Encouraging the Growth Mindset

“I cannot do it.” “It’s so hard.” “I give up!”

We have to admit it. Even as adults, we utter those words when we are in the middle of new or challenging tasks. We feel frustrated and sometimes want to throw the towel down. We feel down, but what sets us apart is our ability to brush off the mistakes and challenges and move forward.

It is the same for our kids. Especially for them who are experiencing most things the first time – learning to stand, reading, or writing. How do we help our kids accept that victory or even failure is part of learning?

What is the Growth Mindset?

The Growth Mindset is the idea that each individual can grow their intelligence, skills, and talents through dedication and hard work – even if they don’t start as the most brilliant or most talented. The growth happens when we become committed and exert effort to improve.

The opposite would be a fixed mindset, which is the belief that our abilities are set from birth, and we cannot change them.

How Can Parents Encourage Growth Mindset?

To be honest, developing a growth mindset is a journey for us. We have our good days and bad days, and that’s okay. After all growth mindset is about trying again even if things get rough.

Review your expectations.

Sometimes we parents have expectations based on our experiences or based on what we think society expects. If we left it unchecked, we might be setting too high expectations for our kids – so high that it is not aligned with their current development stage.

Because of the high expectations, we may end up stressing ourselves and our children as well.

Help your child feel more confident by letting them know it’s okay to make mistakes.

A mistake is part of the learning experience. Letting our kids know it’s okay to make mistakes, and that we will always love them, will help them feel more confident and less intimidated. When we give them the freedom to make mistakes, it helps show our children that they are capable of anything they set their minds to do.

Let’s turn our focus on the efforts and not the mistakes. We can also try to inject humor in the situation, but still with the utmost sensitivity.

Choose words wisely.

“The way we talk to our child becomes their inner voice.” Ever heard this quote from Peggy O’Mara?

It is a reminder of how our words, tone, and expressions shape our child’s beliefs and self-perception. We can either build or break our child’s confidence. At times, we may feel the need for an outburst, but remember to breathe and pause. We can’t take back the harsh words we say, so we better think before we speak.

Provide kids opportunities to challenge themselves.

While the repetition of tasks allows mastery to develop, we can introduce more complex activities or tasks that can challenge our kids. We should be afraid to let our kids out of their comfort zones because that is the time that can see and feel the changes in them – whether it is a skill, talent, or knowledge.

We can also introduce them to a variety of activities. We can enroll the kids in dance, voice, art, sports, or cooking classes or simply try out new things out home. Through exposure to different situations, we let them meet more people, gain more experience, and develop discipline.

Say Daily Affirmations.

Daily affirmations can help us and our kids focus on the positive. By repeating the positive affirmations, we are reminded of the growth mindset.

We have this Daily Affirmation printable posted on my daughter’s wall along with her clock and daily chart. We read it together before she starts her class every day.

You are free to download a copy for your child.

Note:

While the printables are free to download, please refrain from sharing digital or hardcopy with others. Kindly direct them to this direct post instead.

Please feel free to put in your feedback below. You can also tag my account, @everydaymomdayph, on Instagram or Facebook when you use the printables.

Thanks so much!