Another growth mindset stance is flexibility. Flexibile thinking is the ability to quickly switch gears and find new approaches to solve problems. It is giving people a chance to have it their way instead of having it our way all of the time. It means working together to solve a problem. When kids are flexible, they tend to do better in social situations. It makes other people feel good and other kids want to be around a kid who is flexible. To teach flexibility to your child, check out suggestions from Encourage Play (click image): As your child faces problems, challenge them to consider multiple solutions. Get them to think about the consequences of each and how others might think and feel. What is the best solution that would meet the needs of others? I would suggest using the "flexible" language: "Are you being flexible?" "What could you do to demonstrate a flexible mind?"
The first of the growth mindset stances that we covered is resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back and recover from setbacks and failures. When you have trouble, you bounce back and try again. Imagine a ball floating in a pool. No matter how far down you push it, it will always come back to the surface. This is resilience. It is what allows us to persist, and without it learning something new is next to impossible.
Next we will learn how to build our resistance, including doing things that bring us joy, getting plenty of sleep, eating a balanced diet, staying active and practicing gratitude. For other ways to help kids build resilience, check out: In their book, A Mindset for Learning, Mraz and Hertz describe what they refer to as a constellation of stances, or habits of mind, that make up a growth mindset. They are:
In wellness, students are learning about a "growth mindset" and how it differs from a "fixed mindset." With a growth mindset, you believe that your traits, habits, personality, skills are growing and changing. With a fixed mindset, on the other hand, you believe all of these are fixed and immovable. Having a growth mindset is important for learning. Check out these resources:
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Jason StevensonSchool Counselor - Avid Hiker - Reader - Lego Enthusiast Archives
January 2024
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