How to Encourage Kids with Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset
One of my primary parenting goals has always been to raise my children to be resilient in the face of life’s most difficult challenges. This goal led me to the research of mindset psychologist Carol Dweck.
Dweck is known for her research on the fixed vs. growth mindset. I encourage you to check out her book on the topic as it’s a must read for all parents. The book is titled Mindset: The New Psychology for Success.
Dweck concludes that children with growth mindsets are more willing to take on difficult challenges while children with fixed mindsets are not.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindset
Having a growth mindset means you believe you can get better at something you’re not naturally good at through hard work and effort. Having a fixed mindset means you believe you can only get better at something if you have natural talent at it.
Therefore, if you want to encourage your kids to face difficult challenges with resiliency you must also encourage them to have a growth mindset. What’s more, Dweck’s research shows that how you praise a child for their success plays a big role in developing this mindset.
For example, consistently praising a child for being smart, talented, or naturally gifted encourages a fixed mindset. On the other hand, consistently praising a child for their effort and hard work encourages a growth mindset.
To put it another way, rewarding a child for getting the right answer or winning can make a child less resilient when facing a difficult challenge. Conversely, rewarding a child for using the correct process and staying consistent will make them more resilient when facing a difficult challenge. Especially when they get the answer wrong or lose.
Helping a child develop the right mindset is arguably one of the most important jobs of a parent. With that said, I highly recommend all parents read Dweck’s book on this topic and learn as much as possible about this critical area of parenting.