28 November 2025
Why cognitively gifted children blossom differently outside the classroom
Giftedness is about more than just being smart. Many cognitively gifted children lack challenge in mainstream education. External enrichment groups – also known as “kangaroo classes” – provide the depth, stimulation and like-minded peers often missing at school. This article explains why such an approach isn’t a luxury, but a necessity, and how Hoogbloeier® partners with organisations across Flanders to help these children thrive. Discover the difference between merely getting by and truly flourishing.
External enrichment groups finally provide cognitively gifted children with the level of challenge and depth that is often missing in a regular classroom, allowing motivation, well-being, and joy in learning to grow again.
In an enrichment group, children meet like-minded peers, which allows them to be themselves without having to adapt or “slow down”; this strengthens their self-confidence and socio-emotional development.
By combining cognitive complexity, creativity, experimentation, and safe expert guidance, enrichment groups offer exactly what many schools cannot structurally provide — with a noticeable impact on both performance and well-being.
And why enrichment classes are much more than a fun extra
Many parents of cognitively gifted children know the feeling: you can see your child is bored, but it’s hard to put into words. Schoolwork goes quickly—sometimes too quickly for the teacher to keep up—yet in the classroom your child doesn’t seem fully themselves. They switch between joining in, blending in, and mentally checking out. And then that one question starts to nag: Does my child need more challenge than the regular school rhythm allows?
Cognitively gifted children are not just “smart.” They think faster, make unexpected connections, and grasp complex ideas long before they are fully explained. The Flemish Talent Expertise Centre (KU Leuven) describes these learners as children who think and learn at an accelerated pace, and who effortlessly process abstract or conceptual questions (Kettler, 2014). That sounds positive—and it is—but it also means their needs differ from those of many classmates. When learning progresses too slowly or becomes predictable, attention and motivation can drop far more quickly than parents expect.
That is exactly why out-of-school enrichment classes are becoming increasingly valuable. In the Netherlands and internationally, these programs are often called external enrichment groups—the term we will use in this article. They offer a space where cognitively strong children don’t have to hold back, but can finally move at their natural pace and dive deeper.
Why cognitively gifted children don’t always thrive in a regular classroom
Our education system is strong, but also broad. Teachers constantly balance different levels, ages, and learning speeds. For cognitively advanced children, this often means waiting. When the pace is too slow or the teacher doesn’t have the time to offer the depth they need, boredom can set in. And that boredom is not a luxury problem.
Early findings from the TALENT study—a large-scale project involving more than three thousand Flemish students—show that children with an IQ above 130 report significantly more often that the learning material is not challenging enough (Lavrijsen & Verschueren, 2018). The risk is that they gradually start to adapt or even underachieve to avoid standing out. Some children disengage emotionally; others develop performance anxiety because they’ve never learned what it feels like to truly put in effort. In that case, a lack of challenge doesn’t create a comfort zone—it becomes a trap.
In heterogeneous classrooms, this mismatch becomes even more visible. Research shows that cognitively gifted children in such settings are more prone to demotivation (e.g., Steenbergen-Hu et al., 2016; van Rossen et al., 2021). Not because they don’t want to learn, but because they have too few opportunities to fully use their potential. For a child who loves to think, receiving too little challenge is just as frustrating as too much pressure is for a child with learning difficulties.
What makes an enrichment group so unique
An external enrichment group completely breaks that usual dynamic. It’s a place where children don’t have to slow down—they’re allowed to speed up. A place where asking lots of questions is normal, where thinking in leaps rather than steps is expected, and where they can dive into topics that truly spark their curiosity.
Children walk in and often feel immediately: “Ah, these kids think like I do.”
That small detail—being surrounded by peers on the same wavelength—makes a world of difference. They no longer have to pretend, shrink themselves, or get strange looks for “thinking too much.” They can simply be who they are. And that brings relief.
Teachers who have been experimenting with enrichment programs for years notice the same effect. In a recent Klasse article, one school described how their cognitively strong students rediscovered joy in learning (Beerens & De Kimpe, 2025). Not because the assignments were “more of the same,” but because the cognitive stimulation finally matched their level.
The children became more curious, more independent— and above all, happier.
The extra that school can’t always provide
External enrichment groups are not a critique of the school or the teacher. They are an addition—not a replacement. But it’s precisely that addition that makes so much possible.
In an external setting, children can experience a different kind of learning: more depth, more complexity, more space for creativity, and more cognitive challenge. They can explore, experiment, fail, persist, and be surprised. A group outside school can also respond more effectively to specific social and emotional developmental needs, because the guidance is often provided by professionals with psychological or coaching expertise. These are exactly the kinds of experiences that are harder to organise within a regular classroom, especially with large groups.
There is also something subtle but important at play: in an enrichment group, children learn that effort is normal. Many cognitively gifted children move through school for years without ever truly having to work hard. The result? When they do encounter something difficult, they have no idea how to start.
In an enrichment group, they do experience pressure—but in a safe, motivating environment. This strengthens their executive functioning, builds resilience, and helps them stop avoiding challenges and start seeking them out.
