Whether or not your child is able to do this or do that, sometimes they can get lost in the situation or even talk themselves out of trying. They have inner thoughts (just like adults), sub-conscious inner thoughts that can take over. PBS recommends to ZOOM IN, this means to look at their strengths and challenges. Like looking at an ant hill from a distance, it looks chaotic and scary. When you really, truly look into it (with binoculars) with different lenses beyond the assumptions, it is actually amazing, orderly and busy. Teaching your child to use the zoom lens, to look beyond assumptions, to look more into it besides I can’t or I don’t know how. Zooming into it past the I can’t, would be looking into what they can do and what they cannot yet do. All professionals’ scientists, authors, doctors, actors etc. all need to do the work. They may not know how to do something but they have to figure it out like a puzzle. No one is born with the knowledge. No one on this earth is able to just do something without trying. They do have other tools that are an important piece to understanding it more or make it easier. Make a plan, what can we do to get closer to being able to, what do I know? For example, I don’t know how to make plants grow. What do you know? I already know it needs water and soil. I know I can’t make it sunny or rain but I can water it with the hose. I can try and I can ask our Aunt Lilly because she has a garden of her own. Sometimes knowing what they can’t do, helps elaborate what they can do. Just figuring it out, weeding out/working through the negative unknown thoughts can be a break through.
https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-5/emotions-self-awareness/self-confidence
Abeona House Child Discovery Center 