The 5 Year Visit: The Growth Mindset
March 10, 2021
Feeling unsure about how to promote development in a visit with a 5 year old?…That’s just because you haven’t mastered this skill…YET! Try including a little something about the growth mindset in your 5 year well-visit! You can explain to families that a growth mindset is the belief that people can get better at things based on the strategies and the effort they put in.
You can model praising a growth mindset when giving vaccines. You can suggest a child use strategies to help them get through a painful procedure, and even if there are tears, you can remark, “that was difficult to be brave while you got your vaccine, and I could tell you were trying really hard to distract yourself by counting during the shot. Trying to do hard things actually helps your brain grow. Great job trying to be brave and growing your brain!”
Here’s a tip from our 5 year visit handout that you can give to families to help promote strong parent-child relationships, problem solving skills, and long-term success in school and elsewhere:
Practice: It’s important to let kids know that everyone can improve and get smarter each day. Praise your child when they put a lot of practice or hard work into an activity, even if they don’t win. Saying “you can’t do it YET, but you’ll learn” helps your child believe they can always improve and achieve!
For more ideas on what you can discuss at the 5 year visit, download our parent handouts:
Download the 5 year visit handout in English >