Student Wellbeing

Learning to Take on Challenges

Challenges pave the way for growth. When children routinely avoid challenges, their learning can come to a halt. However, when they learn to understand, value, and embrace challenges, their learning accelerates. Supporting our children in developing a positive relationship with challenges is one of the most effective ways to help them become stronger, more resilient learners.

How does your child respond to a challenge?

Do they avoid it, choosing the “path of least resistance” in their learning? Or do they pick challenges they know they can handle, appearing to work hard but steering clear of mistakes by avoiding tasks that push them too far?

Perhaps your child takes on challenges because the teacher assigns them, following instructions but not yet actively embracing the difficulty. Or maybe they face challenges out of necessity, driven by a personal goal they want to achieve.

Now, imagine if your child welcomed challenges wholeheartedly. In the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s words, “we do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” imagine them choosing the tougher path when given a choice, recognizing that challenge is the pathway to growth.

Becoming a Skillful Learner

How children respond to challenges is a key part of the skill of learning itself. This skill develops over time and enables children (and us) to make the most of every learning opportunity. Most importantly, it’s something we can actively teach our children to help them thrive both in school and in life.

As parents, we can support our children’s journey to becoming better learners by helping them build a positive, productive relationship with challenges.

Comfort Zone vs. Learning Zone: What’s the Difference?

The first step in helping your child build a healthy relationship with challenges is teaching them to recognise the difference between their Comfort Zone and their Learning Zone.

We often hear about the importance of stepping outside our comfort zones, but how many children truly understand what that means? For many, leaving the comfort zone simply means trying something new. However, “new” isn’t always “challenging.” Often, it’s just an “easy thing we haven’t done yet”—a task with little struggle, plenty of certainty, and confidence that we’ll succeed. These tasks keep us busy but don’t necessarily help us grow. They belong in the Comfort Zone.

The true challenge lies in the Learning Zone, where children push beyond their current abilities. Challenges here feel more like a problem to solve rather than a simple task. The solution isn’t immediately clear, and the path forward may feel uncertain, involving real struggle. When a child experiences this, it’s a sign they’re in their Learning Zone.

Being in the Learning Zone is uncomfortable. When children find themselves there, their instinct is often to escape—to seek distractions, choose easier options, or use avoidance strategies. Helping them recognise this discomfort as a normal part of learning can support their growth.

Struggle is Temporary

It’s essential to help children understand that the discomfort and struggle they feel in the Learning Zone is temporary. Many believe that if they’re struggling now, the next step will only bring more struggle, making them reluctant to continue.

In reality, effort is the currency of growth, and struggle is the price we pay for it. The reward is that what feels hard today will feel easy tomorrow. Learning doesn’t get progressively harder; instead, it cycles: something is hard until it becomes easy, and then a new, slightly harder step begins.

Being in the Learning Zone—and experiencing the struggle that comes with it—is not only a normal part of learning but also an essential part of growth.

Parenting for Skillful Learning

As parents, we play a crucial role in helping our children become more skillful learners. This starts with fostering a healthy relationship with challenge. By teaching them that effort is the price of growth and normalizing the struggle that comes with being in the Learning Zone, we can help them become “comfortably uncomfortable” with challenges. This mindset sets them on a path of continuous growth.

At the last School Council meeting there was consultation about the Complaints Policy. Please find the document attached.