Children spend most of their time learning and growing, and the right mindset is crucial for their development. You can help your kids adopt a growth mindset that will help them develop the skills for embracing all of life’s opportunities. It all starts with a love of learning and a bit of resilience.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
You probably have a fixed mindset if you see attributes like intelligence and patience as set quantities. In contrast, those with a growth mindset see traits as skills that can improve and develop with continuous learning, hard work, and resilience. A growth mindset is associated with improved outcomes in all areas of life since these individuals embrace new opportunities, even the hard ones.
The Importance to Childhood Development
Some homes and schools reward success and punish failure in everything from social skills to academic knowledge. Kids may also adopt labels like the smart one, fast one, or funny one. The fixed mindset that comes with these environments makes it hard for children to try new things or stick with a challenging task; failure is a foregone conclusion, so they don’t attempt to succeed.
In contrast, homes and schools that value the process of learning and the importance of resilience foster a growth mindset. Children in these environments are better prepared to handle complicated situations, confront unexpected challenges, and be innovative leaders as adults.
Encouraging a Love for Learning
A growth mindset requires a love for learning; you can’t grow and improve alone! Encouraging our kids to love learning from an early age will make it easier for them to be lifelong learners as they develop.
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Think Beyond the Classroom
Kids know they’re meant to learn at school, but make sure they see how learning happens at home, too! Change their definition of learning from “lessons” to “experiences” as you complete household projects or investigate something on a nature walk. Let them share ownership in your finished product so they’ll take pride in the learning it took to get there.
Let Kids Genuinely Take the Lead
Kids spend their days naturally learning, so let them take the lead when you have free time. Encourage their curiosity around a topic of interest and show that you’re investing time and energy alongside them. Rather than sticking to a schedule, allow for detours and meandering discussions on a weekend afternoon so your kids feel empowered to explore their ideas.
Instilling Resilience
If there’s always pressure to get things “right,” getting stuck in a fixed mindset is inevitable. Kids subconsciously learn to gravitate toward activities where they’ll excel to avoid actual or perceived punishment for failing. Cultivating resilience requires opportunities to take risks, fail, and try again.
Offer Opportunities to Fail
As a family, encourage the process of learning and experimenting more than the outcome. Routinely choose activities that are challenging for everyone, like a long hike or complicated board game; when it’s over, comment on the fun you had spending time together. Whenever your kids share homework, ask questions about their creative process rather than the final grade. Your kids will learn they can try new things without risking acceptance if they should fail.
Create Family Values, Not Rules
Many families have essential rules for their homes but consider rephrasing them as family values instead. Resilience requires an ability to adjust one’s thinking and adapt to new information, challenges, and opportunities. Statements like “No yelling or hitting” are narrow and restrictive. In contrast, “Everyone’s mind and body deserve respect” allows your kids to practice implementing the concept in various situations.
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Modeling the Mindset
You can help guide your kids to love learning and be resilient, but modeling is one of the most essential parenting tools. Just as kids learn language skills from adults around them, feelings and attitudes are also displayed for younger audiences to absorb.
Share Your Struggles and Successes
Parents often try to shield their kids from the realities of adulthood. While some of this distance is important, it can keep your hard work to achieve success a mystery. Share your struggles and triumphs during a conversation around the dinner table or a drive across town.
Let Kids Watch You Learn
Are you practicing a new skill or taking up a new hobby? Let your kids tag along to a class or sit next to you in the garden so they see firsthand how you handle obstacles. Hearing your self-talk will give them a model to use on themselves. Note a challenge and then research information later by calling a friend or heading to the library. Knowing how to solve a problem using a network of resources is one of the essential skills for resilience.
Cultivating a growth mindset is a lifelong process, and you can help your kids start on the right foot at home.