Teddy Hobbs now has an IQ of 139 (Image: SWNS)
A child genius who taught himself to read at the age of two has become Britain’s youngest Mensa member.
Teddy Hobbs can now read the Harry Potter books and count to 100 in six other languages, including Mandarin, Welsh, French, Spanish and German.
The IVF-born toddler was accepted into the elite organization aged three years and nine months last year after scoring 139 on an IQ test.
Parents Beth and Will Hobbs, from Portishead, Somerset, had no idea how bright Teddy was and assessed him randomly to prepare him for school in September.
Beth, 31, said: “We did an IQ test where we basically told him he was going to sit and do puzzles with a lady for an hour and he thought it was the most wonderful thing.
“After he completed it, the Mensa children’s adviser told us he was eligible, so we thought he could join.
“We were a little bit like ‘excuse me?’ We knew he could do things his peers couldn’t, but I don’t think we realized how good he was.
She added: “We’re not sure how it ended up that way, my husband and I are not linguists. We always joke that the embryologist must have slipped a needle or something to make him that way.
Teddy with his Mensa certificate (Photo: SWNS) Teddy can read books all by himself (Photo: SWNS)
Beth admitted that Teddy’s genius comes with its challenges, as he doesn’t show much interest in games or television.
She said: “My friends say, ‘Oh, should we get cake?'” and their kids won’t know what they’re saying, but Teddy will blurt it out straight away and want some.
“You can’t get past him, he listens to everything. He will remember the conversations you had with him last Christmas.
“When we had our daughter, we bought him a tablet so we could focus on her, but he was never really into games or anything like that.
Instead, he just likes to use apps to try to learn to count to 100 in Mandarin and other languages.
Teddy with mum Beth, dad Will and little sister Pippa (Image: SWNS) Teddy is now a pro at times tables (Image: SWNS)
“His idea of fun is sitting and reciting his multiplication tables.”
Teddy’s parents try to keep him “humble” despite his intelligence to prevent him from developing any “superiority complex”.
Already four years old, the little one apparently does not realize how gifted he is compared to other children his age.
Beth added: “His friends can read a few letters of the alphabet while he can read Harry Potter.
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“I remember taking him to nursery one day and saying I think he’s taught himself to read, and they really didn’t believe me at first.
“Then they had a preschool teacher go and talk to him that day and they just called me back and said, ‘No, you’re right Beth.’
“Obviously we don’t let him read Harry Potter, we choose more emotionally relevant books, but he’s basically at the stage where he can read anything we put in front of him.”
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