5 Reasons for Parents to Foster a Growth Mindset in Kids

Growth Mindset in Kids

Before I begin penning down about growth mindset in the children, let us explore some opportunities of improvement.

Through the peers and peer’s discussion half training is completed. What if you have good training of mind with communication, it adds ice on the cake. As we know communication skills is backbone of any learning and training.

5 Reasons: Why a Growth Mindset in Kids need!

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It’s the courage to continue that counts,- W. Churchill

As parents, we are not only concerned about the welfare of our entire household but it’s quality too. Raising up all-roundly intelligent, admirable, and confident children is primarily every parent’s goal. We want to see them grow up in safe environments and certainly those that can help them have the best of childhood experiences. Above all, feel loved and cared for.

However, much as we prioritize all that, we commonly tend to forget one important thing- helping them develop a “growth mindset.” Home is the first learning avenue for every child and that happens directly and indirectly. Therefore, if our children must profit from proper parenting, there is no way helping them develop a growth mindset can be taken out of the equation.

At this juncture, we would like to explore what a growth mindset is and why it’s essential for parents to foster this type of mindset in their kids.

A Growth Mindset

The term “growth mindset” discovered by Carol Dweck, a psychologist, and professor. The concept was later on popularized by the book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”. Her years of research came after she realized that children and students recover differently from challenges and failure. Some were able to get over difficulties and devise means of becoming better, whereas that wasn’t so for others.

Dweck’s research led to the birth of two mindsets: “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset”. She explains a growth mindset as simply an approach to life where individuals believe that their abilities, talents, skills, and intelligence can be developed and improved. However, people with a fixed mindset don’t presumes that abilities and intelligence can be developed or even improved. They think that everything is available from birth and that there is nothing they can change.

That is why we see many people who get demotivated at an instance of one failure and are unable to rise up again. Such people sometimes think that success is automatic; besides that, they perceive challenges as bad.

With that, it’s very important for parents cater the growth mindsets of kids. Helping children to develop and understand the importance of a growth mindset can help them during their academic journeys and professional life. Elaborately, here are some reasons why parents must foster a growth mindset in children.

1. Growth Mindset Cultivates a Learning Culture

Life is all about learning and an inability to learn sets in a platform for mediocrity. When people are interested in learning, they take up challenges and experiment with techniques to achieve goals or improve their abilities. That’s generally because a growth mindset is a discovery mindset.

On the other hand, children with a growth mindset don’t generally find it difficult to learn new concepts in class. They are highly characterized by cognitive flexibility and this allows them to switch from one subject to another or partly leverage their free time to further learn on their own.

But, when kids grow up with a fixed mindset they find it hard to learn or absorb the material in classrooms and in normal life. Children with a fixed mindset also tend to be more interested in easy ways since they are unwilling to stretch their capabilities in order to achieve substantial goals.

Tip: Helping children to develop a growth mindset requires consistent instruction that demonstrates what a growth mindset is and its importance. Primarily, encourage your child to take initiative where possible, read story books, or leverage interactive STEM apps to foster a growth mindset.

2. Lays a Foundation for Better Academic Outcomes

The term brain neuroplasticity means that a human brain has the ability to change in order to function in a different way. That means that the brain can learn from failure and develop a new course for better outcomes. Promoting a growth mindset in children can foster cognitive flexibility which enables kids to become efficient.

Children with a growth mindset also have a high motivation towards learning and are more resilient in the face of challenges. Besides that intrinsically motivated children also enjoy learning. They generally believe that despite the obstacles, they can work hard to perform better in and outside class. They also believe that intelligence can be developed and this cultivates a desire to learn and for excellence.

Tip: Any given mindset has a significant impact on one’s academic and lifelong experiences. If you want your child to perform better academically, then ensure to utilize growth mindset-focused interventions, for example, discussions, asking open-ended questions, and encouraging your children to seek feedback.

3. Alters a Kid’s Attitude Towards Challenges & Failure

A fear of challenges and failure is one of the greatest hindrances to growth and self-realization. Fear generally forms a static image of just anything and hinders one from exploring past the comfort zone. However, individuals with a growth mindset are open to learning, and criticism, and also seek growth opportunities amidst difficulties.

With that, it’s essential for parents to foster a growth mindset in their kids because this helps them embrace challenges, learn from failure, or persist through difficult times. It also helps kids take trouble as opportunities.

Tip: Guide a child through mistakes and help them develop a positive attitude towards challenges through constructive feedback. Also, portray the value of effort and hard work over scores. All these tips will help you balance between role of parents and teachers. You should know that you are a parent or teacher, empathy can help you thrive.

4. Contributes to Greater Outcomes in Life

Children with a growth mindset know how to work on both abilities and intelligence. To them, learning and discovering new things is their passion. Carol Dweck’s findings also showed that children with a growth mindset can perform better and play more successful role than their counterparts. The belief that they can be anything they want stimulates their willingness to face challenges and display resilience in hard times.

It also cultivates perseverance. Besides that, children with a growth mindset know that it’s okay to fail, but never okay to give up. This mindset is more likely to drive a child’s willingness to learn, strategize to overcome challenges, and stay successful. It also helps them positively traverse life and achieve success.

Tip: Fostering a growth mindset can help prevent killing creativity in children. As a parent, you can guide your children through the learning process to help them become the best version of themselves.

5. Growth Mindset Helps Kids Value “the Process”

Many people do not understand the value of “process”. They think success and achievements in life come the easy way. Yet, people who become successful in life or come up with new inventions failed multiple times and it’s the process i.e “learning process” that led to the achievements.

Tip: Allow kids to make decisions or take initiative. Teach them to aim for bigger goals and that can be through introducing them to step-by-step activities. Besides that, help them become inspired and celebrate others.

To encapsulate, the topic of “growth mindset” has become common today, especially in the education and business field. Raising a child with a growth mindset can dimensionally set a reliable platform for better academic performance and success in life. As a parent, you can leverage the provided tips to cultivate a growth mindset in your children to help them traverse life with positivity.