How can you foster a growth mindset in children?

In my childhood experience, I wish I had heard - 'You are enough', 'you are so creative', 'you are a great problem solver', 'love your empathetic attitude' but little did I. Its very essential for children to have an assurance of what they do, it improves their self-esteem and they open their creative portal to be more innovative and fun filled in life. Mostly, children growing with love and praises are always more caring and responsible to themselves and others.

All thriving in kids (and adults) begins with connection. When we connect with kids, they feel safe, when they feel safe their whole brain is ready to learn and thrive. Always begin then with connection and nervous system regulation. Children will never achieve progress when feeling unsafe in their bodies and hearts.

Children are very sensitive to words, gestures and opinions from their parents, caretakers, peers and friends. Fostering a great self-steem as well as being authentic and loyal to theirselves is the key to promote a great growth mindset. It is essential to stimulate their creativity to solve problems through the use of their imagination, questions and critical thinking while they enjoy the whole process having fun. Thank You ??

In my experience with the population of adolescent students I work with so may of them have given up and have no hope. if they have no hope then something like personal growth isn't a priority for them. I use a large portion of our time together teaching them that the challenges that they are experiencing will one day be their stories of victory. If they allow me to help them learn safe and healthy ways to cope with these challenges they will grow as a person. They will learn to handle adversity in a way that nurtures positive personal growth while improving self-esteem. It all starts with them having just a little hope for something better.

In my opinion as a mental health professional, children often look for an advisory board or external validation around them, so one of the way to inject a growth mindset is by being fully involved in their situations and making them been acknowledged, heard and seen. Unfortunately, parents today are so immersed in their own bubble that they tend to invest little and expect more which shrinks their mindset instead develops a sense of self doubt when they don’t perform well. So presence of mine and acknowledging the child is imperative.

- Sarah Blakey the founder of Spanx attributes her success to her parents cultivating a growth mindset in her from a young age. She said every dinner table conversation the family had to tell of a mistake they made that day. Mistakes were encouraged and not shamed. I love this idea and this would model a growth mindset for children.

Another way to introduce growth mindset in kids is by empowering their learning’s. Keenly noticing their interests, and allowing them to explore their potential. Many parents stop their kids from exploring new likings, new hobbies or new interests. For eg; parents who don’t like music or playing instruments often fail at encouraging kids to purse their own journey. So letting kids choose their vocation is the second step.

When children have opportunities to make mistakes, they outgrow themselves and become great visionaries. They never lie or exhibit habits of mistrust. They become great role models to other children around. Allowing them to embrace mistakes will induce a thought process to think outside the box rather than being closed minded. They find a possibility in everything they do and develop an optimistic outlook towards life eliminating stress, depression and suicidal tendencies. They become more courageous than being fearful.

If we can start sharing with children that each mistake is actually a learning step towards their own growth, it will ease their stress and worry.

Mistakes are the stepping stones to success. We all fell a hundred times when we were learning to walk as a toddler, imagine if we were discouraged by our parents for falling. In the same way every time a child fails at something instead of discouraging them tell them to analyse why they failed or what they can do differently next time. A child who learns this way, with this mindset will be a winner in life because no failure can break them ever but will build them to the next level.

Always share a constructive feedback with your child instead of a negative feedback. There’s always a way to put across an information. So choose to show the good side along with what can be done better. This can boosts the child’s confidence and performance. It is critical that adults focus on the process children take to obtain a skill, not the end result. So condition them to have “can do” than “you can’t do this” attitude. And gracefully accept kids capabilities than pin pointing their flaws or drawbacks

Every child is different and when they are addressed differently, they embrace each others strength and leverage on them. Hence, challenging their limits in a very positively constructive way, never lets them be in the Comfort Zone. They cultivate a receptive approach to feedbacks and see what can be improved rather than feeling negative or targeted. Challenging them will ignite the curiosity to think differently and become solution driven. Eventually they become outstanding in everything they do.

Nurturing a growth mindset in children involves challenging them to embrace new and difficult tasks. Encourage curiosity and a willingness to take on challenges by emphasizing the joy of learning and the excitement of overcoming obstacles. Provide opportunities for problem-solving and exploration, highlighting that effort and perseverance lead to mastery. By fostering a positive attitude towards challenges, children develop resilience, a belief in their ability to learn and adapt, and an understanding that taking on new tasks is a crucial part of personal development.

The best way to challenge your children is to let them play with other children. ***There is nothing more to it, dear LinkedIn. :D*** Simple truths are usually said in just a few words :) I hereby CHALLENGE the LinkedIn creators to grow up to that truth by changing this rule - "Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)" :)

A mindset is a very powerful tool to lead a happy and successful life. Teaching children about the brain and growth mindset isn't an easy task but if done from an early age will help them to easily bounce back from setbacks and lead a successful life. One of the most important ways to teach children about the brain is by introducing them to brain related vocabulary like mindset, Hemispheres, Neurons, Neuroplasticity, Neural pathways etc and making it a part of their everyday speech will enhance their understanding of the brain. Also making resources available to children like Books, Movies and Neurobics and discussions about their own challenges, how they are overcoming it will help them to develop a growth mindset.

