Are you a parent who wants a few quick tips for how to organise your home better? Maybe you’re getting swamped in paperwork or the children’s toys, games and clothes have taken on a life of their own. We’re joined by Cora Gold of lifestyle magazine Revivalist who’s here to give us her top tips for how to keep your home organised as a parent.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
Why Do I Need To Organise My Home?
As a parent or carer, you’ll understand how important having an organised home is for peace of mind. A tidy space is much more appealing to the eye, and the lack of mess minimises stress. Plus, it ensures your children are growing up in a clean and healthy environment. However, maintaining your home can be challenging, no matter how hard you try. So read on for how to keep your home tidy and peaceful with these seven simple organisation tips.
1. Pay Attention To And Declutter Paperwork
Parents get all kinds of paperwork, from school nursery flyers to utility bills. These pages tend to pile up, so it’s best to sort through them. Place the most important ones on the fridge with a magnet for maximum visibility.
Consider recycling the paperwork you intend to discard. For example, you can clean or wipe your windows with old newspapers. If you need to ship a package, turn old papers into wrapping paper or shred it to create cushioning.
2. Utilise Organisers – Home Organisation Tips For Parents
Organisers are your best friend for keeping everything as clean and tidy as possible. Two-tiered and three-tiered stands are great for taking advantage of vertical space. You can also use revolving trays for smaller cabinets.
Try to repurpose certain items to save money on buying new containers. For example, you could use a wine rack to store your towels in the bathroom or an old ladder for coats and jackets in the living room or hallway.
3. Practise Cleaning As You Go – Home Organisation Tips For Parents
Setting aside time to organise the home is taxing, especially if you’re also working. The best way to keep everything tidy and arranged is to clean as you go. If you’ve just finished eating, take the time to wipe down the dining table and put away the dishes.
Since you’re already in the kitchen, then look through your cupboards and fridge, listing down what grocery supplies and food items are running low. You can throw away empty cartons and boxes as well. See what you can do from room to room.
4. Create A Drop Zone – Home Organisation Tips For Parents
Getting home from school or work can leave little energy for anything else, which means that your kids are more likely to drop their belongings just about anywhere. Create a designated drop zone for different items to keep them organised. Here are a few examples:
Toys – have a container ready for them rather than leaving the toys and games scattered on the floor. Kids under 14 months of age can handle the responsibility of cleaning up their toys. If they tend to play in the living room more, place the drop zone there instead of in their bedrooms.
Clothes – you can also organise clothes by having a drop zone. Place these in bedrooms by the wardrobe for when you and your kids change. To lessen the time spent sorting out dirty clothes when doing the laundry, have multiple containers for light-coloured and dark-coloured garments from the start.
Bags – whether it’s a backpack, school PE kit bag, gym bag, or work bag, it’s important to keep bags in a safe spot. The best place for their drop zone is by the hallway right next to the door. They’ll be easy to grab in the mornings when someone is running late.
5. Multitask When Possible
Spending time with your children is incredibly fulfilling. Granted, they require plenty of attention. If you find a window where they’re focused independently – for example, if they’re playing happily or watching the TV – take the opportunity to multitask.
You can bring over a set of clean clothes that you can fold while staying on the same sofa or in the same room. If you have photos and videos you’re trying to sort through, now would also be a good time to do so. Be attentive while being productive.
6. Set a Timer Before Bed – Home Organisation Tips For Parents
Once you tuck your children to bed, it’s time to take care of yourself. However, you can also use some of this time to clean if you feel you want to (and have the energy!). Set a 30-minute timer and just go around the house to sweep and organise whatever is left.
If you’re more of an early riser, you can do this exercise in the morning instead. As long as you start the day with a cleaner house, maintaining it throughout the week will feel much easier.
7. Sort Through Unused Items – Home Organisation Tips For Parents
If there’s too much to organise in your home, you may have to reassess your belongings. Go on a decluttering spree to sort through unused and unwanted items. Clothes are the best place to start, as most babies triple their birth weight by their first birthday and grow out of them quickly.