For exceptionally gifted children, this is even more important. A recent Flemish parent survey showed that many of these children find the regular school-based enrichment insufficient and need external depth and challenge (Ouders van Uitzonderlijk Hoogbegaafde Kinderen Vlaanderen, 2025). You don’t need complex theories to understand this: parents can feel when their child is getting stuck. And they can see the difference the moment the right kind of support appears.
The effect parents often notice first
The beauty of external enrichment groups is that the change often becomes visible very quickly. Parents say their child becomes calmer, more enthusiastic about going to school, shows more initiative, and rediscovers the joy of learning. Their mind feels less crowded. Their confidence grows. And often, a smile appears that had been missing for a while.
Not because the child has to do more, but because they finally get enough.
That’s the moment parents realise:
my child didn’t need extra school—
they needed a place where they could breathe.
Why the Flemish government should continue to strengthen this approach
Cognitively gifted children can be found in every classroom, every community, and every age group. They are not an exception—they are part of the broad diversity within our education system. Yet their needs often remain overlooked, precisely because they don’t always call loudly for help.
Enrichment classes and external enrichment groups change that. They are a powerful lever for well-being, talent development, and motivation. And they give children something that is hard to quantify but essential for their growth: the feeling that they don’t have to slow down just to fit into the system.
They are finally allowed to move forward.
Where can you find external enrichment groups in Flanders?
For many children, a well-organised enrichment group makes the difference between merely surviving and truly thriving. But parents don’t have to navigate this search on their own. In Flanders, there is a growing number of out-of-school initiatives that focus exclusively on cognitively gifted and exceptionally gifted children—places where they can think, learn, doubt, experiment, and grow at their own pace, surrounded by peers who genuinely understand them.
Hoogbloeier® works together with several partners who organise external enrichment groups, always with attention to both cognitive challenge and well-being. Their programmes go beyond regular school content: from inquiry-based learning to creative thinking, from executive functioning to identity development. These groups are often led by experts with a psychological, educational, or coaching background—the kind of expertise schools don’t always have in-house.
Parents tell us that sometimes just one afternoon a week is enough to see their child come back to life. To see curiosity flare up again. To see that familiar spark return to their eyes. Sometimes that’s all it takes: a place where thinking is welcome, feeling is welcome, and growth starts flowing again almost by itself.
Would you like to know what’s available in your region, or learn more about our partners? Have a look at our agenda for upcoming start dates.
Why are external enrichment groups not a luxury but sometimes a necessity?
Because cognitively gifted children often receive structurally insufficient challenge in a regular classroom. This can lead to boredom, demotivation, underachievement or fear of failure. Enrichment groups finally offer them the depth and cognitive stimulation that match their learning pace and thinking style.
What makes enrichment groups different from enrichment offered at school?
At school, deeper learning is often limited by time constraints, class size and the broad differentiation needs of the group. External enrichment groups provide specialised guidance, complex tasks, space for creativity and peers who think at a similar level — a combination that schools cannot always provide.
What do parents typically notice when their child joins an enrichment group?
Many parents see rapid changes: their child becomes calmer, more motivated, rediscovers joy in learning and dares to take on challenges again. The child does not receive “more work”, but finally “enough challenge”, allowing energy and self-confidence to return.
References
Beerens, N., & De Kimpe, L. (2025, 4 maart). Cognitief sterk functionerende leerlingen stimuleren is niet elitair. Klasse. https://www.klasse.be/154131/cognitief-sterk-functionerende-leerlingen-stimuleren-niet-elitair-kangoeroewerking/
Kettler, T. (2014). Critical thinking skills among elementary school students: Comparing identified gifted and general education student performance. Gifted Child Quarterly, 58(2), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986214522508
Lavrijsen, J., & Verschueren, K. (2018). Betrokkenheid en motivatie van cognitief sterke leerlingen. Eerste resultaten van de TALENT-studie. https://www.projecttalent.be/?file=1184&m=1567085469&action=file.download
Lavrijsen, J., Ramos, A., & Verschueren, K. (2020). Detecting unfulfilled potential: perceptions of underachievement by student, parents, and teachers. The Journal of Experimental Education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2020.1852523
Ouders van Uitzonderlijk Hoogbegaafde Kinderen Vlaanderen. (2025). Enquêteonderzoek naar de maatregelen die uitzonderlijk hoogbegaafde kinderen in Vlaanderen genieten in het onderwijs [Ongepubliceerd onderzoeksrapport].
Steenbergen-Hu, S., Makel, M. C., & Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (2016). What one hundred years of research says about the effects of ability grouping and acceleration on K–12 students’ academic achievement. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 849–899. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316675417
van Rossen, J. M., Hornstra, L., & Poorthuis, A. M. G. (2021). High-ability students in pull-out programs and regular classes: A longitudinal study on perceived social relationships in two settings. Journal of School Psychology, 85, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.12.007
Copyright © 2025 Bjorn Zwakhoven – All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author. Sharing online is permitted provided the author is credited and a link to this article is included.
