Developing a Growth Mindset in Your Child

Are some children born naturally good at math and English while others are born bad at it?? Or is being good or bad at something based on the amount of effort and practice we put into it?

How you answer those two questions is a sign of whether you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. And, how we think about our strengths and weaknesses can have a huge impact on success, and for children, that can impact their school performance, attitudes, and potential futures.

A child with a fixed mindset will believe they cannot change and that mistakes are detrimental to their progress. However, a child with a growth mindset will believe that they can grow with some hard work and that mistakes are a learning opportunity. Developing a growth mindset in your child can help them overcome obstacles, be more prone to goal setting, and ultimately accomplish more in their education.

The Difference Between a Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset

Have you ever wondered why some children seek out challenges, while others simply avoid failure? This is a major difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.

A fixed mindset looks at human traits as carved in stone, unable to evolve. So, they simply try to avoid mistakes. However, a growth mindset views human traits as evolving qualities that can constantly change. People with a growth mindset have a willingness to learn, take on challenges, and typically end up reaching higher achievements.

Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
I can’t do this	I can’t do this… yet
I’m not good enough	My best is good enough
Jealous of other’s success	Inspired by other’s success
Avoids challenges	Embraces challenges
Wants to prove themselves	Embraces challenges
Wants to prove themselves	Wants to improve themselves

What Is a Growth Mindset?

A growth mindset includes the understanding that the talents we’re born with are just the beginning, and that true talents and personality develop from there.

But it’s more than just a belief in growth and improvement; a growth mindset is about viewing mistakes as learning opportunities. People with a growth mindset believe that their abilities aren’t set in stone, and thus they aren’t capped by anything other than their own willingness to learn and grow.

But our mindsets aren’t set in stone. People can shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset and vice versa. You can help your child shift towards a growth mindset and become more receptive to goal setting and tutoring.

3 Ways to Shift Your Child Towards a Growth Mindset

Shifting your child to a growth mindset can help them achieve more not only in their education but also in life.

Of course, the first step to helping your child have a growth mindset is to develop one yourself. You set the example for them, and you must first believe that your child can grow and change, no matter how ‘fixed’ they seem in certain habits.

Additionally, here are three things you can do to encourage your child to develop a growth mindset.

Encourage Journaling

Journaling is a powerful tool for growth. It can increase your child’s writing and communication skills, creativity, and encourage goal setting and accountability.

You may also want to start a journal, which will help you to not only reap the benefits of journaling yourself but also be an accountability buddy with your child. That way, you can talk with them about the ups and downs of journaling and your motivation to write.

Give praise based on the process

A lot of parents like to praise their kids, but constant praise is not helpful to developing a growth mindset. The best praise you can give your child is process praise, which is based on the hard work that led to an outcome. It’s much more sincere than ‘good job’ and your child will understand why they deserve genuine praise.

Try using one of these phrases, next time you want to give process praise:
• “You worked really hard for this and look what you accomplished.”
• “I noticed you’ve been practicing a lot lately. Look how much you’ve improved!”
• “I love that you didn’t give up until you understood.”
• “You look very happy and proud of yourself.”

The idea with giving process praise is that you are showing your child what they did to achieve a certain outcome so they can repeat it in the future.

Provide books and movies with a growth mindset

Finally, offer role models for your child through books, movies, and stories to inspire them. With your younger children, you can make story time a part of daily bedtime and use it to share stories of growth, enjoying mistakes, and perseverance. Help your children identify what the characters did to change and grow.

For older kids, graphic novels and even some TV shows can show people overcoming obstacles, making good decisions, and managing the ups and downs of relationships. Finally, for family movie night, select a movie with a theme like resilience or managing emotions. Afterward, have a family discussion about what you learned.

A Growth Mindset Works

My own story is evidence that the growth mindset works. For years, I was stuck in a fixed mindset, struggling with my education, until I met two professors in college who changed everything for me. About a decade ago I changed my mindset, and suddenly discovered better grades, more learning, and success. Now, I want to help more children find a growth mindset sooner in life because I know how it feels to be stuck in a fixed mindset, and I know how life-changing a growth mindset can be. So, I offer Math and English tutoring to help your child develop a growth mindset.

Schedule a Free Evaluation

Here at Wholesome Learning, we focus on inspiring your child with a growth mindset, so that together, we can grow our confidence to the next level! Schedule your child’s FREE Math & English evaluation now to get your child growing!