I’ve been trying to teach my kids to own up to their mistakes, but it’s not easy. I want to use positive reinforcement, but I’m not sure how to go about it effectively. Any parents or teachers have tips on this? What’s worked for you? I’m looking for practical advice, not just theory. Thanks!
I’m still trying to figure this out with my 5-year-old. We recently started a simple system where they get a sticker for admitting mistakes. It’s working okay, but I wonder if it’s teaching the right lesson.
I like the idea of talking through what happened. How do you do that without making them feel bad? I tried asking my child to explain what went wrong when they spilled juice, but they just got upset.
Do you think it’s better to focus on fixing the mistake or understanding why it happened? I’m not always sure which approach to take. Sometimes I feel like I’m fumbling in the dark here.
I’ve found that making mistake-owning into a game works well with my 11-year-old. We have a ‘Honesty Hour’ every evening where we share our daily slip-ups. It’s become a fun family tradition.
My kid gets excited to participate, often coming up with creative ways to describe their mistakes. This approach has made owning up to errors feel more natural and less daunting.
Sometimes, we even compete to see who can share the silliest mistake of the day. It’s surprising how much easier it is for my child to admit bigger mistakes now that we’ve normalized talking about them in a lighthearted way.
I made it a point to stay calm when my kids messed up. No yelling or big reactions.
Found they’d come to me more often with problems. Talking through what happened and how to fix it became normal.
Keeps communication open as they get older.
Hey markw, I’ve been down that road with my two teens. When they were younger, I struggled with this too. What worked for us was creating a safe space for admitting mistakes. I’d share my own slip-ups and how I fixed them. This helped the kids see it’s okay to mess up sometimes.
We also started a ‘fess up’ jar. When someone owned up to a mistake without being asked, they’d get to put a small token in the jar. Once it was full, we’d do something fun as a family. It took time, but they started coming to us more often when things went wrong.
I found praising the honesty, not the mistake, made a big difference. Like saying, ‘I’m proud you told me about breaking the vase’ instead of focusing on the accident. It wasn’t perfect, but over time, it got easier for them to come clean about stuff. 
My kids learned about owning mistakes through our family’s ‘oops moments’ chats. We’d sit together and talk about funny slip-ups or accidents that happened during the day.
I noticed they started sharing more freely when they goofed up. No big rewards, just lots of thank yous for being honest.
We also problem-solve together. If something breaks, we figure out how to fix it as a team. It’s become a fun challenge for them.
Recently, my 10-year-old admitted to accidentally deleting a school file. We brainstormed ways to redo the work faster. Seeing how relieved they felt after telling me made me realize this approach is working well for us.