A growth mindset is an essential building block of thriving—for kids, teens, and adults!
What are some practical tools for boosting our ability to change, learn and improve?
You can encourage the kids and teens you know and teach them to how to develop a growth mindset.
And if you’re looking for more ways on how to encourage the youth in your life, here are some more great suggestions for how you praise them, and talk about success and failure.
3 Simple Ways to Grow a Growth Mindset
Kids with a growth mindset are strong & resilient!
Here’s how you can grow one:
Don’t give up!
Why? Developing our sparks takes time, courage and creativity. Passion plus practice is the formula for long-term success.
- Pay attention to mistakes: What can you learn?
- Increase your effort
- Try new strategies
- Ask for help
- Practice, practice, practice
- BELIEVE that you can figure it out!
Take care of your brain!
Why? Our brains need down time, fuel and exercise to work well, just like the rest of our body.
- Eat good food
- Get enough sleep (8-11 hours a night)
- Turn off the screen well before bed Challenge your mind
- Get outside! Move around!
Learn how to Learn!
Why? Learning is a skill! We can become better learners with attention, practice and experimentation. How do you learn best?
- Focus on one task at a time
- Involve all your senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, hear
- Stay curious
- Play games
- Ask your friends or family how they like to learn
SOURCES:
“Mindset Matters” Camp Fire Learning Lab [Internal Training Platform]. 2017.
“Brain Toolkit: An Owner’s Manual for the Teenage Brain.” Step it Up 2 Thrive. July 28, 2011. The Thrive Foundation for Youth.
