When most families think about summer, they think about all the things they want to do.

Trips to the pool. Popsicles on the porch. Family vacations. Summer camps. Movie nights. Backyard barbecues. While all of those experiences create wonderful memories, I’d encourage you to think about another question this summer: What does your child want to learn?

As a child therapist, one of the biggest misconceptions I see is that confidence comes from praise. While encouragement is important, true confidence is built through experience. Children become confident when they have opportunities to try something new, make mistakes, practice, improve, and eventually succeed.

In other words, confidence grows from competence.

Think about the last time your child learned a new skill. Maybe they finally mastered riding a bike, learned to tie their shoes, or made their own breakfast for the first time. Chances are you could see the pride on their face. They weren’t confident because someone told them they were amazing. They were confident because they had proof that they could do something hard.

That’s why I love the idea of a Summer Skills Bingo Card.

Instead of focusing only on keeping kids entertained, a Summer Skills Bingo Card encourages children to identify skills they want to learn before summer ends. It shifts the conversation from “What should we do today?” to “What would you like to learn this summer?”

When children help choose their own goals, they become more invested in the process. Some kids may want to learn practical skills like making scrambled eggs, folding laundry, memorizing their address, or learning a parent’s phone number. Others may want to learn how to ride a bike, swim underwater, tie their shoes, or order food at a restaurant independently.

There are no right or wrong answers. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is growth.

One of my favorite parts of this activity is that it naturally creates opportunities for connection. Sitting down together and asking your child, “What would you like to learn this summer?” gives you a glimpse into how they see themselves and what feels important to them right now. Sometimes their answers are surprising. Sometimes they’re hilarious. And sometimes they reveal areas where your child is craving a little more independence.

Once you’ve filled in the Bingo card, hang it somewhere visible. Put it on the refrigerator, a family command center, or a bulletin board where everyone can see it. Throughout the summer, work together to practice the skills they’ve chosen. As they learn each one, let them mark it off.

The beauty of this activity isn’t just the finished Bingo card. It’s the message it sends.

Every time your child practices a new skill, they’re learning that mistakes are part of learning. Every time they keep trying after something feels hard, they’re building resilience. Every time they master a new skill, they’re collecting evidence that they are capable. And that evidence matters.

Because long after summer is over, your child may not remember every outing, every activity, or every screen-free afternoon. But they will remember the feeling of learning something they once thought they couldn’t do.

This summer, alongside your bucket lists and vacation plans, consider creating a list of skills your child wants to learn. You might be surprised by how much confidence can grow from something as simple as learning to make scrambled eggs or memorizing an address.

Small skills have a way of creating big confidence. If you’d like a free copy of my Summer Skills Bingo Card, comment BINGO on my latest Instagram post and I’ll send one your way.

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