At a recent Mommy-and-Me class, my 2-year-old crafted a paper snowman with the smallest of the circles on the bottom, instead of on top.
Rather than criticize her, I praised her creation and said, “Wow, what a cool snow alien.” Instantly, all the other kids in class wanted to follow her lead and make snow aliens of their own.
Fixing a mistake, or making lemonade out of lemons, is an important life lesson, and the subject of a new children’s book titled, “Beautiful Oops,” by Barney Saltzberg (Workman, $11.95). The interactive book shows young readers how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful.
“I would love parents to take a step back before they tell a kid he did something wrong,” says Saltzberg. “Allowing for self-expression allows them to own their work and gives them a sense of empowerment.”
And, if we stifle creativity too often, we risk discouraging kids from being creative altogether.
“Kids need a sense of freedom. They need to be told that there is no right or wrong way to draw something. This allows them to be more playful and to explore other ways to make something work. The concept that an ‘oops’ is okay takes the sting out of making a mistake,” says the author of more than 30 children’s books.
Celebrating blunders is a notion in sharp contrast to our mistake-averse culture, however, says Ellen Birnbaum, associate director, 92nd Street Y Nursery School.
“There’s so much emphasis on children acquiring skills at very young ages — they are pressured toward perfection. But creative thinking is a critical skill. We need thinkers who can collaborate. The emphasis should be on the process and not an outcome. Kids should feel free to explore, have lots of accidents and figure things out for themselves. Unless you can take a risk and problem-solve, you’re going to impede your ability to learn in the future,” she says.
For parents, this means shedding some bad habits.
“Don’t overreact and see it as a negative when the juice spills,” for example. Accidents are the best teaching moments. Reinforce that your child has the power to fix a problem by saying, “Let’s wipe it up,” says Birnbaum.
In fact, after spilling coffee on a sketch book, instead of opting for a new one, Saltzberg discovered art in his mishap. “In the stains, I saw a face and made a coffee blob monster,” he recalls.
In his book, a smudge or smear can make magic appear. And, bent paper is something to applaud once you realize it has become an adorable penguin’s head.
Instead of fearing a big mess, let your kids poor glue on a piece of paper, says Saltzberg. “Let it go in different directions, oozing around the page for fun,” he says.
Or, try spill painting. “Give out straws and blow paint through them. This gives kids who aren’t the best artists in the class a chance to feel like their work is worthy, too. It’s not something to shy away from,” he advises.
Saltzberg also recommends dumping your trash can on the coffee table and tasking your preschoolers to make something beautiful.
“Children should learn to be creative about how to rethink something and move forward. It’s a life lesson way beyond art,” says Saltzberg.