Like Ross from “Friends” says: Piv-ot!

When a strategy isn’t working, it’s easy to push harder and hope it eventually clicks. Flexible thinking develops when students understand that the goal stays the same, even when the approach needs to change.

If your child isn’t consistently writing homework in a planner, for example, treat that as useful information rather than something that must work. The planner may simply be the wrong tool. Help your child pause and identify what’s getting in the way, then try a different approach that better matches how they naturally operate. That might mean keeping a single homework page in the front of their binder, using a shared digital list or calendar, or setting a reminder on their phone.

The message you’re sending matters: Stopping one strategy isn’t giving up. It’s learning how to adapt. When students see flexibility modeled this way, they build confidence, resilience, and a willingness to pivot instead of getting stuck. The real win isn’t finding the perfect system; it’s learning how to adjust when something stops working.