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We’ve all grown up trying to avoid making mistakes because they were rarely viewed in a positive light. Unfortunately, the same thought process is being applied while raising modern children. We at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, a well-known CBSE school in Gurgaon, understand that when parents encourage their kids not to make mistakes, it’s primarily out of love and care. However, the fact is that if kids are always corrected even before they attempt anything, it actually keeps them from achieving their full potential.

Hence, if you want your kids to thrive in life, especially in their academic journey, you must let them make mistakes. No, we aren’t talking about intentional mistakes, but the ones that kids make while attempting to learn something new. When you let kids focus on learning, mistakes become a part of the process that teaches them more than what one can comprehend.

If you’re still confused and cannot understand how mistakes can help your kids grow academically, we recommend you read this full blog post. So, let’s quickly delve in.

• Remembering things better in the long term

When kids get something wrong in the first attempt and then relearn it correctly, the new information sticks in their memory for much longer. What happens is that when children make mistakes, their brain has to work harder to process information. As they attempt to learn something the second or third time, they actually figure out what didn’t work, why it didn’t work, and what should have happened instead. This process strengthens how information is stored in their memory.

So, if your kids are making frequent mistakes while learning a new concept, let them make those mistakes. The time spent in making mistakes isn’t wasted. It will all pay off well when your kids remember what they’ve learned.

• Building confidence in their own problem-solving abilities

Have you ever jumped in to solve a complex mathematics or chemistry problem given in your child’s homework? Many parents do it to help their kids. While it may look harmless, we view it differently.

We at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok believe that if parents don’t let their kids make mistakes, the children won’t learn to make ample attempts to solve problems independently. Hence, by means of this blog post today, we would like to advise parents to allow their kids to make mistakes and let them struggle through it to find a solution. This process teaches them that they can figure out things on their own.

The confidence that kids thereby gain always comes to their aid in all walks of life. It helps them advance further in studies, often manifesting as stronger conceptual understanding, higher grades, and a constantly rising graph depicting their academic growth.

• Showing children that effort leads to improvement

A key lesson that kids often learn from their mistakes is that improvement and precision always follow repeated effort and practice. They learn that their effort and dedication can help them navigate failures, overcome rough experiences, and drive them to growth and success. This process teaches them that mistakes don’t define their abilities, but their response to these mistakes surely does.

Over a period of time, the experience they get from their mistakes and setbacks will help build an unshakable growth mindset in children, helping them to steer through even the most challenging academic phases with relentless effort.

• Teaching to reflect and adjust their approach

At Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, we always teach our students that whenever they get something wrong while learning, they should stop and ask themselves, WHAT didn’t work and WHY didn’t it work. This self-reflection process is where the real learning happens. It teaches them how to analyse problems and design course corrections for positive outcomes in the future.

This means if you, as a parent, help your kids with their homework by giving them instant answers, you’re preventing them from developing these crucial skills. So, while you should stay with your kids when it’s homework time for them, especially if they are young, refrain from stepping in with quick answers. Let them try, let them make mistakes, let them pour effort into solving their homework.

We have seen that children who learn to reflect on their mistakes early on become significantly better at solving problems independently. This timeless skill is essential not just for their academic growth but also for their professional and personal growth.

Conclusion

It’s natural for parents not to want their kids to make mistakes. But trust us, it is not how real learning and skill development take place. Even when adults try to learn something new or explore more advanced concepts, it’s natural for them to make mistakes in the initial stages. Your kids aren’t an exception to this process.

At Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, a top school in Gurgaon, we firmly believe that as parents, it’s important for you to understand that mistakes are a part of the learning process for your children. Trying to avoid them will only prevent your kids from unlocking their full potential. So, let your kids make mistakes; just ensure they take away the right message and real learnings from them.