What was your challenge today?

This week, we’re diving into a question that encourages resilience and perseverance:

“What was your challenge today?” 

We all face challenges, big and small. Teaching our children to recognize challenges and reflect on how they overcame them—or even how they’re still working through them—builds strength, grit, and perseverance. This question is different from asking about failure; it’s about those moments that felt tough, but that they worked through and maybe even triumphed over.

In today’s newsletter, we’ll talk about why identifying challenges is so important, and how you can use this simple question to help your child develop a mindset that embraces hard work and persistence.

Why It Matters

Helps Kids Acknowledge Effort 💼

When we ask our kids about their challenges, we’re focusing on their effort—not just the results. Some challenges aren’t easily solved in one day. Maybe it’s staying focused in class, learning a new skill, or dealing with a difficult situation. By acknowledging their challenges, we help them recognize the effort it takes to keep going, even when it’s tough.

Normalizes Struggle as Part of Success 🛠️

Struggling with something doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re growing. When kids reflect on their challenges, they begin to understand that struggle is a natural and important part of success. This shifts their mindset from seeing challenges as roadblocks to viewing them as stepping stones.

Fosters Problem-Solving Skills 🧠

Talking about challenges helps kids think about how they worked through difficult situations. Did they ask for help? Try a new approach? Take a break and come back to it? This question encourages them to reflect on their strategies for overcoming obstacles, which builds their problem-solving toolkit for the future.

How to Ask “What Was Your Challenge Today?”

Like other reflective questions, “What was your challenge today?” should be asked during a calm moment when your child can think back on their day. Here’s how to get the most out of this powerful question:

Be Open to All Kinds of Challenges:

Challenges can be physical, mental, or emotional. Whether it’s tackling a tricky math problem, navigating a friendship issue, or even staying calm in a frustrating moment, all challenges are valid. Encourage your child to share openly, without fear of judgment.

Celebrate the Effort, Not Just the Outcome:

Sometimes, kids overcome their challenges, and sometimes, they don’t. Either way, the goal is to celebrate the effort they put in. Whether they succeeded or not, the fact that they faced the challenge head-on is worth acknowledging.

Example response:

“It sounds like you worked really hard to stay focused during that long assignment today. I’m proud of you for sticking with it!”

Dig Deeper into What Helped Them:

When your child shares a challenge, ask follow-up questions to help them reflect on how they handled it. Did they come up with a new solution? Ask for help? Take a break and come back stronger? This encourages them to recognize their problem-solving strategies.

Example question:

“What helped you get through that challenge? What could you do next time?”

Why This Builds Perseverance

Perseverance, or “grit,” is one of the most important skills a child can develop. Asking them about their challenges helps them build resilience by focusing on effort and persistence, not just outcomes. The more they learn to stick with hard tasks, the more confidence they’ll gain in their ability to overcome future challenges.

What if They Can’t Identify a Challenge?

There might be days when your child feels like everything went smoothly, or they simply can’t identify a specific challenge. That’s okay! Here are a few prompts to guide them in thinking about their day:

• “Was there anything today that felt tough but you kept trying?”

• “Did you have to work extra hard at something today?”

• “Did something make you feel frustrated, but you stuck with it?”

These prompts can help them see that challenges don’t always have to be big, overwhelming events. Sometimes, the daily struggles we push through without giving up are just as important.

How This Question Supports a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is all about believing that effort leads to improvement. By focusing on challenges, your child starts to understand that struggling doesn’t mean they’re failing—it means they’re growing. The more they stick with difficult tasks, the more they’ll develop the confidence to take on bigger challenges in the future.

Action Step for Parents

This week, make “What was your challenge today?” part of your daily routine. You’ll not only learn more about your child’s day, but you’ll also help them reflect on their efforts and strategies for overcoming obstacles.

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to share your own challenges with your child! Modeling how you face challenges will show them that even adults struggle but keep going.

Thanks for being part of the Future Way Maker community. Together, let’s help our kids see challenges as opportunities for growth!

Stay amazing,

The Future Way Maker Team

P.S. We’d love to hear from you! If you’ve started using this question with your child, reply to this email or tag us on social media to share your experience.