30 Ways to Respond To Your Perfectionist Child

Do you have a child who is a perfectionist? Perhaps they freeze up or get frustrated over the smallest tasks or they want to make sure everything is, well, perfect. 

How can we, as parents, teachers, and caregivers, respond in helpful and positive ways when our child is struggling with perfectionism? Below is the list of supportive responses that work wonders for the families in our Raising Kids with a Growth Mindset Facebook Community.

1. Practice makes progress.
2. Perfect is a perspective.
3. All that matters is that you’re doing your best.
4. There is no perfect! What’s important is that you give it your all!
5. You’re doing your best and your best is good enough!
6. Perfect is a myth. Effort and growing your brain is the real deal.
7. No one is perfect. We’re all imperfect and that makes us all unique.
8. The purpose is not to make it perfect. The purpose is to try, experience and learn.
9. What would “perfect” look like to you?
10. Amazing things come from accidents and imperfections.
11. There is no such thing as perfection.
12. I'm so proud of you for working hard. You are learning so much!
13. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but if you want it to be better we can practice that.
14. Mistakes allow us to embrace imperfection, while still nurturing effort, practice and skills development.
15. All you can do is your best. That’s all anyone is asking for.
16. Remember we learn from mistakes!
17. You are trying hard. You can be proud of that.
18. What is your vision? What could you do next? Can I do anything to help?
19. I can tell you tried hard and it shows!
20. Imperfections are what makes things unique and special.
21. You are perfecting the practice.
22. Perfection isn’t the goal. Learning and practicing are.
23. Practice makes it better. Improvement is the goal, not perfection.
24. It’s okay to be disappointed when it’s not as good as you hoped, that's what spurs you to improve!
25. We all can feel good inside knowing that we are doing our best.
26. If something is worth doing it’s worth doing badly.
27. The strive for perfection is an imperfect objective in and of itself.
28. Hard work creates progress.
29. Practice makes it easier. 
30. Perfect is for dreaming, progress is for doing.

Create a Jar of Awesome to celebrate the small wins that move your child closer to their dream!  Every time they feel unmotivated or discourage, re-read the wins from their jar. It will help them to keep going!