How heaping praise on your child could damage their chance of success

Parents could be damaging their children's life chances by praising them too much, it has been claimed (Posed by models)

Parents who praise their children too much could actually be hindering their development, it has been claimed.

Lavishing compliments on youngsters for doing something trivial actually demotivates them, experts say.

This could be because children resent being praised for just completing a simple task.

As a result, parents are in danger of turning children off learning completely, according to a new book called NurtureShock.

Unnecessary praise may also make youngsters unaware of how hard they actually need to work for real achievement.

Surveys of parents reveal there is now a modern trend for telling their children they are bright and talented, to boost their confidence and therefore achievement.

But praising a child for being good at something before the event may backfire as they will begin to believe they don't need to work hard at it - or it may heap unnecessary pressure on them.

Authors Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson say for compliments to work they have to be limited, sincere and about effort rather than achievement.

They cite an analysis of 150 studies at Stanford University, in California, which has found that students who are over-praised become risk-averse, make less effort and are less selfmotivated.



Even young children are vulnerable to the inverse power of praise - and bright girls especially so.

Studies by Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford, have shown that telling a child they are bright causes under-performance.

In one study on 400 nine-year-olds, telling them the six words 'you must be smart at this' before a test reduced their scores by 20 per cent.

Scores of bright girls, in particular, collapse when they are told before a test that they are clever. This is believed to be because they feel under pressure to achieve.

Author Po Bronson said: 'Offering praise has become a sort of panacea for the anxieties of modern parenting.'

Meanwhile, growing numbers of British academics claim that education is being undermined by the 'all must have prizes' regime and overpraising in schools.

A recent report claimed that rewards systems in schools - which provide stickers, sweets and even shopping vouchers for good work or behaviour - kills off children's learning zeal.

This is because children think they are being bribed.

They much prefer to feel they are improving over time rather than being instantly praised and rewarded, according to Emma Dunmore, head of psychology at Harrogate Grammar School, North Yorkshire.

Simon Brownhill, a senor lecturer in education at Derby University, said that prizes should be linked to proper achievement, above what is normally expected.

He said: 'A prize should be something you can work towards. When I was learning to swim I got a certificate for five metres, one for ten metres and so on.

'Whilst I am all for rewarding achievement, it has to genuinely recognise progress. A prize or certificate for nothing devalues the concept of a reward.'