As the world awakens from winter, spring offers the perfect opportunity for families to embrace a growth mindset—the belief that abilities and intelligence can develop with effort and perseverance. Encouraging this mindset in parents and children fosters resilience, confidence, and a love for learning.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
Coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, a growth mindset means believing that challenges help us grow and that effort leads to improvement. The opposite, a fixed mindset, assumes abilities are unchangeable, leading to fear of failure and avoidance of challenges. Parents play a crucial role in modeling how to embrace setbacks as opportunities rather than obstacles.
How Parents Can Model a Growth Mindset
Children learn from watching their parents. Here are some ways to foster growth:
• Reframe mistakes as learning moments – Instead of saying, “I’m terrible at this,” try, “I’m still learning this skill.”
• Praise effort, not just results – Instead of “You’re so smart,” say, “I love how hard you worked on that!”
• Try new things together – Whether it’s a new recipe, a craft, or a language, show kids that learning never stops.
• Talk about personal challenges – Share stories of when you struggled and how persistence helped you improve.
Helping Kids Develop a Growth Mindset
• Encourage “yet” thinking – When kids say, “I can’t do this,” remind them to add “yet.”
• Celebrate perseverance – Acknowledge small steps toward improvement, not just big wins.
• Use failure as feedback – Ask, “What can we learn from this?” rather than focusing on disappointment.
• Read stories about resilience – Books like The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires teach kids that success comes with effort.
Don’t Forget Your Teens
Teenagers may seem uninterested in family involvement, but they still need encouragement and connection. Even if they act like they don’t want to participate, including them in family discussions, activities, and new experiences reinforces that their growth and effort matter. Simple things like inviting them to try a new hobby together or talking about challenges they’re facing can make a lasting impact.
Spring is a time of renewal, making it the perfect season to nurture a growth mindset in your home. By embracing challenges and valuing persistence, families can bloom together into lifelong learners.
