifted kids are great at math." Teachers might expect it. Other parents might say it. Maybe even your child believes it... and feels confused, even ashamed, when math doesn't come easily.
But let’s be clear: being intellectually gifted does not automatically mean being a math whiz. That assumption can create unnecessary pressure, frustration, and even lasting self-doubt. And for you, the parent trying to support a sensitive, intense, and brilliant child through their homework struggles, it can be just as disheartening.
The Many Faces of Giftedness
Giftedness doesn't always look the way people expect. In fact, gifted kids can be identified as early as preschool, but how each child expresses their abilities varies hugely. Some may devour books by third grade, others may obsess over dinosaurs or invent their own board games. And yes, some may excel in mathematics. But many don't.
Why? Because intellectual potential is just that: potential. It needs the right environment and resources to grow. A gifted child may understand deep concepts in science or ethics but struggle with multiplication facts. They might create complex imaginary worlds but get stuck understanding fractions. And if they’re not thriving, it’s not because they’re not smart enough—but because their needs, and sometimes their learning style, are just different.
Sophie’s Story: A Gifted Child Who Hated Math
Sophie, 9, was identified as gifted in second grade. Her verbal reasoning was off the charts—she could articulate the difference between fairness and justice before most kids knew how to spell “justice.” But math? Tears. Avoidance. Headaches before every homework session.
Her parents were baffled. Wasn’t she supposed to be “ahead” in everything? As it turned out, Sophie had a vivid imagination and excelled in verbal and creative thinking—but abstract symbolic reasoning, like what’s needed in math, was harder for her. When the pressure to perform grew, so did her anxiety. What helped? Making math personal—but not competitive. Structuring it into stories, games, and time-bound challenges that made her feel safe and curious, not judged.
This is not a rare story. And it highlights just how important it is to see the child behind the label.
When Math Becomes a Struggle
Here are a few reasons why even gifted children may struggle with math:
- Perfectionism: Many gifted children have high expectations of themselves. If they can't do it perfectly immediately, they may shut down.
- Asynchronous development: They may be advanced cognitively but emotionally or socially at their age level, making complex tasks overwhelming.
- Lack of challenge early on: If early math is too easy, they don’t develop problem-solving strategies and hit a wall later on.
- Different learning style: Some gifted children are visual-spatial or verbal learners, and traditional step-by-step math instruction just doesn’t click.
The good news is: giftedness means your child likely has the tools to succeed at math in their own way—once the right approach is found.
How to Help Your Gifted Child Without Adding Pressure
Instead of focusing on performance, focus on connection and exploration. Ask your child how they feel about math. Where they feel stuck. What parts, if any, they enjoy.
Try reframing difficulties in math as a puzzle to unravel together. Give them space to fail safely. Celebrate creative errors, not just right answers. And if your child responds better to sound than sight, consider transforming written lessons into something they can hear and engage with—say, during a car ride or before bed. Tools like the Skuli App can even turn a photo of a confusing lesson into a customized 20-question quiz or a personalized audio adventure where your child becomes the hero, making practice less threatening and more playful.
This approach made a difference for Antoine, age 10, who dreaded math drills until hearing his own name woven into a quiz-story about rescuing a lost explorer by solving math riddles. Suddenly, he wasn’t “doing math homework”—he was saving the day. And learning clicked.
When the School Doesn’t Understand
Unfortunately, many classrooms aren’t designed for neurodivergent or gifted learners who show uneven profiles. If your child is gifted but not excelling in math, schools may assume laziness or inattention. Before jumping to conclusions, it’s essential to distinguish between giftedness and attention difficulties, or better yet, open a conversation with the educator.
You might be wondering: Should you tell your child's teacher about their giftedness? Absolutely—when done thoughtfully, it can build a stronger support network, especially if your child has specific needs, like math scaffolding or emotional reassurance around test anxiety.
It’s Okay for Gifted Kids to Be Human
One of the biggest misconceptions in parenting gifted children is the belief that “gifted” means “effortless.” But as many families learn, gifted children can be highly sensitive, anxious, perfectionistic, and deeply self-critical. They may fall apart at a C+ or a wrong answer in long division.
That’s why it’s so important to offer emotional support—not just academic scaffolding. Helping a gifted child sleep better, for example, can sometimes improve focus more than an extra hour of tutoring.
Final Thoughts: Teaching the Whole Child
Being gifted doesn’t mean being universally brilliant. And being brilliant doesn’t mean things come easy. Don’t let stereotypes box your child—or your family—into false narratives. Maybe your child doesn’t love math. That’s okay. What matters is that they feel safe, seen, and supported as they grow in their own way, at their own pace.
So when your child says "I’m not good at math," try answering: "Not yet. But let’s get curious together." That quiet moment of compassion might pave the way for greater confidence, resilience—and yes, even a little math joy.