I’ve been hearing a lot lately in interviews and podcasts about the benefits of making mistakes. Its really made me think about the importance of making them and is something I discuss frequently with dearest son as part of the homeschool process.

Recently we’ve been struggling through a specific maths area. Day one was very very difficult and many mistakes were made. I tried to teach that by making a lot of mistakes, he was learning more each time – learning strategies that would work, learning what didn’t work.

Fast forward a week – I asked him if he needed my help and was told, “no thanks mum I just need time to think this one through”. I could see him work through the process, step by step and take his time to get to the correct answer – I was so proud of him. Not only has he managed to overcome an obstacle that he thought was ‘too difficult’, his confidence has improved so much. He knows now he doesn’t have to be the quickest; ‘just take a little more time and you’ll get there’.

So many lessons to be learned from making mistakes.

Our son wasn’t always homeschooled. By the time we saw the light and took him out of ‘school’, his confidence in his maths ability was painfully low. One teacher in particular would tell him, when he asked for help, “ask 3 before you ask me”. She meant ask the other 3 kids at your table and don’t bother me. What kind of a teacher is that? So he came out of school afraid of maths and thinking he was ‘bad’ at it.

Now, we take time, we explain as many times as its needed – he got the answers quicker than me yesterday! His confidence is soaring and there are even days when he tells me, ‘I enjoyed that’.

Make mistakes, appreciate mistakes, don’t fear mistakes but most of all – learn from mistakes!