GIFTED CHILDREN IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PERIOD AND PLAY

Playing is one of the basic needs of the early childhood years. Play provides children with an environment in which they can express themselves in the best way, learn freely, naturally and actively, and it creates an opportunity for them to discover and improve their own interests and skills. Play, which is also important for the development of children, helps to get to know children in their most natural way and evaluate their developments. Being a compilation study, this article attempts to disclose the importance of play in the development of the gifted children in the early childhood period by considering the qualities they possess and also by taking the previous studies in the literature into consideration. A small number of research findings show that gifted children are confronted with the risk of being excluded from play groups by their normally growing peers due to their asynchronous developmental characteristics. This study is thought to guide teachers in Turkey for helping the gifted children in early childhood period perform their potential at the highest point and supporting them to communicate with other peers, keeping in mind the undisputed importance of play in the development of all children