HOW TO HELP CHILDREN DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET

What is a growth mindset?

A growth mindset is a belief or assumption that intelligence, personality, and abilities are learnable and capable of improvement through effort. On the other hand, a fixed mindset is a belief that these same traits are inherently stable and unchangeable over time (Dweck, 2006 as cited in Larberg & Sherlin, 2021).

 Why is it important?

When children have a growth mindset, they believe can gain knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, which makes every challenge a learning opportunity. They will become resilient and humble and take on new challenges in a positive way.

 How to help children develop a growth mindset: Praising children: Encourage your child to explore new things despite the fear of failing, embarrassment or being looked down by others. When they can, praise them. “I know you were worried about this assignment, but you gave it a go and did not give up!” Noticing the process of their journey: Children feel more motivated if their each process is appreciated and acknowledged. “I like how you listened to your coach’s feedback and tried a new way.” Whenever you see these character strength in your child, notice and celebrate.

• Effort to build new skills
• Motivation to challenge obstacles
• Ability to accept criticism
• Desires to learn
• Finding inspiration in other’s success

After each task, try to take a time to practice reflection. Reflection gives us insight on what happened, how it happened, how you felt, what you learnt, what you would do differently in future.

 You can model by changing your language.

Larberg, J. L., & Sherlin, L. H. (2021). Grit and Growth Mindset Contribution to School Counselling Services. SAGE Open, 11(2), 215824402110145–. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211014512