You can then move on to other belongings like books and toys. Donate things that you never use anymore. Tuck away seasonal items like Christmas lights or Halloween costumes in the attic or loft.
How To Simplify Tiding Up the Home
Parents tend to be tough on themselves when juggling home organisation, but you can simplify the process by breaking down the tasks and building better habits.
Thanks To Cora Gold – Parenting Writer And Editor Of Revivalist
Cora Gold is a parenting writer and editor of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. Follow Cora on LinkedIn, X and Pinterest.
Want To Get Out And About, Have Fun With Your Baby Or Toddler, And Meet Other Parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Would you know what to do in an emergency situation with your baby or what to expect from your first Baby First Aid class? From CPR to broken bones, Daisy First Aid is here to help. Running courses all over the UK, they teach two-hour ‘fear-free’ Baby First Aid classes to help empower new parents with vital First Aid skills for emergencies involving their baby or child.
We’re joined by Feola McCandlish of Daisy First Aid who’s here to explain what we can expect from a Baby First Aid session.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
What Are Baby First Aid Classes?
Learning First Aid can be scary at the best of times. It can feel even scarier when you have a tiny baby in your arms and are imagining all the things that could potentially harm them.
A Baby First Aid class can help to empower you with the skills and knowledge to know how to help your little one in an emergency. Baby First Aid classes are taught in a relaxed and friendly environment and can be a lot of fun! You’ll talk about some pretty serious subjects but there’s no reason you can’t have fun while you learn.
You won’t hear any scary horror stories in a Baby First Aid class. But you’ll learn practical skills and information as well as gaining the confidence to know what to do in an emergency and to act fast.
What Will I Learn At A Baby First Aid Class?
In a two-hour parent and carer class you’ll learn how to deal with some really serious situations that you’re very unlikely to experience, like what to do if your baby stops breathing or has a severe allergic reaction. You’ll also learn things like how to monitor a minor head injury and what to do if you suspect a minor fracture.
In just two hours you’ll learn all this:
CPR
Recovery positions
Choking
Meningitis
Anaphylaxis
Burns
Head injuries
Febrile seizures
Broken bones
Poison
Bleeding & bandaging
Shock
First Aid is what you do in the minutes following an emergency before professional help arrives. The action you take during those first few minutes can make all the difference and when you leave a Baby First Aid class you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to know exactly what to do should the unthinkable happen.
What Are The Benefits Of Baby First Aid Classes??
You’ll Gain Hands-on Experience
In a Daisy First Aid class you’ll gain hands-on, practical skill. You’ll have access to realistic training aids and experienced trainers who can answer any questions you have – there are no silly questions and we want you to go away feeling completely confident having practised the skills you’ve learnt.
Baby First Aid Is Perfect For Pregnancy – Babies Are Welcome Too
Baby First Aid classes are perfect for pregnancy so you can do the class before your little one arrives.
If your little one has already been born, you can bring them to the class with you. You are welcome to feed them, change them, walk around with them and do whatever you need. Don’t worry if your baby cries in the class!
You’ll Feel Confident And Empowered Following A Baby First Aid Class
These are the words other new parents have used to describe how they feel after attending a Baby First Aid class – ‘confident’, ‘empowered’, ‘friendly’, ‘interactive’ and ‘relaxed’.
Learn Everything You Need To Know At A Baby First Aid Class
You may have touched on Baby First Aid during your antenatal course or have done a course at work previously but in a dedicated Baby First Aid session you’ll spend two hours learning first aid specifically for babies and
What To Bring And What To Keep In Mind At A Baby First Aid Class
You don’t need to bring anything to a Baby First Aid class. Just yourself and your little one if you’re bringing them along.
What’s The Best Thing About Learning Baby First Aid?
We always hope you’ll never need to use anything you learn in a Baby First Aid class – as the saying goes ‘it’s better to know it and not need it, than to need it and not know it’.
