By: Walter Aguilar- Expert in Motivation, Inspiration, and COR.E Performance Dynamics
The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled – Plutarch
Instilling a growth mindset in your child — the understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence — is one of the most impactful things you can do as a parent. Here, we combine expert knowledge in motivation and performance dynamics to present you with key strategies:
- Praise Effort Over Outcome: Recognize the hard work and effort your child puts into tasks rather than just the result. This way, you will encourage them to value the process of learning, enhancing their intrinsic motivation.
- Acceptance of Failure and Encourage Resilience: Make sure your child understands and learns to accept that failure is a part of the learning process, not a dead-end. This will help them to view setbacks as opportunities to gain experience and grow, fostering resilience.
- Promote Curiosity and Problem-Solving: Encourage your child to ask questions, explore, and think of multiple solutions to problems. This will cultivate their love for learning and improve their critical thinking skills.
- Model a Growth Mindset: Children learn significantly from observing adults. Demonstrate how you tackle challenges, learn new things, and grow from your own mistakes. Your attitude towards growth and learning can influence theirs.
- Create a Safe Space for Struggle: It is important that children know struggle is a normal part of the learning process. When they understand that everyone, including adults, sometimes finds things hard, they are more likely to persevere in the face of difficulty.
- Set Achievable Goals: Help your child set and work towards realistic, yet challenging goals. This can provide concrete evidence of their growth, enhance their self-confidence, and boost their motivation to continue learning and growing.
- Teach Embracing Challenges: Reinforce the idea that challenges are opportunities to gain experience, rather than threats. Help your child understand that stepping out of their comfort zone is a necessary part of growth.
- Instill a Love for Learning: Encourage an attitude that values knowledge and skills acquisition as a lifelong journey. Make learning an enjoyable and satisfying activity rather than a chore or something only done for exams.
- Foster Independence: Allow your child to make decisions and take responsibility for their actions. This helps them to feel competent and capable, crucial for cultivating self- motivation and a growth mindset.
- Maintain Open Communication: Encourage your child to share their thoughts, feelings, and fears. When they feel heard and understood, they are more likely to approach challenges with a cheerful outlook and an open mind.
Cultivating a growth mindset in your child is a gradual process that requires patience and consistency. However, the benefits — resilience, perseverance, lifelong learning, and self- motivation — are well worth the effort. As a parent, you are your child’s best guide and biggest inspiration. Your support can empower them to embrace a growth mindset and achieve their potential.
