Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“Tell me about a time you figured something out completely on your own, no help at all.”
What to listen for
A proud, detailed story shows they trust their own problem-solving and want that competence recognized, celebrate it as genuinely as you can.
If they downplay it even though it was clearly hard, that might mean they don't yet believe their own efforts count as much as getting help from someone else, worth naming directly.
If nothing comes to mind, ask about something small, like fixing something or winning a game with a strategy they made up, accomplishment doesn't have to be huge to count.
What this tells you
This shows how much they currently trust their own ability to handle things without needing rescue.