Fostering a Growth Mindset in the Home – Part Two 

There has been much research and talk around the education circles lately on the impact of praise. Much of the literature has concluded that with our push to raise children’s self esteem we have created ‘praise junkies’. Credible research reinforces the notion that we should be praising effort rather than the product or end result.  Therefore ensuring that students will put in effort to ensure success rather than focusing on the end goal. We all know that the ventures that have required the most effort from ourselves have often been the most rewarding and beneficial in our own learning. 

Following on from last week’s article regarding Mindset and parents working towards fostering this in the home, here are some further insights into ensuring that praise and feedback are meaningful for your children. 

• Praise what your child does and the effort they put in rather than who he or she is. Instead of saying “You are so smart/clever/brilliant,” say “I can see you really worked hard/tried hard.”  Praise the disposition of perseverance and resilience when you see your child struggle or face challenge. Avoid praising grades. Focus on praising work ethic and effort – not achievement. 
• Adopt the word ‘yet’ into your vocabulary. If your child states that she/he doesn’t understand a concept, cant perform a sporting move, or learn an instrument/song, remind her/him that she/he can’t ‘yet’ but with hard work she/he is more likely to have success. 
• Avoid comparing your child’s success with siblings or friends – achievement is not a competition. There is enough success for everyone but it can often look different.