“Oops, I’ve made a mistake…”
I made this statement during mat time at preschool a few weeks ago. Twelve pairs of big eyes looked at me inquisitively. I had made a mistake?!
“How wonderful,” I continued. “I’m learning something new.”
I had introduced a new song to the children, one that I was (clearly) still learning myself. I got a couple of words wrong when we sang it the first time around and immediately thought to myself, what a fantastic opportunity to talk about the gift of making mistakes.
I had also noticed that most of the children, aged between three and five, were uncertain and holding back a little with trying to sing, hum, or move along. I wanted to encourage the bold self-expression which normally, under different circumstances, comes easily and naturally to this age group. Isn’t it interesting how early group settings can influence our individual confidence and self-expression?
Anyway, after having declared how thrilled I was to have made a mistake, I invited the children to sing with me another time, encouraging them to use strong voices, sounds, or gestures, making it clear that I did not expect them to get the words right. They might even come up with better words, I added. “We are all trying something new together, so let’s make mistakes together, too.”
When we sang the song that second time, I got goosebumps and nearly teared up. Every child was giving it their all, in their own way. It was beautiful. After we had finished, a four-year-old put up his hand and said with a big smile on his face, “Franzi, I made two mistakes.” Others followed. I almost started to cry. 
Not only that, a week or so later, we had another mat time together. We sang a song, and without me prompting, children proudly exclaimed how many mistakes they had made.
Imagine having learned from an early age that making mistakes is a wonderful thing and not something to avoid, trying to get things 100% right all the time.
Mistakes mean we are learning. They are an important, valuable part of trying something new and giving something a go – and we all make them!
I definitely wish I had learned this sooner in life.
Imagine Play Inspire 