Article: Letting Your Child Make Mistakes

Thames Academy is a program for students in many different places on their educational journey. We hope that each student's journey is full of forward steps and great successes. However, sometimes students need a safe place to try new things, an academic and residential transitional year, to make mistakes or as we call them, 'teachable moments.'

The article, How Parents Can Help College Students Value Their Mistakes, has excellent suggestions for parents to help their son/daughter turn missteps into learning opportunities.

Check out some of the tips below. If you like these suggestions, click here to read more!

• Don’t jump in to rescue your student.  Let him make the mistake – even though you may see it coming.  Remember that this can be a positive experience.
• Help your student evaluate the experience.  Making a mistake can be helpful if it means that your next decision will be different.  What has he learned from this experience?  What will he do differently next time?
• Help your student remember that learning is a process of constantly making and correcting mistakes, and that she has done it all of her life.  How did she learn to walk, to ride a bike, to add 2+2?