Teaching Your Child to Overcome Obstacles*

We all face different types of challenges throughout our lives, some more severe than others. Having the skills to overcome these obstacles is an important part of growing up and something that parents should help their children with. Life is hard so it’s important to work on teaching your child how to deal with that. Without these skills, it can be difficult to feel fulfilled and optimistic. Read on for some advice from an independent primary school in Cambridge.

Don’t Be Afraid of Mistakes

If your child is afraid of making mistakes, they will struggle in the face of adversity. Help them understand that mistakes are inevitable, even for adults, and they’re nothing to be ashamed of. All we can do when we make a mistake is learn from it and try and prevent it happening again. Teaching your child that mistakes are a learning opportunity rather than a failing will help them feel more comfortable in challenging situations.

Praise their Resilience

Giving up when faced with an obstacle in life is rarely the right answer. With that said, be sure to praise your child when you see them trying their best at something. Say things like “I know you were struggling with your maths homework today but I’m really proud of you for not giving up on it”. Praising their resilience and hard work will encourage them to continue behaving this way in the future.

Teach Coping Mechanisms

Some people react badly when faced with a challenge because they aren’t equipped with the right coping mechanisms, so they become stressed and flustered. Teach your child various coping mechanisms so that when it inevitably happens to them, they know what to do. For instance, if they are feeling overwhelmed with a big school project, help them break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. If they are getting frustrated with something, encourage them to take a short break and do something they enjoy so they can clear their head and go back to it later.