No one likes failure, but it is a fact of life. Sometimes things simply don’t work out the way we planed. Sometimes we don’t get what we want. But, if we look at these situations in the right light, we can teach our kids to learn to persevere, to learn to be more flexible, and to redirect their energies.
There are important advantages to sending kids the message that learning new things can be difficult and that learning takes time and repeated practice. This information and these experiences will actually boost confidence, reduce fear of failure, and ultimately, improve performance.
First, we need to give our children more opportunities to build a relationship with failure. One cure for the fear of failure is to rebrand it. If you learned something from an experience, then you did not fail. By rebranding failure to something as harmless as data, failure loses some of its sting. Whatever you did was all part of a fact-finding mission!
Next, children need to learn to see mistakes as part of the growth process. Alina Tuland argues in her book, Better by Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong, that teaching kids to see mistakes and failures as part of the learning process helps them be more resilient – and far more willing to take risks. “We have to be willing to let our children struggle and fail and make mistakes without always rushing in to protect them or fix the problem, “Tuland says.
Finally, as parents, we need to helps kids change their mindset. According to Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, those with fixed mind-sets, “believe we’re good at something-whether it’s math or baseball-or we’re not. When we have this fixed mind-set, mistakes serve no purpose but to highlight failure.” Those who have growth mind-sets, on the other hand, believe that some people may be inherently stronger in certain areas, but that everyone can improve and develop their skills and abilities. According to Tuland, people with growth mind-sets “are much more likely to be able to accept mistakes because they know that they are a part of learning.”
So what can we do as parents? Here are some easy-to-implement ideas that will enhance learning and promote success:
- Be a role model. Whatever you’re attempting, encourage your children to observe your progress. Share how you cope with the challenges.
- Emphasize the process. Rather than waiting on a successful outcome, focus on the process of learning and the joy that can come from mastering steps along the way.
- Provide space for learning. When your son or daughter is faced with a challenging assignment resist the urge to immediately jump in and make it easier. Give your child a chance to tackle the challenge independently, to practice and to try different approaches.
- Look for teachable moments. When your child has difficulty with a new task or skill, talk with him about what he is learning from the experience and ask what he might do differently next time. Help him brainstorm various strategies to accomplish his goals.
About Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, Inc.
Since 1985, Back to Basics Learning Dynamics has been the undisputed leader in 1-on-1 tutoring in Nationwide and southeastern Pennsylvania for over 60 subjects for children and adults, including 1-on-1 SAT/ACT/Praxis Prep, as well as translating and interpreting in over 20 languages, homebound services, RTI support, and psycho-educational testing. For more information, please contact Back to Basics at 302-594-0754.
Back to Basics operates a unique Department of Education-approved 1-on-1 K-12 Private School in Wilmington, Nationwide. For more information about Nationwide’s only Department of Education approved 1-on-1 private school, please call us at 302-594-0685.