We believe that everyone should learn First Aid. It’s designed to be simple and memorable so absolutely anyone can do it. And absolutely everyone should – especially if you care for children.
How Can I Book A Daisy First Aid Class?
If you’d like to arrange a Daisy First Aid class head to our website and click on ‘Find a Class Near You’ to get in touch with your local Daisy Trainer and arrange your class. You can find their details and bookable classes here on Happity too.
Thanks To Feola McCandlish – Daisy First Aid Guildford, Horsham and Crawley
Feola has been a Daisy First Aid trainer for six years. She started her business when her children were just one and three and her business has grown alongside her family. She also works as part of the Head Office team as Lead Trainer and Social Media Manager.
Daisy First Aid teaches classes all over the UK to parents, carers and childcare professionals. They teach two-hour ‘fear-free’ classes to help empower new parents with the vital skills and knowledge to know what to do in an emergency involving their baby or child.
Daisy First Aid is a franchise business with locations all over the UK. If you’re interested in joining a friendly and supportive team and having a job that is both rewarding and completely flexible – you set your own hours – get in touch with our friendly Head Office team to find out more.
Want To Get Out And About, Have Fun With Your Baby Or Toddler, And Meet Other Parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Have you got children under 5 and wondering where to take them on a day out over half-term? Even if you don’t have any children at school, you will still be aware it’s half-term by the number of children around! But you can also take advantage of the many activities and ‘half-term’ specials on for children. So read on for our pick of the best days out for under 5s over half-term.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
Get 15% Off Sea Life London and Shrek World on our offers page.
Indoor Picks – Half-Term Days Out For Under 5s
1. Get Active At A Trampoline Park
Whatever the weather this half-term, your under five can burn off tons of energy at your local trampoline centre. Trampoline parks often have toddler and parent sessions, usually earlier in the morning, so you can avoid the crowds. Be prepared though that most centres will ask parents to accompany younger children on the trampolines. So get your bouncing socks ready! Click here for Gravity play centres nationwide.
2. Snuggle Up With A Book At Your Local Book Shop Or Library
What could be better than snuggling up on a beanbag or chair at your local library or book shop? With so many independent book shops out there now (some catering exclusively for children), you’re sure of a warm welcome and great book recommendations. Remember many local libraries also offer regular rhyme time sessions for under 5s.
3. Learn Lots At Your Local Museum
Your local museum is usually on the pulse when it comes to attracting younger visitors. Some may offer half-term activities for children too (e.g. crafts like making a valentine’s card). If you want a larger place, try out somewhere like The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford (free, but book ahead) or the basement of the Science museum which has a play area (The Garden) specially designed for younger children.
4. Relax Into Your Regular Toddler Class With A Half-Term Twist
Some classes for under fives will continue running over the half-term holidays, while others might offer a separate, bookable half-term one-off session. Check here for what’s on near you. Remember that the routine and space these sessions offer for you as a parent and child can be especially valuable during the holidays!
5. Soak Up The Soft Play
Every town has a soft play centre, usually in an old industrial unit or out-of-town leisure park (think high ceilings to absorb noise and high-up play areas). The beauty of soft play centres is that you know what to expect come rain or shine. Totally geared to your little one (with suitable seating and refreshments for parents), spend an hour or three while your under five releases all that end of term energy. Again, opt for quieter sessions if possible like early bird/early morning slots.
Indoor/Outdoor Picks – Half-Term Days Out For Under 5s
1. Love The Brick Building At Legoland
Wrap up warm for Legoland. It’s sure to be less busy than during the popular summer months, particularly if you go for a toddler/parent off-peak ticket or pass. Legoland is running Brick Days this February half-term, which includes brick building challenges. Find out more here.
