I was recently in a waiting room, when my youngest daughter asked if she could play on the
iPad. It’s not a habit I want us to get into, but in that moment, her having ten minutes on it,
while I had ten minutes to myself, sounded perfect.
I presented her with three options. She chose a colouring-in app. Interactive and creative,
and in my mind a step up from mindless scrolling or video watching. Great!
After a while I glanced over at her progress. She had chosen a classic princess to colour.
First, she would select the medium – marker, crayon, watercolour – and then the colour she
wanted from a perfectly ordered palette, all with the touch of a finger. She then
enthusiastically rubbed her finger back and forth to colour-in the image on the page. What
caught my attention, however, was that despite her finger moving with haste and inaccuracy
across the screen, the app was programmed to not colour outside the lines.
Her work was perfect. Even the shadow and shading on the image was pre-programmed
and done for her. There was no colouring outside the lines!
It got me thinking… was this a good thing?
Mistakes Matter
We’ve all heard the phrase you learn from your mistakes. This is not an old wives’ tale, or a
defunct school of thought, but a truth that educators and researchers see at work daily and
know to be a fact: we learn by trying, practicing, and trying and practicing again. Mistakes
come before mastery. But when those opportunities are erased or downplayed from our
development, how can we learn?
Faculty at Stanford and Harvard Universities observed this phenomenon a decade ago and
coined the term “failure deprived”, to describe “the emotional struggles that students faced
when met with simple challenges.”
Mistakes, even simple ones like colouring outside the lines, and the setback they bring, is
where children and adults alike experience growth. Psychologist and play therapist, Tammy
Schamuhn from The Institute of Child Psychology says, “when children struggle, they grow
and come to deeply understand that they are strong, capable human beings. When we
remove barriers for our child and jump in to stop them from feeling pain, we inadvertently
teach them that we do not think they are capable.”
When a child’s power to perform a task to their age and ability is taken away by us as
parents and educators — or even by an app’s coding to not allow them to colour outside the
lines– they are being denied the opportunity to practice, overcome and master a skill.
Leading to a resilience that is hard won through small early tasks of childhood, and
invaluable for life.
Mistakes are proof we’re trying, and trying is how we learn. Without mistakes we take away
the chance to learn, grow and develop.
Colouring Outside the Lines Matters
Next time you’re tempted to take the easy route, do it for them or skip the hassle remember:
colouring outside the lines matters.
It may be messier. Bodies and clothes wash. Perhaps have a corner at home for art and
craft on tiles, wooden floors or a balcony that can be easily wiped down after use.
Watercolour paints, large toddler brushes and triangular grip pencils and markers will also help
small hands. Encourage trial, error and creativity by having a stash of scrap paper ready to
go, rather than reems of fresh perfect pages. On a day that suits, choose dinner recipes that
are simple and invite your children to join in. Our children have their own kid sized apron to
wear when they do!
It may take preparation. Rather than falling back on our devices for entertainment, keep a
stash of water-based markers, pencils and activity books, based on your child’s interests, in
a handy bag in the car or under the pram, ready to go. Or perhaps a pack of cards or travel
games to teach them a round of snap or BINGO. Reusable LED drawing pads are also a
less mess alternative that still allows for age-appropriate trial and error. Kmart have them
cheaply or Australian brand Cub and Fox have gorgeous sustainable options, perfect for
Christmas.
It may require interaction. We are relational beings. Created to learn through interaction, not
in isolation. Setting aside 10 minutes to engage in a learning opportunity with our children
will reap rewards into the future. It shows them we care about their progress, understand it’s
not always easy, and most importantly that we believe in and value them. There is power in
pausing. Use it.
It may require effort. We all catch ourselves doing things for our children because, “it’s just
easier” or doing it ourselves because, “I can’t be bothered now”. Pick your battles. Small
steps now to model that mistakes are OK, will have a big impact later.
It may be messier, it may take more preparation, it may require effort and interaction, but the
outcome of intentionally allowing for colouring outside the lines — that is small, everyday
mistakes — will help to create a more resilient, more open-minded, creative and ultimately
competent child. One who has learned to move through mistakes to master a skill and is
ready for the next challenge.
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