Girls as young as five are already feeling the pressure to be perfect, with the fear of making mistakes holding them back from experimenting creatively.
Almost three quarters (74%) of girls aged five-12-years old said they avoided tasks when they are afraid of not doing them perfectly.
So what can you do to help? Read on and we’ll tell you.
Watch your language around our little girls
The LEGO group surveyed parents and children across 36 countries. This included 1,000 British parents and their under 12-year-olds. It found that 89% of British girls feel under pressure to be perfect. Meanwhile, 79% said when adults around them use the word it triggers negative emotions.
The study shows that everyday language is playing a role in inhibiting girls from freely expressing themselves. In fact, 76% of girls in the UK aged five-12 say that the language they hear makes them worry about making mistakes. This leads to a reluctance to experiment.
It underscores the urgent need for change.
Parents acknowledged that girls were more likely to pushed towards perfection than boys, with 78% believing this was true.
And terms used to describe the creative outputs of girls were commonly sweet, pretty, beautiful or cute. The efforts of boys, meanwhile, were much more likely to be brave, cool, innovative or genius.
The LEGO group enlisted TV star Etymologist Susie Dent and Harvard-trained parenting researcher Jennifer B Wallace to explore how language can affect confidence and how to help unlock creative potential in young girls.
More than Perfect film
A short film More than Perfect also highlights how much more girls can achieve when they are encouraged to play for fun and stimulation rather than aiming for perfection.
Ms Wallace said: “When children fear failing, it can hamper their willingness to explore and think outside the box. This impacts the key skill of creative confidence. Which can carry into adulthood. Creative confidence is the self-assurance to generate ideas, take risks and contribute unique solutions without fear of failure.
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