2. Explore Your Local Heritage Site – Half-Term Days Out For Under 5s
From mills to railways and model villages, there are lots of open-air (and indoor) attractions up and down the country which love welcoming under fives at all times of year. Try Beamish Open Air Museum (open for extended weekends Friday-Sunday) in North East England for the story of 1820s to 1950s daily life. Or check out the Ironbridge Valley Of Invention in Shropshire with its multitude of science and engineering-related museums and Victorian town. Places like Jordan’s Mill have lots of outdoor muddy and wooded areas, perfect for burning off energy – often with extra activities on during school holidays. Also check out play areas and adventure playgrounds made of wood and natural materials.
Outdoor Picks – Half-Term Days Out For Under 5s
1. Scoot Around At Your Local Skatepark
With investment in local play areas and skateboarding parks, there are loads of skate slopes up and down the country. You’ll often find older children prefer to hang out here later on in the day – leaving the area pretty free for younger children in the morning! Here at Happity we’ve spent a good few hours (even in winter months) practising scooter skills with our under 5s on the gentler slopes. Perfect for building up confidence. Just remember your gloves!
2. Run Around And Wassail At A National Trust Garden
Many National Trust properties have closed up their house for the winter, but the gardens and park will still be open. Lots of properties have February half-term activities on too. So why not go for a brisk play and explore of the grounds before heading inside to the café? Some places have Wassail events to celebrate and encourage a good harvest for the year ahead. Expect lots of pot-banging and noise making that your under five can join in with!
3. Go Snowdrop Hunting
Whether it’s a walled garden or local area of woodland, now’s the time to look out for snowdrops. You’ll find some local places open their doors just for January and February, with many walled gardens doing an under 5s go free offer. Read more here about the benefits of being outside for children in all weathers. Try a spot of den building if you’re in a wood.
4. Spot A Plane At Your Local Transport Or Air Museum
Is your under five into planes, buses and cars? We thought so. The beauty of local transport or air museums is that they often open all year round for the real enthusiasts. So wrap up warm and watch those amateur pilots take off and land – hours of fun. If the museum has hangers, head inside for a bit. Or there’s usually a café of course. Did you know that the UK has over 40 aviation museums plus local collections like Shuttleworth? So there’s bound to be something near you.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Want to make a Valentine’s Day card with your toddler, but not sure where to start? Whether your toddler is into traditional hearts, flowers, or even dinosaurs, we have some great ideas for you. So read on for some inspiration for 14 ideas of how you and your toddler can have lots of fun making a Valentine’s Day card together.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
Do I Need To Make My Valentine’s Day Card At Home?
Some museums do art sessions, particularly in half-term and the lead-up to special occasions like Valentine’s Day. So check locally for what your local museum has to offer.
Equipment – how to make a Valentine Day’s Card with your toddler
All these cards for Valentine’s Day use just a few craft supplies. You will need four main items:
child-friendly scissors
A4 card – folded in two to make a card shape
coloured pencils or wax crayons
glue (glue stick for less mess)
Optional Extras
coloured paper
toddler-friendly paint
cotton buds or paint brush
bits of felt, sequins, shapes – whatever craft supplies you have lying around
Heart-Themed Cards –Valentine’s Day With Your Toddler
These simple cards for toddlers all involve a cut-out heart shape which you then encourage them to colour/decorate/snip.
In addition to the equipment above you will also need:
a heart-shaped template or two
Play-Doh or cookie cutters are ideal. If you want a larger heart, try drawing one freehand onto a piece of cardboard and then cutting it out. Here at Happity we love reusing bits of cardboard from cereal packets and pizza bases to save money and be a bit more eco. You can make both sides of the heart exactly the same by folding the card in half first, then cutting it once. Open up and voilà – your very own heart template for Valentine’s Day cards.
1. Heart Silhouette/Peek-A-Boo Heart
If your toddler is into colouring, look no further than this heart silhouette for a Valentine’s Day card. This heart silhouette is so easy and needs very little preparation. First, draw round your heart-shaped template. Then (and an adult needs to do this bit), cut out the heart so you have a heart-shaped hole.
