There’s always a lot of discussion amongst educators and parents about scaffolding — giving kids just exactly the right amount of challenge to allow them to stretch without overwhelming or frustrating them. It’s a pretty difficult balance to strike, and for parents with quickly-growing youngsters, a constantly moving target.
However, all your worries about this disappear if you follow the child. I let my kids attempt whatever they are interested in trying, whether they’re ready for it or not. My three-year-old can bust out any puzzle that strikes his fancy. My eighteen month old can water the house plants if he wants to. Maybe they’ll be successful. Maybe we’ll get a puddle on the floor. O well. If you control everything your kid does to try to avoid them getting frustrated, they’ll never learn to deal with frustration, which is a pretty normal part of real life!
Let your kids make mistakes. They’ll be fine.
And if they make a mess, they can learn how to clean it up, too!
