Is your child struggling with a particular skill or with a subject in school? Does he say things like “This is pointless. I’ll never understand it. I give up.”?

These are the frustrations of a child with a fixed mindset. When he doubts his ability, he is hindering himself from making progress. The good news is that this fixed mindset can transform into a growth mindset—an effective approach to learning and self-worth.

Understanding Growth Mindset

Simply put, growth mindset is about believing in the ability to better oneself through effort. A growth mindset values the continued process of learning and developing, as opposed to attaching self-worth to specific achievements. A student with a fixed mindset may decide they are not smart in a particular subject after getting a low score on a test; a student with a growth mindset thinks that they can improve by studying and practicing.

As explained in an article by the Harvard Business Review, “Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset.  They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.”   

The individuals described above are not discouraged by errors and lack of comprehension. They focus on their goal to continue learning, and with that learning comes success. On the flip side, those with a fixed mindset prevent themselves from seeing opportunities for growth. A child with a fixed mindset will deem himself “smart” or “not smart” based on whether a task was accurately completed or whether content was understood. If he does not initially succeed, he will adapt a defeatist attitude that will impede him from opportunities to learn. Even if your child has a fixed mindset today, it does not mean he will be forever prevented from progress. There are ways you can help your child embrace a growth mindset.

Fostering a Growth Mindset

As a parent, you have a vital role in your child developing a growth mindset. The type of praise you give your child can shape her self-worth about her skills and abilities. When you tell your child that she is smart, you are subtly reinforcing a fixed mindset. When she starts to encounter more challenging material—and suddenly the concepts are not as easy for her, and she can no longer answer as many questions in class—she may start to wonder if she is no longer smart. However, if you show your child you are proud of her hard work, you can encourage a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, she is more prepared to overcome challenges with confidence. 

Children with growth mindset perspective learn from all experiences. They take those experiences and embody the confidence needed for future accomplishments. Imagine that your child proudly shows you her grade of 95% on a math test about multiplication. If you say something along the lines of “Excellent job! You are so smart,” you are focusing on the grade as her achievement, instead of the effort made to make the grade. The consequence is that when she comes across material that is challenging for her, she may deem herself unintelligent by comparing herself to her previous score and decide that she cannot understand the material.

In a similar instance, imagine she scores 85% instead of 95%, but understanding multiplication has been challenging for her. By altering your response, you can aid in your child embracing the potential for growth. If you say, “Excellent job! I know you worked hard learning the multiplication tables, and the progress you’ve made is fantastic,” you are focusing on the effort she has put in to learning. Someone who applies effort and learns along the way is a person who has determination to do well, even when tasks are initially difficult.

Another aspect to keep in mind is the significance of the word yet. This word implies that something is still to happen. For example, if your child says, “I don’t understand the difference between a simile and a metaphor,” propose that she add “yet” to her proclamation. She can rephrase the statement to include growth mindset language, such as “I don’t understand the difference between a simile and a metaphor yet.” In this example, she is telling herself that, if she reviews her notes and asks for clarification from her teacher, in the future she will understand those concepts. She is reminding herself that there is room to grow.

The Right Attitude

A fixed mindset does not have to be a permanent fixture in your child’s outlook. By providing healthy praise and encouraging the use of the word yet when struggling to understand something, your child can develop a growth mindset and be set up for achievements of all sizes.  
 

Harvard Business Review. “What Having a ‘Growth Mindset’ Actually Means.” 2016.  Retrieved 26 July 2022. https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means
Mindset Works. “Decades of Scientific Research that Started a Growth Mindset Revolution.” 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2022. https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/
U.S. News & World Report “How to Instill a ‘Growth Mindset’ in Kids.” 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/how-to-instill-a-growth-mindset-in-kids