Newman Selective Gifted Education Program

Raising Confident Problem-Solvers: Helping Gifted Children Embrace a Growth Mindset

It’s common for gifted children to find early learning easy — they often master new skills quickly, remember information effortlessly and may not face real academic challenges until later in their schooling. While this can seem like a positive start, it sometimes leads to a hidden hurdle: fear of failure.

When a child is used to succeeding easily, they may begin to believe that being “smart” means never struggling. The moment things get tough, they can feel confused, discouraged or even avoid challenges altogether. This is where a growth mindset becomes essential.

What Is a Growth Mindset?

Psychologist Carol Dweck explains that a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through effort, learning and perseverance. This mindset encourages children to see challenges not as threats, but as opportunities to grow.

Why Does This Matter?

We want all learners — gifted or not — to understand that struggle is a natural and healthy part of learning. In fact, productive struggle is what strengthens the brain, deepens understanding, and builds resilience. It’s important that our gifted children don’t just learn how to succeed, but also how to grow from setbacks.

How Can Parents Help?

Here are a few simple ways you can support a growth mindset at home:

• Praise the process, not the person Instead of “You’re so smart,” try “You worked really hard on that” or “I love how you tried different strategies.”
• Normalise mistakes and setbacks Talk openly about times you’ve failed, learned something the hard way or stuck with something even when it was difficult. Show that effort and resilience matter more than getting things “right” straight away.
• Celebrate effort, risk-taking, and persistence Whether it’s learning a new skill or tackling a tricky puzzle, focus on the courage it takes to try – not just the end result.
• Model a curious mindset Let your child see you asking questions, learning new things or saying “I don’t know yet – let’s find out together.”

Helpful Resources

If you’d like to explore this further, here are some great starting points:

 Books:

• Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck (for adults)
• Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak (for children)
• The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein

 Podcast:

• The Power of Yet episode on Sesame Street (great for young children!)
• Tilt Parenting Podcast (supporting differently wired children)

By nurturing a growth mindset, we’re not just helping gifted children reach their potential — we’re giving them the tools to navigate challenges, bounce back from failure and continue learning with joy and confidence throughout life.

Miss Natalie Burland

Newman Leader of Learning