Growth Mindset - Takes Practice

Nurturing growth mindset does not have to be complicated or require templates and journals. It can be cultivated immediately in the way we speak to children, and the words we use to encourage them.

All learning takes PRACTICE.

Mastered skills don't come by chance; they come by choice. First the desire to want what you want for your child, then commitment and practice to follow through. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of "The Outliers," says you can master any skill with 10 000 Hours, and Dr Carol Dweck's research in Growth Mindset confirms the importance of effort and hard work. In the coaching and mentoring world it has been well stated that it can take anywhere from 6 to 8 years to get great at something, which can vary depending on the skill and other factors. Dr Carol Dweck shows us with her research in Growth Mindset that abilities can be learned an enhanced when persistence and effort are at the forefront of learning. Therefore, PRACTICE is EVERYTHING for all skills.

So, what does this highlight to us as parents and educators?

Can you think back to the first time you did anything? Drive a car, speak in front of an audience, say a speech, perform tasks in your work, and mow the grass.

Can you remember if the very first time you turned on the car you were asked to reverse park up a hill? Imagine the learning environment and anxiousness in your learning if you were expected to do that, or if you expected that from yourself? We can learn a lot from thinking about this. Do we put unrealistic pressure on ourselves as parents, and are our expectations of our children, age appropriate, neurologically or milestone appropriate?

With Carol Dweck's decades of research in Mindsets; we now have the awareness that abilities are not fixed and stagnant and that skills can be learned and improved upon if there is a commitment to effort, practice, and feedback. In other words, if you think your child is already too far gone and ungrateful be patient in the knowledge that with awareness and practice they can improve their abilities to become more grateful. During the guidance of helping your child to practise their abilities and grow their inner qualities it’s comforting to know that one of our jobs as parents is to plant the seeds. Often it is years before the avocado tree bares fruit and the same for our child. Some skills come quick and some take a long time and the POWER OF PRACTISE is a wonderful parenting practise to embody.

How do you practise the Power of Practice?

You bring the word into a child’s environment.

Instead of letting the children know “We are going to do some reading now.” You can encourage with “We are going to practise some reading now.” Instead of “Let’s clean up the toys.” You can encourage with “Let’s practise picking up the toys.” It really is that easy! Bring it into your everyday parent and educator talk and see the change. Feel the environment shift to a more calm and confident learning space. Happy Practising! Kerry Spina Author | Wellbeing Educator