The Importance of a Growth Mindset

Early in the elementary years, I have witnessed students who refuse to continue working on a worksheet after making a mistake. They would rather start over than continue on a sheet of paper that requires erasing. This is an early sign of a fixed mindset.

After correcting a task—whether it's a math worksheet, a questionnaire, or correcting spelling and grammar—I make it a habit to ask students which error they made and how they would avoid repeating it. Few raise their hands to share, but those who do exhibit a growth mindset. They understand that mistakes are a natural part of learning and growth.

I’m not good at math" or "I can’t read"—I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this from young students. The hardest part is when a child in grade 2 or 3 says they’re not good at math because their mom isn’t. That parent has unintentionally instilled a fixed mindset. It's difficult to teach children who feel there's no point in trying.  

Rather than say "I made a mistake.", say "I learned something!"

As a mother, I learned to laugh at myself when I made a mistake, especially since my oldest showed signs of perfectionism as early as two years old. He is more left-brained, meaning he’s analytical, logical, and detail-oriented. At a young age, he said something like, “I’m not creative.”  It is true that he isn’t particularly skilled in the arts, despite my best efforts to expose my boys to painting and music.  Both played the piano for a few years. But once I heard him express this limiting belief about himself, I made a point of noticing when he came up with a creative idea or a pun to make us laugh and then tell him “that was very creative, how did you come up with that?” It took about two years, but I eventually heard him express the fact that he was a creative thinker.  

The good news is that as a child’s limiting beliefs are learned, a growth mindset can also be learned, but it takes time and repetition.

five strategies to help your child develop a growth mindset:

1. Encourage Effort Over Perfection: Praise the effort and strategies your child uses rather than focusing on the outcome. For example, instead of saying "You're so smart," say "I’m proud of how hard you worked on that." This helps children understand that success comes from persistence and effort, not innate ability.

2. Normalize Mistakes and Failure: Teach your child that mistakes are a natural part of learning and growth. Share examples of times when you made mistakes and how you learned from them. This helps reduce the fear of failure and encourages resilience.

3. Model a Growth Mindset: Demonstrate a growth mindset in your own actions. When you face challenges, share your thought process with your child. Show them that it’s okay to struggle and that overcoming difficulties requires learning and improvement.

4. Foster a Love of Learning: Encourage curiosity and a love of learning by focusing on the process rather than just the result. Provide opportunities for your child to explore new interests, ask questions, and experiment without the pressure of achieving a specific outcome. This fosters a mindset that values learning for its own sake. 

   
   

In addition to the foundational reading and writing skills taught, school is meant to be an environment where children learn how to learn. So when your child faces a

challenge, it’s time to come up with strategies to help them get unstuck.

5. Set Realistic Challenges: Help your child set achievable goals that are slightly outside their current abilities. These “just-right” challenges encourage growth and teach them how to approach tasks requiring perseverance, problem-solving, and adaptation. Celebrate small milestones along the way to reinforce the value of progress.

   
   

Please avoid imposing your own limiting beliefs on your child. Just because you struggled with a particular subject doesn’t mean your child will. Use your experience to help them overcome challenges, whether by changing their perspective or seeking the extra help that might not have been available to you when you were younger.

There are countless YouTube videos that can teach both you and your child anything. As I mentioned in my blog Work Habits and Learning Skills: The Key to Academic Success Beyond Grades, it’s important to focus less on report card grades and more on work habits and skills. These will take your child farther than an A in 7th-grade geometry.