Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“What's something you can do now that took a lot of practice, and you're really proud of?”
What to listen for
A confident, detailed answer shows a kid connecting effort to result, they understand that practice, not just talent, made them good at something, which is a huge, healthy belief to reinforce.
If they mention something small that you might overlook (tying shoes, a tricky word, a bike turn), treat it with the same weight they do, their pride doesn't need to match the size of the skill in your eyes.
If they say "nothing," gently suggest something you watched them work at, sometimes kids don't recognize their own effort until it's reflected back.
What this tells you
This shows whether they're starting to trust that effort pays off, which shapes how they'll handle hard things later.