Book Nook | Growth Mindset

We felt like a good follow-up to our Back to School Book Nook is a selection of books focused on a growth mindset. Never heard of that? Yeah, me neither. I think the term and definition are new-ish but the concept is probably fairly old. In the last year, I stumbled on it when I was frantically googling how to prevent Kip from shutting down when trying to learn new skills. He struggles to recognize there is a starting point with learning and just because he doesn't know now, doesn't mean he can't master something, eventually. I want him to be open to trying new things and building on concepts instead of believing he needs to be perfect right out of the gate.

"In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point." 

So someone who says "I'm not a math person" has a fixed mindset. Believing that you can change and improve your math skills is a growth mindset. I think it applies to general life as well, not just academics. "I'm a bad mom" is a fixed mindset, but, "I'm having a hard day but I'm trying my best. Tomorrow will be better" is a growth mindset. 

Here are some great kids books that approach this topically playfully.

See The Little Engine that Could?! That is a classic example. "I think I can" is a growth mindset mantra.

Since emotion regulation and seeing yourself as someone with potential is helpful when cultivating a growth mindset, we added some of our feelings books to this month's bookshelves.

Now, all of these books are great stories and beautiful illustrations. But, full disclosure, Kip is not a fan of most of them. He can see straight through them and he can tell our angle. He is wildly intuitive in that way. But, we read them anyways (if he'll let us) and I tell myself we are just planting a seed in his little mind and hopefully something resonates.