Growth Mindset Comments for Parents and Caregivers (Grades K-2)

How educators frame comments can markedly change how parents and caregivers perceive their children. Use these comments to foster a growth mindset when communicating with parents and caregivers.

Effort/Resilience

• (student’s name) works hard when he/she doesn’t understand.
• (student’s name) questions when he/she is faced with a challenge.
• (student’s name) is working on taking a deep breath and using what he/she knows to solve a challenging problem.
• (student’s name) is beginning to understand that we all make mistakes and that it is not only okay but important for learning.
• While (student’s name) has not mastered the material yet, he/she has made great progress and has continued to work hard.
• (student’s name) understands that some things take time to learn and that having to do something again is part of learning.
• (student’s name) used to shy away from challenges. Now your child seeks them out.
• (student’s name) is beginning to understand that explaining his/her thinking deepens his/her learning and helps others.
• (student’s name) knows that if one strategy doesn’t work, there are others to try.
• (student’s name) is excited about reading now, even though it is difficult because your child knows that his/her brain is growing.
• (student’s name) understands that with effort and perseverance, our brains grow connections. These different connections make us smarter.
• (student’s name) knows that our brain is like a muscle, so to get strong, he/she needs to use it.

Autonomy

• (student’s name) works on his/her own now. Your child tries a few things and works out some difficulties before he/she asks for help.
• (student’s name) has developed a system for keeping his/her papers in order, which has really helped your child stay organized.
• (student’s name) has taken it upon himself/herself to reorganize the system we use to borrow books from the library, and the library seems to be much more organized.
• (student’s name) comes into school in the morning and is ready to learn. When he/she needs a break, he/she puts a slip of paper on my table and walks around the classroom.

Reflection/Metacognition

• (student’s name) reflects on his/her process and thinks deeply about how he/she can improve.
• (student’s name) thinks about his/her thinking and often asks, “What if...?,” which helps him/her see things in new ways.
• It’s still difficult for (student’s name) to explain his/her thinking, but he/she is working hard at it.

Collaboration

• (student’s name) listens to other people’s ideas and then connects everyone’s thinking.
• (student’s name) listens to others in his/her group and accepts when people have different opinions.
• (student’s name) is trying to speak up more when working in groups.