7 Ways to Make Your Kid A Better Student by The (Reformed) Idealist Mom

Photo by Purple Sherbet Photography. Image by Kelly Holmes. Some rights reserved.

A few questions for you:

• When your child makes a mistake, does she take it hard?
• Has your kid ever gotten a low grade on a test or a report card and tried to hide it from you?
• Have you heard your child talk down to herself, saying things like “I’m not good at that” or “I’ll never learn this” or “I’m not smart”?

If you answered yes to any of these, your child may have a fixed mindset.

Children with a fixed mindset believe you are as smart as you’ll ever be. You can’t change how smart you are, no matter how hard you try.

On the other hand, children with a growth mindset believe if you work hard, you can become smarter. These kids thrive on challenge. Fixed-mindset kids see failure as evidence of not being smart, but growth-mindset kids don’t even see it as failure. They see it as LEARNING.

So what?

Research shows the key to success in school and life is having a growth mindset. If you believe trying hard will make you smarter, it will.

However, if your child doesn’t seem to enjoy the learning process, or can’t stand making mistakes, or lies to cover up failure – they may be struggling with a fixed mindset. And it’s stressing out your kid!

Plus, kids with a fixed mindset tend to do WORSE in school.

The good news: You can help your child change their mindset.

ABOUT KELLY: Kelly is a recovering perfectionist, she procrastinates, and she’s constantly tripping over her own feet. In the plus column, she’s really good at making spreadsheets and eating baked goods. At her blog, The (Reformed) Idealist Mom, Kelly shares her struggles against that mean old witch Perfection and celebrates the “good enough.” Mostly, she talks about parenting, but sometimes she talks about what it’s like to try gluten-free for a week just for fun, ways you can say no at work without feeling guilty, how to stay in shape with the least amount of effort possible, and other stuff you won’t want to miss.

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