Repeating Iucounu's quote:
For example, Stigler says, in the Japanese classrooms that he's studied, teachers consciously design tasks that are slightly beyond the capabilities of the students they teach, so the students can actually experience struggling with something just outside their reach. Then, once the task is mastered, the teachers actively point out that the student was able to accomplish it through the students hard work and struggle.
I completely agree with this. Like many children discussed here, DS found school to be quite easy.
When he showed an interest in chess, we encouraged it in part because this is an activity where we knew he would have to struggle. While strong for his age, he mostly plays adults at his skill level which means he ends up losing about half the time, which I think is good for him (even though he doesn't). His reward comes from eventually beating these opponents consistently, as his skills improve.
We also encourage him to play sports with other kids in the neighborhood, even though that is a distinct area of weakness for him (he inherited my lack of coordination!).
