Discover how the growth mindset shields kids mental health in 10 powerful ways. From motivation to resilience, discover the keys to their thriving emotional well-being!
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Back in the 1980’s, a group of preschoolers were selected for an enlightening experiment.
They were rounded up and presented with a tricky task – one which was made slightly too difficult for them, on purpose. That’s because Dr Carol Dweck, an American psychologist, wanted to see how they would handle it. You see, Dr Dweck was intrigued by why some people succeed, while others don’t, and she wanted to find out what we can learn from this.
What emerged was remarkable.
The preschool experiment findings
Dr Dweck noticed that these kids split into two very distinct camps. One group perceived the task as a judgment of their intelligence. This meant that when they failed, they felt terrible. For them, it was a distressing experience.
The other group, however, approached the task with a completely different mindset. They were much more chilled. That’s because they seemed to understand that their abilities were fluid, and capable of growth through effort. They tackled the task with curiosity and resilience and viewed it more as an opportunity to learn. And although they too failed, they were unperturbed.
It was these findings that laid the foundation for Dr Dweck’s theory about success. She noted how all of us, just like these children, generally hold one of two beliefs. We either have a fixed mindset- believing our talents and intelligence are fixed traits. Or conversely, we have a growth mindset- believing our talents and intelligence can be improved through dedication and practice.
That means, whichever mindset we tend towards, is responsible for shaping much of how we tackle challenges and learning throughout life. It’s even responsible for the level of achievement we reach.
But even more importantly than success or failure, I’m sure you’re already noticing a trend. You see, one mindset has the ability to protect and bolster mental health while the other can quite literally, depress it.
So why is the growth mindset so crucial in protecting kid’s mental health? Let’s take a closer look…
Growth mindset versus fixed mindset and why it matters for kids mental health
In her book, Mindset – Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential, Dr. Dweck breaks down the differences between the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
The fixed mindset crowd believe that intelligence, skills, and traits are set in stone from birth – no wiggle room for improvement. This mindset can hold people back, keeping them from believing in themselves or striving for success. It creates feelings of failure, low self-esteem and a lack of motivation and joy.
On the flip side, the growth mindset suggests that all our abilities – whether it’s skills, talents, or intelligence – can all get better with some good old-fashioned hard work, effort, and practice.
I love this idea, because it hands us the keys to our own destiny. It means we’re not just stuck with what we were born with, or what school reports, other people or past experiences say about us. It’s empowering, especially for kids. That’s because it helps them see that stumbling doesn’t make them failures, it just means they’re still on the road to mastery.
And guess what? The benefits don’t stop there – the growth mindset brings a whole bunch of other perks along for the ride, protecting our kids mental health.
When you stop and think about it, this mindset really sets them up. From overcoming anxiety to building confidence and from negating the effects of low self-esteem and depression – it really is amazing! It protects kids mental health in so many ways.
Here’s at least 10 I can count…
How the growth mindset protects kids mental health
I feel like the growth mindset is the strawberry of thought processes – it’s a superfood packed with all kinds of vitamins and nutrients to bolster our kids mental health. This list is impressive!
1 Positive self-esteem:
If a child thinks that failing defines them as a failure, it crushes their self-esteem.
Because the growth mindset teaches kids they are on a learning curve, it empowers them to believe in their potential. When they can celebrate their efforts and improvements and not just outcomes, this allows confidence to grow. It also gives them a framework to be able to deal with difficult emotions.
2 Increased motivation:
It can be so difficult to motivate kids at the best of times, never mind when they feel deflated in the face failure.
The growth mindset though, quickly counters that hopeless feeling and replaces it with the hope that if they keep putting the effort in, their abilities can be developed. This may be enough of an incentive to encourage them to keep trying. It may also help them become more determined to succeed, fostering a can-do attitude, a love for learning and self-belief.
3 Freedom from social comparison:
Does your child tend to compare themselves to other children and feel deflated?
Low self-esteem paired with social comparison can lead to a litany of negative patterns. These are things such as envy and dislike of others, lying to try and appear better, and feelings of guilt and anxiety. The growth mindset however, helps children to realize they don’t need to compare themselves to their peers to find their sense of worth.
4 Increased resilience:
Does your child tend to get easily frustrated in the face of challenges and give up quickly?
The growth mindset helps boost children’s resilience, because it teaches them to embrace challenges, viewing them as a learning opportunity, not a reason to give up.
5 Release from perfectionism:
Perfectionism puts people under incredible stress.
The growth mindset makes children more open to trying things and taking on new challenges in life, as they recognize failure is not a disaster. They no longer feel pressure to have to succeed straight away and are freed from the anxiety associated with perfectionism.
6 Perseverance:
With this mindset, children know they can make a comeback from difficulties armed with the knowledge that perseverance will help them improve.
7 Increased creativity:
As children learn not to fear making mistakes, it’s amazing how they will feel freer to experiment with different ways of doing things. This in turn, produces increased creativity.
8 Better outcomes:
Although this mindset doesn’t guarantee success, it certainly increases the odds. And if nothing else, it certainly makes life more interesting in the process.
For instance, ten thousand hours of practice may not make a child a world-famous violin player, but they will certainly be an accomplished one, or at best, have fun trying. This mindset encourages children to keep trying, learning, and working. This means they can reach their fullest potential, which may otherwise have been thwarted by fixed mindset thinking.
9 A flexible attitude:
Because this mindset encourages resilience, with each set-back children learn to adapt.
As they become more willing to accommodate to changing circumstances, they learn new skill sets to deal with this. It can also help children be more open to feedback and positive criticism.
10 The growth mindset bolsters kids mental health with a sense of fulfilment:
As the growth mindset focuses on the journey of learning and improving, a sense of purpose and joy is created.
How to develop a growth mindset to protect kids mental health
Perhaps by now you’re wondering how you can help your kids develop a growth mindset. You can read more about my four favorite ways here.
Closing thoughts on the growth mindset and its amazing ability to protect kids mental health
So in closing, the growth mindset isn’t just about helping our kids succeed. It’s much more than that. It’s about giving them a path to confidence, self-worth, resilience, creativity and happiness.
It’s packed with so many of the mental health nutrients they need. With the growth mindset, they’re not just learning; they’re thriving.
So, let’s celebrate their journey of growth and watch them blossom into their fullest potential.
