Learning is limitless when your kid has a growth mindset

Talent isn’t within your kid’s control — but their effort is. 

This is the basis for Dr. Carol Dweck’s “growth mindset” research, which I’ve brought up when teaching your kid to take feedback, ditch labels, and embrace mental toughness.

It’s a pretty universally solid practice for raising resilient little humans. 👊

So today, I’m going to dive into three tactics for instilling a growth mindset in your kid. 👇

Prioritize effort over outcome

This is the primary message from Dr. Dweck’s research.

It’s not that outcomes aren’t important — they totally are.

But when it comes to raising kids who are ready to embrace challenges, the focus needs to be on the effort.

Here’s how—

👏 Praise the process: Shift praise from being smart or talented to recognizing hard work, strategy, and perseverance. For example, instead of saying "You're so smart," say, "I'm proud of how hard you worked to solve that problem."

🎯 Set learning goals: It’s awesome to perform well, but when performance is the goal, natural talent can outshine hard work. For a growth mindset, the goal shouldn’t be “win the piano competition,” — it should be “learn the hardest song in the lesson book.”

Fail fast, learn faster 

Let your kid stumble. Failure isn’t the opposite of success — it’s a required element. 

But it’s really hard to see things that way when you’re in the thick of it.

The trick is to condition your kid to embrace failure. 

Here’s how—

😰 Stay consistent with a weekly challenge: Challenge them to something that’s slightly out of their comfort zone — every week. For example: Ask them to solve a complex math problem, or build something using LEGO without instructions.

⛔ Let them solve their own problems: When they hit a snag, don’t swoop in to save them. Instead, ask “what’s plan B?” and watch in amazement as they learn to pivot better than a Russian ice dancer.

🎉 Celebrate the attempts: Even if they don’t succeed, celebrate the effort. They’re closer to success than they were yesterday.

Discover the power of “yet” 

Replace “I can’t” with “I can’t… yet.” 

Prioritizing progress over perfection is a tried-and-true way to shift your kid from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

Here’s how—

🧘 Use mindset mantras: Integrate phrases like “I’m not good at this yet”, or “I haven’t mastered this yet” into daily vocabulary. Accompany those phrases with some relaxed breathing, and your kid will turn their frustration into focus.

💪 Create skill-building habits: Encourage your kid to pick up a new skill each month, and document the journey each time. They’ll start to recognize patterns in how they learn, which they can use to master those skills even faster.

📈 Make a growth chart: Keep a visual “growth chart” of skills they’re developing. It’s easier to get excited to learn new things when you can visualize your progress.