Help your child develop a growth mindset
“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a life-long way to build and repair their own confidence.”
(Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential)
With Term 2 ending today and reports coming soon, a positive attitude toward learning is more important than ever. To foster resilience and a love for learning in your child, be sure to:
- Focus on what your child is doing well and reserve judgment;
- Praise your child for her/his efforts, dedication and perseverance (not marks);
- Help your child understand that failure is not a dead end, but an opportunity to learn and grow;
- Help your child come up with strategies for tackling difficult challenges, based on strategies that helped them succeed at things in the past;
- Remind your child that each one of us has the power to improve our intellectual, physical, social and emotional skills.
The most interesting journeys in life are those with ups and downs along the way, and school is no exception: the path to success is all the more rewarding when it is filled with interesting challenges!