“The person who has never made any mistakes has never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein
What if we could teach our children that making a mistake is a formative and positive process? That each time they “mess up” it’s an opportunity to learn and grow and become more confident in themselves. Can you imagine?
We are all trying to learn and grow each day, and as mamas, we need this message as much — if not more! — as our little ones. This topic is a passion of mine, as I am an art teacher — we work on making mistakes on our projects all the time. But it’s not easy to train ourselves to become comfortable with “failure”!
One of my favorite ways to do this with my children and students is by reading books that aim to teach us how to deal with mistakes. Here are eight of my favorites!
“Beautiful Oops!” by Barney Saltzberg
This book is a beautiful and fun one for even the littlest readers! Each page shows a spill or a fold that was turned into a work of art. The ultimate message is this: When you make a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful! Words to live by, really.
“It’s Okay to Make Mistakes” by Todd Parr
Todd Parr is a wonderful writer, and he’s done it again with this clear illustrative book about mistakes! He reminds us that it’s OK to fall down — you can always get back up. Or it’s OK to change your mind — everyone is ready at a different time. And I love how it ends: “Everyone has ‘uh-oh’ moments. That’s how you learn!”
“Eggbert the Slightly Cracked Egg” by Tom Ross
This book is about the journey of an egg who has a crack in his shell. He goes on a journey and discovers that the world is full of cracks — “all sorts of beautiful cracks!” such as clouds in the sky and cracks in a volcano or in canyons! Eggbert learns to be proud of his cracks.
“The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes” by Mark Pett and Gary Rubenstein
Beatrice Bottomwell is known to never make mistakes and is even called “the girl who never makes mistakes.” Read this book to see what happens when she finally does make a mistake. Spoiler alert: Life is a lot more fun!
“Regina’s Big Mistake” by Marissa Moss
I love this book! Regina is a little girl who has lots of ideas in her mind — but she can’t seem to put them onto paper. She starts to draw a picture of a jungle with her classmates, but when she draws the sun, oops! Her crayon wobbles, and it’s just not right. What should she do? This a great book particularly about art, but it’s also fun conversation starter with your children about what to do when you are frustrated.
“The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires
This sweet story is about a little girl who has the most amazing idea! She gathers her supplies, tweaks and adjusts her ideas, and examines her work throughout the building process. The girl experiences some frustration along the way and almost quits, until she takes a walk to calm down and figure out what’s working and what’s not. After she determines what she needs to do to finish her work, she realizes it is truly the most magnificent thing!
“The Dot” by Peter Reynolds
This great book was written by local writer and illustrator Peter Reynolds, who owns the bookstore The Blue Bunny in Dedham! “The Dot” shows a child in art class who doesn’t want to make anything on her paper. Her art teacher says, “Make a mark and see where it takes you.” Her journey after making a mark on her paper allows her to see how simple it can be to create beauty. After reading this book, break out the art supplies and make your own dots!
“Ish” by Peter Reynolds
This book is a fun sequel to “The Dot” and explores what it feels like to create images that are not perfect but get the essence of your idea. Ramon discovers this “ish” feeling in this book, and it’s a fun way to introduce this concept of “ishness” to your child and family!
I hope you enjoy these fabulous books about mistake-making with your kiddos. Now go make some mistakes!
This article was originally published in 2015 and was updated in 2024.
