Recognizing Strengths: The Learning Focus
Recognizing strengths helps children notice what they can do, enjoy, or are learning. Strengths include practical, creative, communicative, and relational abilities rather than only academic answers or visible performance.
A Practical Starting Point
Use a picture showing a child helping organize blocks, telling a story, or noticing a detail. Ask what skill the character is using. Invite the child to name something they have practiced or choose an example an adult has observed. Use specific language such as ‘You found a way to balance the pieces.’
Choosing Appropriate Support
Avoid ranking children or assigning permanent labels such as the smart one. A child may not want to name a strength publicly, and adults can offer private acknowledgment. Include abilities demonstrated with support or assistive tools. Recognizing progress does not require pretending every task is easy or demanding confidence on command.
Distinguish Related Learning Goals
- Likes & Dislikes: Select familiar things a child enjoys or does not enjoy, and practice respecting that another person may choose differently.
- Trying Again & Positive Self-Talk: Choose a supportive response when a puzzle, drawing, or block activity is difficult, without demanding endless persistence.