What Does It Mean To Have a Growth Mindset?

Key Takeaways

• Developed by Carol Dweck, a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can improve through effort, learning and persistence.

• The 4 hallmarks of a growth mindset: Effort drives success, mistakes are essential for learning and growth, use the power of “YET”, and children learn resilience when they bounce back from setbacks.

• Parents can foster a growth mindset through modeling, language, and encouraging problem-solving.

• Growth mindset builds confidence. It helps children face challenges with curiosity, persistence, and a belief in their ability to improve.

Defining a Growth Mindset For Children

When explaining growth mindset to children, it’s helpful to start with the basics. Note that all of us have beliefs about our skills or intelligence. Everyone our children know — friends, teachers, and families — has a mindset. Believing we can learn and grow better from hard work and struggles is a special kind of mindset: a growth mindset.

You might say, “A growth mindset means believing in the power of yourself and your brain. Like a plant or any living thing that grows, our brains are capable of changing and adapting to new information. Our brains get stronger when they do difficult things and even when they make mistakes. This is why trying something new or challenging can actually make us more intelligent.”

Take the Growth Mindset Test

Our fixed mindset vs. growth mindset quiz, created for adults and teens, consists of 15 questions. Simply choose the answer that corresponds with how you feel about the statement.

Fixed Versus Growth Mindset Meaning

Dweck discovered two ways of viewing traits we are born with, like intelligence and personality. One is they are fixed, unable to be changed or developed over time. Known as a fixed mindset, this way of thinking is associated with fear of failure and avoiding challenges.

Alternatively, a growth mindset means qualities like intelligence and talents are only a starting point. Seeing the brain as a muscle that gets stronger with practice, those with a growth mindset persist despite obstacles. They welcome feedback as a vehicle for self-growth.

1. Effort and perseverance are key

Early in her career, Dweck intentionally gave her students a problem that was slightly too difficult for them (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Some reacted with enthusiasm (“I love a challenge!”) and set to work, while others quickly gave up.

The excited students — those embodying a growth mindset — recognized the challenge as an opportunity to learn and get better. They believed effort and persistence would eventually lead to solving the problem.

”In this mindset, the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.” 

-Carol Dweck, Mindset

So how do we cultivate perseverance? Start by considering the way you praise. Praising children for their effort and hard work, known as process praise, inspires perseverance.

Process praise sounds like:

• “I’m impressed by how many strategies you tried until you got it!”

• “I can see how much you practiced and look how you improved!”

• “What a great improvement from yesterday."

• Growth mindset means believing everyone can learn and develop and also focusing on the effort and hard work involved.

2. Mistakes and failure are part of learning

A fixed mindset is often at the root of a child’s fear of failure. Believing they are born with a certain amount of ability or intelligence makes any mistake feel risky. Each challenge presents a potential threat to “looking smart.”

Conversely, children with a growth mindset tend to love learning and all that comes with it. Rather than avoiding mistakes and errors, they view them as a crucial part of the learning process. A growth mindset means seeing mistakes as evidence of a developing brain.

“Think about your biggest mistakes….They probably taught you more courage, strength, and wisdom than any success could have.” 

-Rachel Simmons, Resilience Expert

Some simple ways to promote acceptance of mistakes include:

• Boast about your own mistakes and what you learned

• Introduce “Failure Fridays” (a day of the week when you read about a famous person who failed)

• Give your child a high-five each time a mistake is made or say, “Mistakes mean you are trying!”

• Discuss the acronym for FAIL (First Attempt In Learning)

3. The power of YET

There is a reason this 3-letter word is considered magic. Adding it to any phrase creates a monumental shift in perception: “I can’t do this...YET.”
No other word captures the meaning of growth mindset quite like it. Dweck notes “YET” can “give children greater confidence, give them a path into the future that creates greater persistence.” 

Encourage your child to add “YET” to the end of any statement about learning. Watch how their feelings shift and potential grows with the addition of this powerful word.

Other ideas for harnessing the power of YET:

• Make a “YET” bulletin board or designate a wall at home for all the things you cannot do...yet!

• Model it for your child: “I don’t know the answer yet, but I will find out for you!”

YET recognizes good things are coming, it’s just a matter of time and effort.

4. Resilience

Resilience, or the ability to bounce back, cannot exist without obstacles. We all face trauma, challenges, and stressors from which we can grow.

Not surprisingly, Dweck & Yaeger (2012) found students with a growth mindset demonstrate resilient behaviors compared to those with fixed mindset. When children believe their intellectual and social abilities can be developed, they perform better academically and experience less stress. They stand tall in the face of challenges.

Consider the following tips for cultivating resilience at home: 

• Encourage independent problem-solving

• Discuss the Circle of Control (“In any situation, there are things I can control and things I cannot. I can choose to focus on what I can control.”)

• Practice mindfulness

• Watch movies and read books that model persevering through difficult experiences

Cultivating the right kind of mindset can make the difference between a successful life and one limited by fear of failure. A growth mindset means acceptance (and even celebration of) struggles, with an emphasis on the effort and hard work that lead to success. Children with growth mindsets believe they can learn anything and use the power of YET.

Big Life Journal Parenting Tip 

It might surprise many parents, but simply teaching kids about growth mindset isn’t a magic fix. Research shows that without practical tools, guidance, and emotional support, just knowing that “effort leads to growth” doesn’t automatically boost grades, confidence, or resilience (Sisk et al., 2018). In other words, a child can understand the concept but still feel stuck, anxious, or unsure how to apply it.

For growth mindset to truly work, it needs to be paired with concrete strategies: step-by-step problem solving, reflection on mistakes, and consistent encouragement that focuses on progress, not just effort. 

If you need some tools on how to encourage a growth mindset in your child, don't forget to download our FREE Confidence Ladder below.

FAQ: About Growth Mindset

At what age should you start?

As early as age 5. Young children are especially open to developing these beliefs.

What is an everyday example of a growth mindset?

An everyday example of a growth mindset is when a child struggles with a new skill—like learning a math problem but keeps trying instead of giving up. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this,” they say, “I can’t do it yet, but I’ll keep practicing.” 

Why is a growth mindset important for students? 

A growth mindset helps students embrace challenges, persist through setbacks, and see mistakes as learning opportunities, which boosts motivation, resilience, and long-term academic success.

Can a child have both a fixed and growth mindset?

Yes. Children can show a growth mindset in some areas, like sports or art, while having a fixed mindset in others, such as math or reading. Mindsets are not all-or-nothing—they can vary by skill, situation, and experience.

Looking for additional resources to support your child's growth mindset journey? Our Best Sellers Bundle PDF (ages 5-11) includes our three most popular printable kits packed with science-based growth mindset activities, guides, and crafts for children. With over 50 pages, this kit will help your children or students understand they have the capacity to learn anything.

References:

Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256–273.

Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Psychological Bulletin, 144(3), 1–34.

Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722805

About the Author

Alexandra Eidens is the founder of Big Life Journal and a leading expert in applying Growth Mindset research to childhood development. Featured in The New York Times and The Today Show, she translates the work of psychologists like Carol Dweck into therapist-vetted, evidence-based strategies for building resilience and emotional intelligence.