Give him places where he can gather strength to face each new challenge. Here are some ways to do that:

• Celebrate your child’s accomplishments. From learning to ride a bike to mastering long division, children make steps toward progress each day. Notice and make positive comments.
• Offer reinforcement. There will be times when your child feels like nothing is going right. He had a fight with his best friend. He dropped his model of the Alamo and it broke. That’s the time to help him think of things he’s done well.
• Give it time. Children, like flowers, bloom at different times. If your child shows an interest in an activity, let him stick with it. He may take longer to develop skills. In the end, they may be among his strongest islands of competence.

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