Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old

The prompt

“Was there a moment recently where you did something and thought, wait, I can actually do that?”

What to listen for

A specific, proud memory, riding further, reading a hard word, finishing something alone, shows a child who is building real confidence in their own ability, and naming it out loud with you locks that feeling in even more.

If they downplay it ("it wasn't a big deal") even while clearly excited, they may need extra encouragement to trust their own accomplishments rather than shrink them for others.

If they say "I don't know," gently offer a moment you noticed yourself, sometimes kids don't realize a growth moment was a growth moment until someone else points it out.

What this tells you

This tells you where their sense of "I can do hard things" is growing, and where they might still need you to point it out for them.