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Nurturing a Growth Mindset for Young Children

by | Sep 22, 2023 | Resources

“You play a significant role in your child’s development and can have a powerful impact on their mindset.”

What You’ll Learn
  • What is a growth vs. fixed mindset?
  • What are the benefits of a growth mindset?
  • When and how do I nurture a growth mindset for my child?
  • How can I assess my own mindset?

I often hear young children make statements such as, “I don’t know how to do that” or “I’m not good at that.” Although most young children are curious and persistent, I still see so many children give up before they even try!

Without the appropriate support, these children could become insecure and withdraw from new learning experiences. In contrast, given the tools to enrich and nurture a growth mindset, these children will learn to see challenges or failure not as a sign to quit, but as an opportunity to try again.

 

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

A mindset is a set of attitudes or beliefs you hold about yourself. These attitudes and beliefs can be positive or negative. Carol Dweck identifies two particular mindsets, growth mindset and fixed mindset. Here is how she defines them:

Growth mindset: a belief that intelligence is malleable and can be increased with effort and learning. Those with a growth mindset often:

  • Focus on improving their intelligence
  • Experience challenges as an opportunity to learn
  • Work harder in the face of challenges
  • See effort as a virtue
  •  

A common misconception is that a growth mindset is about being positive. While having a growth mindset does encourage a positive outlook when faced with challenges, it is more than this—having a growth mindset indicates that you believe a person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable).

Fixed mindset: a belief that intelligence is a static or innate characteristic that one either does or does not possess. Those with a fixed mindset often:

  • Focus on proving their intelligence
  • Experience challenges as evidence of their limitations
  • Tend to give up in the face of challenges
  • See effort as indicative of low ability
  •  

While having a fixed mindset in certain situations is not “bad” per se, there are a significant amount of benefits to holding a growth mindset, and learning about this mindset at a young age.

 

Benefits of a Growth Mindset

Encouraging a growth mindset at a young age can lead to life-long benefits for your child. Research indicates that a growth mindset not only predicts academic achievement, but also helps children develop the following skills:

  • Persistence
  • Positive attitude towards learning
  • Problem-solving
  • Intrinsic motivation
  • Agency for learning
  • Self-awareness 
  • Creativity and innovation
  • Positive learning habits

In addition, research is being conducted to determine how positive mindsets also contribute to physical well-being.

 

6 Tips to Nurture a Growth Mindset

While we are born with an innate curiosity to learn, we are not born with a specific mindset. The early years are then a great time to teach and reinforce a growth mindset. Parents and caregivers, you play a significant role in your child’s development and can have a powerful impact on their mindset. Here are 6 tips that include the language and actions we suggest:

 

Introduce the concept of a growth mindset! You can find a list of read-aloud books that discuss this topic below.
Help your child identify growth mindset statements and practice. When you hear your child say, “I can’t do it,” help them to reframe their statement to “I can’t do this yet.” 
Praise your child’s effort, outcome, or insight, and transform your child’s challenges into learning opportunities for future success. Try using these statements: “I can see you worked so hard on this!” or “That was really hard. Your effort has paid off. Next time you’ll be ready for this kind of challenge!”
Model how you work through your own struggles. Explain to your child your process of trying, learning, and growing.
Talk about the brain! Remind your child that their brain is still growing and persisting during challenges helps make their brain stronger – the neurons in their brain are connecting.
Acknowledge the emotions that often accompany learning.  Facing challenges related to learning can be frustrating and our fight or flight response is activated when these emotions occur. Empathize with your child during these moments and introduce some breathing techniques that will help them get through those feelings of frustration.

 

Books to Pair

  • Y is for Yet by Shannon Anderson
  • What the Road Said by Cleo Wade
  • Bella’s Recipe for Success by Ana Siqueira
  • Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh
  • The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
  • The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi
  • Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall
  • The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett & Gary Rubinstein
  • A Walk in the Words by Hudson Talbott
  • You Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak

 

Carol Dweck’s Mindset Assessment

Curious about which mindset you have? You can use this assessment tool, inspired by Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, to determine whether you have a growth or fixed mindset. Remember, your mindset can change and, depending on the situation, one mindset may be more beneficial than the other!

 

Empowering Takeaways 

  • A growth mindset can lead to life-long benefits for your child’s development and well-being
  • Mindsets can be taught and reinforced
  • Practice, praise, model, and acknowledge to nurture a growth mindset

Be vibrant and keep thriving!

This article was last reviewed or updated on September 22, 2023.

About the author: Rebecca is the Head of Family Empowerment and Student Success at SolBe Learning. Rebecca has worked in the field of early education for six years, with a passion to support the optimal development of young children and families.

 

References

Bari Walsh, L. (2017). Growth mindset and children’s health. Harvard Gradaute School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/17/03/growth-mindset-and-childrens-health

Blackwell, L., Trzesniewski, K., & Dweck, C. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal studey and an intervention. Child Development, 78(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995

Boylan, F., Barblett, L., & Knaus, M. (2023). I think I can, I think I can’t: Design principles for fostering a growth mindset in the early years. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2023.2251924

Boylan, F., Barblett, L., & Knaus, M. (2018). Early childhood teachers’ perspectives of growth mindset: Developing agency in children. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 43(3). https://doi.org/10.23965/AJEC.43.3.02 

Brightwheel. (2023). Growth mindset for early learners. https://mybrightwheel.com/blog/growth-mindset-for-kids#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20growth%20mindset,can%20be%20developed%20and%20improved 

Cain, K. M. & Dweck, C. S. (1995). The relation between motivational patterns and achievement cognitions through the elementary school years. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 41(1). Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23087453.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Carlton, M. & Winsler, A. (1998). Fostering intrinsic motivation in early childhood classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 25. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025601110383

Gunderson, E. A., Gripshover, S. J., Romero, C., Dweck, C. S., Goldin-Meadow, S., & Levine, S. C. (2013). Parent Praise to 1-3 Year-Olds Predicts Children’s Motivational Frameworks 5 Years Later. Child Development 84(5), 1526. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12064 

MindsetWorks. (2017). How parents can instill a growth mindset at home. https://www.mindsetworks.com/parents/growth-mindset-parenting

Morin, A. (n.d.). What is a growth mindset? Understood For All. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/growth-mindset


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