Some students struggle with perfectionism. We try to help by working with children on strategies.
A great resource is the book: Letting Go of Perfect by Jill Adelson Ph D. Also Nobody's Perfect by Ellen Flanagan Burns
Activities that we do!
1. MOTTOS: Enrichment sessions start with our individual mottos:
YOU ARE ENOUGH. JUST BE Jennie. JUST Jennie IS WONDERFUL.
2. Accomplishments vs. Challenges
Definitions and Examples of Accomplishments and Challenges.
ACCOMPLISHMENT = (paraphrased from the kids) Something you work really hard for and you get it done. Something good. You feel good about it because you try and then you do it. Something you do after practicing and/or studying.
CHALLENGE = (again paraphrased) Something hard. You have to work at it. Something that is not easy but you do not give up.
Most meetings we discuss a personal accomplishment and challenge of the week.
3. MISTAKES: What is a mistake? And how do you react? What do you feel when you make a mistake? List negative and positive reactions and feelings.
MAKING a MISTAKE - How to help with negative feelings.
Take care of yourself. = How can you do this? Be NICE to yourself. Drink water.
Take a deep breath. Remember a mistake is a good thing. You can learn from it. Think of it as positive.
MISTAKE activity = The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Kids are given a scenario where they have made a mistake. They then role-play how to respond well = THE GOOD, how to respond poorly = THE BAD, and how to respond really badly = THE UGLY. We then discuss how the responses went in the role-play. The kids come to the conclusion that the BAD and UGLY responses are just plain silly.
THE GOOD = They pause and take a deep breath and think about how they can use that mistake to learn.
3. PRIDE Lines = Pride Lines are sentences that are finished by a student.
I am proud that this summer I . . .
4. Paper Tower Activity - Kids do this activity in groups and almost always feel frustration (most often with their own team members). We help each other by being more honest about our frustration - communicating why we are frustrated in a respectful way. Techniques to get through the frustration: Take a deep breath, drink of water, maybe even leave the room (take a little break) and THEN communicate the feeling. We try to remember that our team members are with us to help us and support us. So how can we do this if we feel frustrated with them? Use the techniques that we practiced.
5. Curious Cube Activity
6. Squiggle Line Activity
Students all get the same squiggle line and they draw/add their creativity to turn it into a picture. After they finish, they sit together and critique the art. "Critique" sounds a bit harsh and uninviting, but what they do is compliment the art by expressing what they like about it. At the end of the activity students realize that everyone is different and they will do different work and that is OK.
7. The HARD Mural
The kids came up with descriptions of this word: not easy, complicated, not what you expect, hard, awesome, challenging. Turn HARD into a positive.
It is fun to challenge yourself, your brain, and your body.
8. Nobody's Perfect Book:
Sally Sanders is a perfectionist — if she can't be the best, she feels like a failure. Sally procrastinates, shies away from new things, and constantly compares herself to others, convinced she's not good enough. With the help of her teachers and mother, Sally learns how to relax and try new things without worrying so much about being the best. She can just be herself, and that is all she needs.