One of the most effective ways to encourage a growth mindset in children is to praise their efforts, strategies, and progress, rather than their outcomes, abilities, or traits. For example, instead of saying "You are so smart!" or "You got an A!", you can say "You worked hard on that project!" or "You used a great strategy to solve that problem!" This way, you show them that you value their learning process and that they can improve through hard work and persistence.

Combining art exploration with brain education is a powerful and experiential tool to unlock the child's full potential by cultivating a growth mindset. By intertwining art and brain education, this technique not only engages children in creative expression but also equips them with a profound understanding of their brain's incredible capabilities. As they create tangible representations of abstract concepts, the connection between art and growth mindset becomes a transformative learning experience for young minds, helping them to develop into healthy adults and to thrive for life! This is why I created the START UP! Art Therapy program for classrooms as a prevention and intervention: giving children what they need to succeed!

Incentivise kids to always be open about experimenting with life, that allows them to have a growth mindset, allows them to accept their own lacks and pushes them to keep doing better. Making kids aware about the constant practise being the game changer. It’s the practise that makes a person adept at whatever they do. So consistency over perfection always.

In my journey of Mind and Body Coaching, I realize that it is very essential to teach children about how to exercise their brain muscle, how to create and recreate new neural pathways and how to completely delete the unwanted neural programs. These learnings will always enhance their growth mindset. Mindfulness plays a very essential role in activating the creative part of the brain which accelerates their innovation abilities, problem-solving abilities and creative thinking. Using brain games are added advantages too.

Instilling a growth mindset is crucial, although unequal societal environments remain an impediment. In my opinion, fostering a growth mindset begins with ensuring equal access to high-quality early childhood development and opportunities. It’s essential to bridge the gap between privileged and underprivileged children, nurturing self-confidence in every child from an early age. By empowering children with self-confidence, we can then expose them to diverse experiences that cultivate a desire for continuous improvement. We should encourage them to explore new territories without fear of failure, but rather embrace failure as a stepping stone towards success. This mindset will inspire them to always strive for more and avoid complacency.

One thing I've found helpful is self-reflection. Using journaling as a power tool to self reflect on all the acts performs, which develops an outlook on focusing on the scope of improvement. Writing out is an effective way to improve self-awareness on how they can better the similar event in the near future without any fear or doubt of the outcome. Gradually, they grow to be Disruptive Leaders who take rational risks and give that space to their team to embrace failures. They look at failures as a scope of growth rather than a full stop. Even their teams will feel the psychological safety to openly discuss their flaws with these leaders without the fear of retaliation.

In a way, Effective Communication is the key for everything! In the process of communication, being mindful about what is being received by the children is an important element. Discussions without over corrections and judgements make children feel valued and heard, which allows them to think out of the box, and express their opinions that gradually results in coming up with innovative or new ideas. This is how, parents and children can enhance and exchange the insightful, growth oriented Communication and Mindset too!

Reflection is such an important tool and skill for a child to inculcate self awareness. Learning about the positive and negative outcomes, and areas of improvement is crucial to foster a growth mindset.

Promoting a growth mindset in children involves encouraging reflection on their learning journey. Prompt them to think about the strategies and efforts they employed to tackle challenges. Foster a habit of self-assessment and goal-setting, allowing them to recognize their progress over time. By highlighting the connection between effort and improvement, children develop a sense of agency in their learning. Reflection nurtures a mindset that values continuous growth, resilience, and a proactive approach to overcoming obstacles, ultimately fostering a love for learning and self-improvement.

Spark their curiosity. When you show excitement about learning this new concept, children will be curious and will want to know why. And most importantly, model the behaviour you want to see in your kids. You have to show your struggles and how you overcame them. Help them connect the dots by teaching how any change and success always begins with the mind, then actions and then results.

Growth is natural to life. What slows it down is stress and unnaturalness. In my experience when children...and adults.. learn to meditate ( espcially the natural and effortless Transcendental Meditation technique) they become more spontaneous, more awake and happier. This facilitates a natural flow of enthusiasm and awarenss of the environment and of opportunities for growth. Without the need for words. Then the growth is more "real, more intrinsic and personal.

Let them teach you. (And here is that rule again :D) "125 characters" Grow with your children. They see further in the future.

Children have lots of ideas and enthusiasm to participate in all sorts of activities. Help them to prioritize between their ideas and if they try something and it doesn't work out, teach them that it's OK. They tried, they learned, they now have a better idea of what they like and don't like. Not being judgmental in the decisions they make will help them to feel confident in trying new things and develop a growth mindset!

Encourage your children to define the words they use. Often they are using words they have heard without knowing the meaning. Explain that there is a difference between being a “mean” parent and a “firm” parent. They are on loan to us. We are tasked to teach them survival skills and how to be healthy, productive adults.