This Week at the Forest Bus Stop

(Overheard at the morning pickup…)

Big Bear: Hi Badger! We missed you yesterday. Is Little Badger feeling better today?

Big Badger: Hi Bear! Little Badger is feeling great. They had a hard test yesterday so we kept him home that way they weren’t uncomfortable.

(I had to giggle into my coffee cup at that one. Oh, Badger, we’ve all wanted to shield our little ones from uncomfortable things! But man, those uncomfortable moments are where the magic happens.)

Story From the Trail

So, listen to what happened at our house the other day. Someone had removed the stool from the kitchen. It was being used as a prop for a fort, making it completely unavailable for the rest of the day.

Normally, I would have marched over, dismantled the fort, and put the stool back where it belonged. But I stopped myself. I thought it would be interesting to just sit back and see what would happen throughout the day. How were they going to reach the counter, the sink, the cupboards, or the drawers?

It was absolute comedy gold, honestly. Some solutions were definitely safer than others. Some were quick, some took forever, and a whole bunch of them just straight-up didn’t work.

We had chair-climbing. We had random jumping. At one point, one child literally sat on the floor, looked up at the counter, and politely asked the cup to come down. (Honestly, knowing them, that might have happened even with the stool available!) But my absolute favorite was when an entire obstacle course was constructed—because, obviously, you simply cannot just step onto a ledge without a dramatic warm-up route first.

Field Notes

Here’s what totally blew my mind: they didn’t ask for my help any more than normal.

They actually enjoyed solving the problem. Sometimes it was super practical, and other times it looked like a full-blown science experiment. It was so fascinating to watch because they already knew the standard way to reach the counter, but taking away their usual tool unlocked this whole creative playground.

It made me reflect a lot. I realized I’ve been assuming that when the kids ask for help with something I know they can do, they’re just being stubborn or lazy. But watching them this week made me wonder… what if they aren’t being stubborn at all? What if they’re asking for help simply because they want connection with us?

I still firmly believe they should do things themselves most of the time, but if the request isn’t happening constantly, maybe it’s just their little way of saying, “Hey, be near me for a second.”

Trail Marker

Here is something fun for you to try at your house this week:

• Watch for: Pay attention to what your child does when something doesn’t go right on the very first try.
• Observe: How do they handle that initial spark of frustration? Do they try a totally new way of doing it? Or do they pivot and break it down into a simpler problem?

10 Minute Side Trail

Here’s a quick, super fun game you can play today that turns problem-solving into a total adventure!

• Skill: “The Floor is Lava” Bedroom Escape (leaving the room without touching the floor)
• Age Range: 1–6 years old
• Domain: Problem Solving
• What You Will Need:
  • Pillows, couch cushions, or folded bath towels
  • A few sturdy hardcover books or flat cardboard pieces
• Steps:
  • Set the Scene: Declare that the bedroom carpet has officially turned into glowing hot lava, and the only safe zone is out in the hallway!
  • Gather Supplies: Show them a small pile of cushions and towels near the bed/starting spot and ask, “How can we use these to get all the way to the door?”
  • Let Them Plan & Test: Stand back while they lay down their “stepping stones.” Let them test if a jump is too far or if a cushion slides.
  • Tweak the Route: If they get stuck halfway across, encourage them to adjust their path or move a pillow from behind them to the front.
  • Celebrate the Crossing: Give a huge cheer when their feet safely land on the hallway “island!”
• Success Looks Like: Your child testing distances, course-correcting when a gap is too wide, managing a little wobble with a grin, and reaching the doorway on their own.
• Next Skill: Navigating obstacles while carrying a payload (e.g., rescuing a stuffed animal from the lava zone).

Fox Discovery Trail

When your kiddo finishes working through a tricky moment, try chatting through a few of these lighthearted questions together over a snack:

• What did you discover today?
• What helped you out the most?
• What was the trickiest part?
• What would you try next time?

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Little Fox & Big Fox After Trail

Little Fox: Daddy, remember when you tried to fix the kitchen sink pipe with duct tape and a rubber band?

Big Fox: Hey now, that was a calculated engineering experiment!

Little Fox: It sprayed water all over your face.

Big Fox: …Which taught us two very important problem-solving lessons: water pressure is real, and sometimes the best solution is knowing when to call a professional. See? Total learning moment.

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Nearby Trails

If you’re loving this mindset shift, keep an eye out for ways to let your kids embrace messy, imperfect solutions this week. Let the shoe go on the wrong foot for three steps if they put it on themselves. Let the tower fall. It’s all building that brain muscle!

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Forest Committee Minutes

(A peek inside every parent’s internal council meeting)

Big Bear: Look, I still say giving them a sturdy chair right away is better. Safer, faster, fewer dramatic obstacle courses in the kitchen.

Big Badger: But Bear, if we step in too fast, we miss the magic! My Little Badger tried to convince a banana to peel itself yesterday. Did it work? No. But the creativity!

Wise Owl: Pushes up glasses. Research does show that allowing children space to encounter minor friction builds self-efficacy. When we rush to solve every minor inconvenience, we inadvertently signal that we don’t trust their abilities.

Squeaky Squirrel: (Scribbling furiously on a notepad) Okay, cool, cool… but what do I do when their “creative solution” involves peanut butter on the living room rug?

Wise Owl: Ah. That is when you transition from “observing the experiment” to “guiding the cleanup with deep, soothing breaths.”

Big Badger: Exactly. You just hand them a towel and ask, “What’s your plan for getting the peanut butter off the carpet, buddy?”

Squeaky Squirrel: (Sighs, drinks more coffee) Right. Deep breaths. Handing them the towel. We’re raising problem solvers here!