My son (9) was nominated for a competition the other day in school alongside a few of his friends. It was something he also does as a hobby alongside his dad so this meant a lot to him however he didn't get through the first round and is really upset and unfortunately was the only one who wasn't selected further. I suggested he ask for feedback from the teacher so he can improve next time but his own teacher wasn't there at the time. I spoke of my own failures to him and how it made me try harder next time but he now feels he's not good at anything this is the first time he's admitted this to me.
The thing is he's good academically scores high in tests. He plays sports but doesn't really enjoy it it's noticeable on the pitch but then a few weeks ago he scored a goal for the first time ever and was delighted and was really on a high over it so now I think it's more along the lines of lack of confidence.
I'm by no means saying he should get through to everything he enters but it always seems to be the same people selected in his class not their fault and it's possible they are more forthcoming. (We did mention this to his class teacher) I'm really unsure how to help him here and would love some advice or some books I can read. Thank you