Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“What's a challenge you're proud you didn't quit, even when it got hard?”
What to listen for
If they can name it and describe pushing through, they're recognizing their own grit, which builds real, lasting confidence in their ability to handle hard things.
If they minimize it, saying it wasn't that hard, gently remind them how tough it looked in the moment, sometimes kids need you to reflect their effort back to them.
If they say "I don't know," mention something you watched them struggle through recently and ask if that counts.
What this tells you
Recognizing their own persistence through a hard challenge shows they're starting to believe they can handle difficulty instead of avoiding it.