The “Just Right” Challenge
We’ve all heard it before, “Make sure the child has the ‘just right’ challenge”, but what exactly does this mean…? This is the perfect blog post for teachers, parents, therapists or anyone who just doesn’t fully grasp this phrase.
The ‘just right’ challenge is a challenge that is hard enough to allow the child to continue to progress in their skills but not too hard that it leads to frustration and potentially resulting in shut down, a meltdown or refusal to continue.
Seems easy enough… but wait there is more! The just right challenge is this sweet zone where kids (and adults) can learn new skills and progress, in this zone they are well regulated, their brains are turned on and ready to learn. We, as adults, provide the just right amount of adult assistance, and instruction to ensure they are successful while still being challenged. The tricky part is, the ‘just right’ challenge will be different for every activity, every child and may change depending on the day. For specific activities where a child has practiced them more frequently or already possess many of the underlying skills, they may be able to be pushed further. For a child who has many positive experiences with persevering through challenging activities, we may be able to extend this ‘just right challenge’; however, for a child with limited success at trying new skills or a child who is introduced to an entirely new skill, they may need more help.
Think back to a time where you were tired, hungry, getting sick or anything else that made you feel slightly off normal, and now try to help your child with their math homework… very challenging. This can be challenging even if it is a skill you typically can do. This is the same for kids! We must allow for flexibility in our thinking of what the ‘just right’ challenge is.
What can you do when you know the ‘just right’ challenge:
Allow your child to struggle (up to a point!). Allow them to try different theories, different ways of completing an activity. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to NOT give them the answer
Provide JUST enough assistance to ensure the child is staying within this just right zone and continuing to learn and be challenged. This can be in the form of verbal instructions, hands on assistance or encouragement and being present
Monitor for consistent times where the ‘just right’ challenge may need to be adjusted, for example at the end of the school day, during specific subjects/ activities, when the environment is loud. Once you recognize patterns you can adjust accordingly
Continue to provide reassurance regarding the process and the effort the child is putting into solving the challenge, regardless of the outcome. Positive experiences can lead to increased confidence in our kids!
Continue to model how you, as an adult, address challenges when they come your way. Vocalize that things are challenging for you in the moment, talk about your thought process, talk about your successes and how you handle failures