Everybody makes mistakes, and children are definitely no exception to this.
They can have bad days, be moody, hungry, tired or overwhelmed.
They can make mistakes.
They can make poor choices.
Learning from our mistakes in an important part of our personal growth and an essential ingredient to happy, long lasting relationships.
The problem, however is that children are often punished for the mistakes they make and aren’t taught about how to learn from them, how to make better choices or how to make amends. Punishing children doesn’t really give them the tools they require to work through similar problems if they arise again, and it doesn’t give them the life-long skills to deal with conflict.
So how do you teach children to learn from their mistakes?
Based on my children’s book The Strongest Boy, I have created this worksheet to help children work through mistakes and help them make better choices by using their Strong Mind, Strong Words or Strong Heart.
Most suitable for 4-6 year old age group.
This worksheet sets up children to:
- Assume responsibility and accountability for their own actions
- Make amends or make things right
- Work out a better way to deal with problem if it arises again
- Have autonomy over the outcome
As children get older, you can work through this process verbally. As they get older again, this process will become second nature to them as you will have already created and reinforced over time a new neural pathway for learning.
Click here for free access to the PDF version of this worksheet
Children’s Author, Freelance Writer + Educational Consultant
Renee is a children’s author based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. She is passionate about creating profound social change by providing children, teachers and parents with the positive language needed for healthy social and emotional development. She is the author of picture books, The Strongest Boy, and Rosie Leads the Way.
Categories: Social Emotional Learning, The Strongest Boy
