Mistakes: Why They're Important And How To Ensure Your Kids Learn From Them

This post is contributed. 

This post is going to be all about mistakes and your kids; why they are important, and how you can ensure your kids learn from them. Mistakes actually improve your child’s learning, which is the opposite of what many parents believe.

Society pressures children to be these perfect, intelligent beings, and this can mean they become afraid of trying anything new or putting real effort in because they don’t want to fail and seem imperfect. Stress is actually increased when children are constantly praised for their intelligence, too. It’s a good idea to stop throwing comments about your child’s intelligence without really thinking about them, in that case!

Many parents cover up for their kids on homework, for example, worried that if they don’t correct it they will a) get a bad grade, and b) not learn the correct information. However, studies have shown that making mistakes actually enhances your child’s learning. Studies have also shown that children who are praised for their effort, rather than their intelligence, do much better on tests. Effort is the key factor in your child’s growth and development. Praising this will mean they grow into healthier, happier teens and adults who are willing to try new things and actually put real effort in, even when it gets hard. Those praised for intelligence will be put off when things don’t come naturally to them straight away. Procrastination and perfectionism are very closely linked!

Below, we’re going to talk more about how you can ensure your kids make and learn from mistakes:

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It’s important that you acknowledge that you don’t expect perfection from your kids. Let them fail, and let them make mistakes. Don't offer to do every little thing for them. Let them try, even if you don’t think they’ll be able to do something. It’ll still give them confidence. Doing it for them right away tells them that you don’t believe in them. Ensure your kids know that your love is unconditional, too, and not dependant on a grade. When it is time for you to step in, you want to help your children to focus on a solution, rather than rescuing them from mistakes they have made. This might mean contacting juvenile defense lawyers to get advice if your child has taken a wrong path somewhere, or got in with the wrong crowd.

You should also ensure you encourage your kids to take responsibility rather than playing the blame game. Mentor them on how they should apologise when they make a mistake that hurts others - this is something kids can find difficult, and something you may even see in adults. Finally, help your children to see the positives in getting things wrong. There are downsides to getting it wrong, sure, but there are multiple lessons that can be learned every time. Talking about this will mean that the failure was still really a win and beneficial to all.

Knowing why mistakes are important will help you to help your kids tenfold!

XOXO,