So this topic reminds me of how I was booed severally back then in secondary school during every inter class football competition. I was the typical example of “short one’’. (short one is a term used for someone who is unfit in the team).
Yes, each time our team plays, I ended up being the topic of discussion because it was either I caused the error that led to our defeat or I missed a goal that could have earned us the victory. There were times that my mates told me football wasn’t my thing, so I should just save myself the incessant embarrassments by forcing myself on the team. Who would have thought that a onetime misfit could ever win the prize of the highest goal scorer in the subsequent inter class football competition?
The little difference between people who give up easily and those that stretch further is their mindset. People who believe their talents and ability can be developed over time through consistent practice and input from others have a growth mindset. People like this tend to achieve more when compared with people with a fixed mindset (individuals who believe their ability or talents are innate gifts and are less likely to push further to explore new areas they consider a hard nut to crack).
Just as with everything, you can help your child develop a growth mindset from now through their everyday activities and interaction. It is a social learning process that parents can intentionally help their kids to develop overtime. With these five tips, you might as well be on your way to raising a child with a growth mindset.
Praise properly
Remember that a child is 5 times more likely to repeat an action that received positive feedback from his parent. However, avoid praising your child for their intelligence or natural ability. Doing this makes them think they are born with it and can as well discourage them from additional effort.
Embrace their mistakes:
Help your kids see mistakes as new discovery rather than failures. Encourage them to learn from the mistakes by being curious. For instance, ask questions like why didn’t it work this time? What can you do to avoid this next time? Employ languages that make challenges and setbacks look normal rather than big deals.
Set high standard;
Many people believe that lowering expectation boost self-esteem, in some cases this is not always so. Setting the bar high sometimes shows that you believe and have faith in their ability and this in turn makes them believe in themselves. Encourage them to leave their comfort zones and embrace challenges.
Avoid spoon-feeding;
Helping your kids out all the time with their problems can only create in them a dependent mentality. Rather than making the answers available, ask them open ended questions regarding the problem, for instance what you think will happen if or why do you suppose. These questions help them in their thinking skills and in most cases leads to rich discovery.
Encourage them to be resilient and never give up even when it is frustrating.
In their early lives, kids need to come to term with the fact that good achievements are products of hard work, efforts and perseverance. Encourage them to not give up when things get hard and tell them that if they can’t do something now, it doesn’t mean they never will. Getting better takes time but improving is guaranteed. Share stories of other people’s successes. And teach them that it is better not to accept NO and IMPOSSIBLE.
People that have gone on to do great things all had a growth mindset. It is mission critical to nurture this mindset in your child. I wish I had had this mindset much earlier.
If you enjoyed this post, why not click the links below to read our top 3 blog posts selected for you to nurture your child to be the very best they can be.
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