Inside: Learn how a growth mindset in parents is the key to a child feeling successful. Â
Last night, around my family dinner table, we threw a party for my 9-year-old son.
We toasted him, we praised him, and we whooped and hollered.
My son, who can not spell well (his last spelling test was a solid âFâ), just aced his first spelling test. 18 out of 18 correct.
And we were all overjoyed.
But were we celebrating the perfect score? Nope.
The ‘A+’ grade? Nope.
The lack of red marks he usually receives? Nope.
We were acknowledging how hard he worked.
We cheered his effort.
And we praised his ability to know that if he worked hard, practiced and studied, he could get better results.
We were celebrating his growth mindset.
Over the years I’ve learned that my sonâs growth mindset starts with me.
It starts with how I talk to him about things heâs not really so great at… like spelling.
What is a Growth Mindset?
Last week my son declared to all who would listen, âIâm just not a good speller.â
He had finished a school-wide spelling bee where he got three words out of twenty-five correct.
So, on paper, which was all covered in red marks, he was right. Heâs not a great speller.
But even though spelling doesnât come easily to him, he canât throw up his hands and think, âWell, thatâs it. Iâm not a good speller now so Iâll never be a good speller.â
Related: How to Take Your Kid from “I Can’t” to “I Can”Â
Because what he didnât know is that his ability to spell, or his lack of ability to spell, can change.
The skills he currently has can improve and grow as he learns, tries, and practices.
Thatâs having a growth mindset.
Itâs the belief that if we donât know something, we just donât know it yet.
If we canât do something, we just canât do it yet.
And if we arenât good at something, weâre just not good at it yet.
A growth mindset is crucial because it empowers us to know that our limits arenât forever limits.
We can overcome our weaknesses, poor grades, and less than stellar performances if we study, practice, and keep trying.
But most kids donât naturally think this way on their own.
This kind of a mindset has to come from us, the adults in their lives.
And our words will shape how they approach every situation. For better or for worse, what we say will become the inner voice in their head.
So to develop a growth mindset in our kids, we need to develop a growth mindset for ourselves.
And we need to choose our words carefully.
A Growth Mindset for Parents
Yes, of course, I want my son to succeed in school. I want him to do well on tests. And good grades are always welcomed.
But much more importantly, I want him to know he can succeed in school.
I want him to understand that if he works hard, practices, and studies, he will show what he knows on tests, which will eventually translate to better test scores.
And I want him to know that an A is only celebrated because it shows he understands the material being covered.
So instead of applauding the A and the great test, we applaud the effort.
We applaud the hard work.
And we applaud the growth mindset.
But it starts with how we talk to them.
Instead of “Iâm proud of you,â we say, âYou should be so proud of yourself.â
Instead of âIâm happy you got an ‘A’â we say âYou worked hard to earn that ‘A’â or âThat ‘A’ tells me you really know your spelling words.â
Instead of âYou did it perfectly,â we focus on the improvement and say, âYou did so much better than last timeâ or âYouâre getting better each time.â
A growth mindset for parents trickles down to a growth mindset for our children.
And we point out why he did better. We ask him why he thinks he got the ‘A’.
Which is crucial.
When our kids can recognize why they succeeded, they can replicate the steps they took.
For my son, he practiced his spelling words every single night for 20 minutes each night. He wrote them, he typed them, and he spelled them out loud.
Related: How to help kids study and succeed in school based on their personality and learning style
And he knows he got the ‘A’ because he consistently studied his words. He practiced and he kept going.
What happens when kids donât succeed:
Often our kids wonât succeed.
If theyâre trying new things or hard things, they will taste failure. Which is okay.
The day my son came home with his spelling bee âFâ all covered in red marks I didnât get mad. I didnât punish him or tell him âheâs just a bad speller.â
Instead of admonishing the low grade, I pointed out his area of growth.
âThis grade shows me you need help. It shows me you need more practice, more study time and help from me to understand it. Can I help you?â
Because that kind of language helps our kids know their lack of success can change.
It reminds them we are here to help them succeed even if they havenât succeeded. Yet.
A parental growth mindset reminds me to keep putting the words into his head that encourages his own growth mindset so after he succeeds, he knows to keep going and keep growing.
He knows he can always improve, and can always get better.
And he knows it comes with hard work.
So yesterday my son came home with another spelling list and he had to start studying all over again.
But he knew that if he put in the time and the hard work, it would pay off again.
He knew he could continue to improve his spelling skills. Week after week. Spelling test after spelling test.
And you know what? He did.
He brought home another ‘A’ with not a red mark in sight.
His hard work and studying had in fact paid off.
So we threw another party.
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