Maya is a 10-year-old fifth grader with advanced verbal reasoning and problem-solving skills. She loves reading and thinking deeply about the world around her. But along with those strengths, she also experiences high levels of perfectionism, anxiety, and sensitivity. She’s the kind of student who might crumple her paper and start over again and again—not because she doesn’t understand the material, but because it’s not “perfect.”

I recently discovered a creative thinking framework that instantly clicked for me as an ELA teacher—and it might become one of my favorite tools for working with gifted students. It’s called SCAMPER, and while it’s often used in business and design thinking, it has incredible potential in the classroom, especially for writing.

As educators and parents, we often focus on the strengths of gifted learners—their quick thinking, creativity, and passion for knowledge. But behind these intellectual abilities lies something just as important: their emotional world.

Supporting the social and emotional development of gifted students is essential to helping them thrive, both in and out of the classroom.

Artistically gifted students offer the world unique insight, beauty, and perspective through their work—but their emotional lives can be just as complex and vibrant as their artistic expressions. While these students are often celebrated for their creativity and talent, they are sometimes misunderstood when it comes to their emotional and social development. Educators and parents can better support these students by understanding the traits that shape their inner worlds and the environments that help them thrive.