10 Life lessons children can learn from failure

10 Things Failure Can Teach Your Children

There are lessons to be learned in failure, both for children and adults. No matter how heartbreaking it is for parents to watch our children feel sad or disappointed, we need to allow them to go through the experience of failing before they succeed. Stepping in will only deprive them of the lessons that they can learn from the experience.

Here are 10 things kids can learn from failure.

Perseverance

Failure helps children learn to persevere in a task. Chesca Alejandro, a mom blogger and former preschool teacher at Kids' Circle Learning Center remembers a student having a hard time completing a puzzle. "Of course there were tears of frustration but she was encouraged to try and try and try. The first time she did it was a priceless moment in my teaching stint”, she shares.

Courage

It takes courage for children to pick themselves up after failure. In trying again, they take that risk of possibly being disappointed with another failure. Through this process, children learn courage as they choose to keep trying until they eventually succeed.

High self-esteem

When a child perceives failure positively and continues to strive to succeed, higher self-esteem follows, shares Nadine Cuisia, a former Guidance Counselor De La Salle Zobel. "I believe the key here is for parents to guide children to have a positive perception of failure and its relation to success”, she adds.

Optimism

A positive perception of failure not only boosts self-esteem, but also helps teach children to be optimistic. When they are able to look at the bright side and realize that they can start over and try harder, then these challenges can help to boost a kid’s hope for success.

Responsibility

Homeschooling mom, Racquel Guevara believes that failure makes children aware of what they have done and what their goals are. She shares, "When a child fails, it is an awareness and a realization process, a step towards taking ownership of his or her action or decision.”

Problem solving

Parents should help children realize and understand what was the cause of their failure. Eventually, these kids will figure out how to prevent it from happening again. This teaches them to be analytical and solution-oriented thinkers.

Acceptance

As they realize their strengths and weaknesses, children can learn to accept that failure is a part of life. What really matters is that they accept their imperfections and learn from their mistakes, shares Jai Berroya, a former elementary school teacher at a Korean English Center.

The importance of hard work

Donna Donor, a preschool teacher turned homeschooling mom shares that with failure, "Kids will learn that they need to do their best in everything they do.” After feeling sad about it they move on and work harder a second time around, until they succeed.

The value of success

After several unsuccessful tries, the feeling of finally succeeding at a task is huge for a child. He or she is fully aware of what it took to complete that task, and all the effort that was put into trying again. Through this, they learn the value of being rewarded for something that they earned.

Ambition

"If everything has been given to them or made easy, they will stop trying hard. Children need to experience failure to achieve more and reach for their goals”, says Ma. Jocelyn Toledo, a High School teacher at the TMA Homeschool program. As they try harder after failing at something, then finally succeed, they will eventually begin to set their sights on even higher goals and bigger dreams.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

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Written by

Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

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