Your toddler then simply colours in the space left by the heart so when you open the card, you not only have a cut-out heart shape but also a coloured-in heart.
2. Handprint Hearts- Valentine’s Day Card With Your Toddler
For a handprint heart card, your toddler simply dips their hand in some paint and presses down on the card. Once you have a hand print, you can draw a heart shape round it, decorate it with little hearts – or simply leave it as it is!
3. Decorated Heart
For a decorated heart card you just need a large heart either drawn or cut-out and stuck from a piece of card or paper. Give your toddler the pencil crayons and see what they draw on the heart. For extra sparkle, give them some little sequins or sticky shapes to add. Let their imagination go wild! If your toddler is into making collages, try bits of felt, tissue paper, or even leaves.
4. Frilly Hearts – Valentine’s Day Card
If your toddler loves snipping and is beginning to develop dexterity with scissors, try out these frilly heart shapes. First, draw round and cut out some heart shapes using your template (your toddler can try this too) on red or coloured. Then get scissors and cut small cuts round the edge of each heart. If you have any crafting scissors, these can give a nice patterned finish as well. Finally, mount the hearts on your A4 folded card
5. Nature Heart – Valentine’s Day Card Ideas For Your Toddler
For a nature heart, use any bits of twigs, stones, petals or leaves your toddler may have collected. Start with a basic heart shape drawn on a piece of paper. Add glue, then arrange the natural materials on the shape. Your toddler can have loads of fun arranging bits of the natural world to make a truly unique card.
6. Sticky Hearts
A sticky hearts card is for those toddlers who absolutely love pasting and sticking! First, cut out as many heart shapes as you want (you can do this while your toddler is using the glue). If you want to use different shapes and sizes, go for it! Secondly, cover the front of your card entirely in glue. Now comes the fun part. Your toddler can simply stick hearts wherever they like on the card. Overlapping hearts, a few hearts, all the hearts – go with whatever they like!
7. Finger-Printing Hearts – Valentine’s Day Card With Your Toddler
You will need some washable paint or finger paint for this one. Get your piece of A4 folded card and dip your and your toddler’s index finger in the paint. By pressing your finger down two or three times – once to the left, once to the right (and possibly one at the bottom as well) – you can make some easy finger-print hearts all over the card.
8. Cotton-Bud Hearts
For cotton-bud hearts, take some paint and dip in the cotton-bud. Then your toddler can try painting round your heart templates to create lots of hearts on the page. Or you can go freestyle and just see what design your toddler comes up with. Use a traditional paint brush if you prefer.
Flower-Themed Cards
For Valentine’s Day cards with a bit of a flower theme, add some tissue paper to your list of basic equipment above.
1. Scrunched-Up Flower Cards
Take some small bits of tissue paper for your toddler to scrunch up into little balls. When you stick them in a random pattern on your A4 card, they will look like flowers about to bud. Your toddler can add stalks and leaves afterwards using colouring pencils or paint. Or you can use your heart template to stick the flowers within it.
2. Handprint Flower – Valentine’s Day Card Activities With Your Toddler
As you did with the handprinted heart, your toddler first presses their hand in paint to make a handprint (or two) on the card. Their fingers are the flower stalks. They can then decorate the stalks with hand-drawn flowers and leaves or bits of tissue paper. If you have any pre-cut shapes, you can also use these.
Bespoke Cards (Dinosaur, Animal…)
1. Flicky Paint Cards – Valentine’s Day Card With Your Toddler
Choose some colours you think would suit a Valentine’s Day card – maybe some bright reds, purples and pinks. The idea is to flick the paint using the brush and create an abstract and colourful mosaic of colour. Think splashes of bright flowers and Jackson Pollock.
2. Dinosaur Footprint cards
Who said dinosaurs couldn’t be for Valentine’s Day? For a truly original card to reflect your toddler’s personality, play around with dinosaur footprints. Simply dip the feet of a toy dinosaur into a bit of washable paint so your toddler can ‘stamp’ the dinosaur around on the front of the card. Chances are, this will make whoever receives the card really smile. See our toddler painting blog for more.
