Helping Kids With Perfectionism

Teachers are seeing more and more children challenged to deal with the normal frustration that comes from learning. It seems that kids expect that they must be “perfect” from the beginning. If they can’t be, then you hear, “I can’t do it.” Or, “I stink at this.” It’s heart-breaking. We like to remind them that they ARE doing it, but at the beginner level.

If you or your child struggles with perfectionism, this may help. There is a need to re-program the thinking that comes from their perception that they must be good at everything at all times. Embrace failure! Celebrate it! Because you cannot achieve success without a series of fails. When learning, we will make mistakes. Why do our kids (or us) think we won’t?

F.A.I.L. is First Attempt In Learning.

When students make “beginner mistakes” we need to let them know that is awesome! That was their first attempt in learning. They are getting it! Now, go FAIL at something else. After a string of FAILS, they will find success!

In our school, FAIL is our mantra with our students whose instinct is to be so hard on themselves. We will pull them aside for some one-on-one help. We will do whatever it takes to help them to not only learn the skill, but to understand there are many levels of success. This picture reminds us of how we can expect a kick to look at different levels. White Belts won’t do a roundhouse kick like a Black Belt. It doesn’t mean they are not successful.

Call me if you are looking for a solution to perfectionism. We will help you / your child to have FUN while you FAIL.