Plan and reflect
Plan My Drawing
Before you draw: choose your idea, shapes and colors. After you draw: look back and set a goal.
Thinking sheet · Plan and reflect
My Best Mistake
Some mistakes turn into the best ideas. Draw one before and after, and what it taught you.
- Grades
- 1–5
- Time
- about 20 minutes
- Topic
- Plan and reflect
- Kids practice
- growth mindset, flexible thinking, reflection
What kids do
“Oops! Sometimes a mistake turns into something great.”
- The mistake
- What I turned it into
- At first I felt…
- My mistake taught me…
How to run it
- If kids can’t think of one, make a “mistake” on purpose: a big blob of marker.
- Share a story of one of your own mistakes.
- Display before-and-after pairs together.
Talk about it
- Why can mistakes lead to good ideas?
- How does it feel when you fix a mistake?
- What famous inventions came from mistakes?
Take it further
Swap blobs with a partner and turn theirs into something.
Pairs well with
Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.
More thinking sheets
Plan and reflect
Climb the “Yet” Ladder
Name something you can’t do yet, then plan the small steps that get you to the top.
Plan and reflect
Be a Kind Art Critic
Look at a friend’s drawing like a museum critic: describe it, praise it, ask a question and give it a title.
Plan and reflect
Then and Now Drawing
Draw the same thing today and again in a few weeks. Compare them and spot what improved.
Free for teachers
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