Awareness Week
National Parenting Gifted Children Week
A week that starts on July 18 every year. Next: in 250 days
What it’s about
National Parenting Gifted Children Week is a week-long observance in July that recognizes the joys, challenges, and unique experiences of raising gifted children. It celebrates young people whose advanced abilities, curiosity, creativity, or intense interests may call for encouragement and support tailored to their individual needs.
Throughout the week, families, educators, and communities are encouraged to learn more about giftedness and share resources, understanding, and support. It is also a meaningful opportunity to celebrate gifted children for who they are, nurture their talents without placing undue pressure on them, and create environments where they can grow emotionally, socially, and academically.
A little history
National Parenting Gifted Children Week is a week-long observance held during July to recognize the experiences of parents and caregivers raising gifted children. Its focus reflects the understanding that giftedness involves more than advanced academic performance: children may also have distinctive emotional, social, and developmental needs. The observance provides an opportunity to acknowledge the guidance, advocacy, and support families offer as they navigate those needs.
The week is rooted in the broader history of gifted education and parent advocacy in the United States. During the twentieth century, schools, psychologists, and education organizations increasingly developed programs to identify and serve students with exceptional abilities. As these efforts expanded, parents became important advocates for appropriate enrichment, acceleration, specialized instruction, and social-emotional support. National Parenting Gifted Children Week emerged from this wider effort to draw attention not only to gifted children themselves, but also to the family networks that help them thrive. Public descriptions of the observance do not identify one universally recognized founder or a single inaugural event. ([National Today](https://nationaltoday.com/national-parenting-gifted-children-week/))
Over time, the observance has developed beyond celebrating academic achievement. It highlights practical issues such as finding suitable educational opportunities, responding to asynchronous development, helping children manage perfectionism or isolation, and building relationships with teachers and other families. Online communities, parent organizations, school counselors, and gifted-education specialists have also broadened access to advice and support, making the week relevant to families in different educational settings.
Culturally, National Parenting Gifted Children Week encourages a more balanced understanding of giftedness. It recognizes children’s abilities while emphasizing that they still require patience, guidance, belonging, and room to develop at their own pace. By honoring parents and caregivers during a week in July, the observance also promotes greater public awareness of the often-unseen work involved in advocating for gifted children and helping them grow into well-rounded individuals.
Timeline
- 1869
Francis Galton published Hereditary Genius, an influential early work arguing that exceptional ability could be studied systematically and helping spur later research on giftedness.
- 1905
Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon introduced the Binet-Simon intelligence scale in France, a foundational assessment that later shaped identification practices for children with unusually advanced cognitive abilities.
- 1921
Lewis Terman began his long-term study of intellectually gifted children at Stanford University, following more than 1,500 children identified through intelligence testing.
- 1972
The U.S. Office of Education issued the Marland Report to Congress, providing a widely influential federal definition of “gifted and talented” children and drawing attention to their educational needs.
Other weeks starting July 18
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Captive Nations Week
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Everybody Deserves A Massage Week
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National ZooKeeper Week
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