How To Develop The Growth Mindset From Childhood
In a society as competitive as ours, frustration is the order of the day. Giving up prematurely or thinking that we will never succeed are things that do not fit into the ‘growth mindset’, a recent concept that advocates the importance of believing that we are capable of developing and improving our strengths through our efforts.
What is the growth mindset?
If we believe that our qualities and abilities have a static character and that talent is innate, we have a ‘fixed mindset’. However, if we believe that our characteristics can be developed, as well as talent, we will have what is defined as a ‘growth mindset’.
Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist and world-renowned psychologist, developed the concept of a ‘growth mindset’ after decades of research.
People with a growth mindset are those who believe that their basic skills can be developed through dedication and hard work. For Dweck, our brains and our talent are just the starting point. In this way, we will develop the desire to learn how to learn, which is fundamental for continuing to improve.
What are its effects?
Teaching a growth mindset means promoting motivation and productivity in every area of our lives that we can imagine: education, work, sports, etc.
Children who develop a growth mindset will learn to accept criticism. Thanks to this attitude, they will learn from their experiences and strive to adopt strategies that can help improve what is wrong.
That is, even if they make mistakes, they know that, through effort, it is possible to find a way to improve.
Ideas for developing the growth mindset in children
- Teach your children that the strength is in knowing how to face challenges, not avoiding them. Help them understand that it doesn’t matter if they fail, that just trying is a step further.
- If there is a problem with a classmate, for example, encourage your child to start a conversation with him rather than let it go.
- Encourage them to be persistent. One of the fundamental characteristics of a person with a growth mindset is that he does n’t give up easily.
- For example, if your child has difficulty with math, tell them it is a subject that requires a lot of effort and that they are not the problem.
- Show that criticism can be helpful. A person with a fixed mindset tends to ignore other people’s negative opinions, even if they are helpful and constructive.
- So, help them try to learn from criticism, as long as it can be helpful.
- Encourage your children to use others’ successes as inspiration. Rather than feeling threatened by other people’s successes, it’s more positive to try to find lessons and inspiration.
Carol Dweck points out that we all have both mindsets and that we can shift from one to the other as the moment moves. Although we may feel very confident about our qualities, we can feel overwhelmed in certain situations.
For this reason, it is essential to promote the growth mindset from childhood. In this way, children will gradually assimilate that challenges and obstacles are part of learning and that, in the end, they need them to be able to improve.
