The POWER of Yet

From the article How to Encourage a Growth Mindset in Your Child by Amy Yacoub, MS, CCC-SLP​

The Importance of Helping Your Child Say 'I Can’t do That…Yet'"

“Yet.”

It’s a small but powerful word.

When kids adopt a mindset where they include “yet” into how they view their abilities, some very big, positive changes can happen!

“I can’t solve that math problem…yet.”

“I haven’t scored any soccer goals…yet.”

That’s the way a child with a growth mindset thinks.

Here’s what you need to know about what a growth mindset is and how to help your child maintain this positive frame of mind so he or she can thrive academically and in life!

What is a Growth Mindset?

A growth mindset is having the belief that we can actually improve our intelligence and strengthen our skills by putting in effort and facing challenges.

According to this way of thinking, we aren’t bound by a limited set of talents or level of intelligence that we were born with. We can actually grow these areas.

The term growth mindset was originally coined by educational psychologist Carol Dweck in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Parents and teachers have since worked to instill this way of thinking in children to help them navigate through challenges and maintain a positive outlook.

Dweck contrasts a growth mindset to a fixed mindset.

People with a fixed mindset believe that we were each dealt with a certain hand, so to speak. We were born with a given level of intelligence or set of abilities. There are things we excel at and things we are just not good at.

But children who have a growth mindset have been shown to be happier, healthier, and achieve more in life!

Why Instill a Growth Mindset?

Kids who believe that they can actually grow their brains to become even smarter have been proven to have higher academic performance.

Studies have shown that children with growth mindsets achieve higher math grades and take more advanced classes in school.

Children with a fixed mindset focus more on the outcome of a scenario, such as grades. They may compare their grades in school to those who performed worse than them in order to feel better.

Children with a growth mindset, on the other hand, focus on learning from their mistakes in order to improve their skills.

Instilling principles of a growth mindset in your child from a young age can set them up for a life of success by encouraging him or her to:

• Take risks.

• Welcome new experiences.

• Enjoy the process and understand the value of learning.

• Face challenges with a positive attitude.

• Work hard.

• Learn from his or her mistakes.