by Jen Forristal | Oct 29, 2017 | Empathy
As we come to the end of our first month of empathy skill-building tips, we’re inviting you to #shareempathy in our exciting new contest.
Details:
- Post a picture, phrase or story on Facebook or Twitter which represents your best moment building empathy, or represents someone in your life who is your empathy role model.
- Include the hashtag #shareempathy in your post.
- One (1) person’s social media post will be randomly selected to win a ‘Design Your Own Umbrella’ (see the product on our store here).
We can’t wait to see and celebrate your empathy experiences!
Deadline to share your experiences on social media for a chance to win is Friday November 3rd at 9pm EST.
by Jen Forristal | Oct 25, 2017 | Growth Mindset
Effort is positive and means we are working up to our potential instead of choosing easy things that we know we can do without trying. Sometimes through a genuine desire to see our children happy and successful, we accidentally give them the wrong message about effort.
To help your child build a growth mindset, don’t over focus your praise on perfect scores, especially if these were achieved with little effort. Your children want your approval and if they think perfect scores are what you are most proud of they will gravitate towards easy tasks that will earn your praise. This will actually slow their growth considerably. When we say things like: “Great job, you got perfect without even trying. You’re so smart!” we send our children the message that trying hard means you aren’t as smart. This leads to avoidance of learning situations where they may not be able to achieve perfection.
Instead, praise them when they put in a lot of effort, perseverance, and when they take on tasks that are just above their ability level. This will help their brains grow quickly, accelerate their learning, and build a growth mindset.
Featured image by Eepeng Cheong on Unsplash.
by Jen Forristal | Oct 25, 2017 | Growth Mindset
Welcome to November and Growth Mindset Month at the Umbrella Project! This month we will be focusing on understanding Growth Mindset and the parenting strategies you can use to help your child develop this beneficial skill.
Why is a growth mindset important for my child?
The brain works a lot like a muscle: the more effort we put in, the bigger it grows. With a growth mindset, children believe that their abilities can grow and improve with effort. This mindset can help create a love of learning and an excitement around new challenges.
The opposite is a fixed mindset. With a fixed mindset, we believe that our intelligence and talent are something we are born with and can’t change. This leads our children to the false assumption that talent alone, without hard work, will lead them to success. Extensive research has shown that children with this mindset give up easily and often avoid challenges.
Research shows that students who have a growth mindset will often have better test scores, persevere through difficult challenges and take more enjoyment from learning.
Check in regularly this month for tips and stories that will build this valuable tool in your home!
Featured image by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash.
by Jen Forristal | Oct 25, 2017 | Umbrella Intro
What I like about this video by Brooks Gibbs is that it teaches kids to be powerful. Empowering kids is what we are dedicated to at the Umbrella Project.
Click here to view the video on Facebook.
Remember: your true power lies in your umbrella, not in trying to eliminate the rain!
by Jen Forristal | Oct 20, 2017 | Empathy
Download a PDF copy of this infographic by clicking here.