3. Stamp Cards – Valentine’s Day Cards With Your Toddler
Have some of those inkpad round stamps hanging round at home and never sure what to do with them? Now could be the time to use them for something creative with your toddler. Use a heart or flower-shaped stamp if you want to go with a traditional Valentine’s theme.
4. Spaghetti Cards
If you have any string, elastic bands or dry spaghetti in the cupboard, try dipping a bit in paint and swirling it around on the card. Your toddler should come up with some unusual and circular shapes. Another one which could look like an abstract heart.
Valentine’s Day Card Ideas That Have Come From A Nursery
We’ve also received these great ideas from Charlotte Rebbeck (a nursery practitioner) who shared some of the ideas that were being used across different age groups.
Here is a Valentine’s card made by the preschoolers (using multiple cut out shapes of different coloured hearts):
And here are the different ideas made by the 3-4-year-olds, using stencils, glitter, and shiny confetti. Whilst an adult may write out the majority of the writing, there’s a space kept on the card where they can try to write their own name, and add another squiggle that they would like to include.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
The term ‘Growth Mindset’ has become increasingly popular recently, especially within the parenting community. But what is it? And how do we encourage children to adopt it from as young as possible?
We’re joined by Becca from The Noisy Book Club who’s here to share the best ways you can use a Growth Mindset in your parenting style.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
‘I’m bad at this’ vs. ‘If I keep practising, I can get better’
According to psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck, we can approach life with two very different mindsets (ways of thinking). With a Fixed Mindset, we think our skills are determined at birth. With a Growth Mindset, we believe that with practice and effort, we’ll get better at things.
Why does this matter for children? Because it shapes how they approach challenges and learning, both now, and throughout life.
Imagine that a child is trying to build a tower of blocks, and it falls over.
A child with a Fixed Mindset may:
Think: ‘I can’t do this.’
Believe: ‘I’m bad at building towers.’
Feel: Upset that they can’t build towers.
Behave: Doesn’t want to build towers any more.
A child with a Growth Mindset may:
Think: ‘It didn’t work this time.’
Believe: ‘I need to find a different way to do this.’
Feel: Curious about how to make it stay upright.
Behave: Tries another way.
With Fixed Mindset thinking, children are more likely to give up and avoid things, so of course they can’t improve. With Growth Mindset thinking, children believe they can get better and behave accordingly; and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In this article, we’ll explore the basic idea of Growth Mindset thinking, and look at some practical strategies to help you nurture a Growth Mindset in your child.
What Is A Growth Mindset?
A Growth Mindset means believing that we can become more intelligent, skilled, and able if we show up, put in the time, and practice.
A Fixed Mindset means believing that abilities are innate— we’re either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at something, and we can’t change it.
Fixed Mindset: “I can’t draw elephants.”
Growth Mindset: “If I keep practising, I can learn to draw elephants.”
We want our children to be able to recognise their own Fixed Mindset thoughts and change them to Growth Mindset. Research shows that children with a Growth Mindset are way more resilient, motivated, and open to challenges. Why does this matter? Because life is full of bumps in the road; they’re a vital part of any learning process. When children are tiny, we are programmed to protect them from dangers. But as they grow, we want to teach them to be able to bounce back from setbacks.
The great news? Mindsets are not fixed. Research into neuroplasticity shows that we can rewire our brains to think differently — at any age. (Even adults.) We can change our mindsets through language, our environment, and a little bit of practice.
5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Child Develop A Growth Mindset
1. Praise Effort And Process, Not Just Talent Or Outcomes
Try swapping, ‘You’re so clever!’ for, ‘You worked so hard on that!’
This helps children focus on learning and improving, rather than worrying about being ‘naturally good’ or avoiding things they find difficult. It’s easier (and way more productive) for children to be determined and focused than to try to reach perfection each time.
Instead of saying, ‘Wow, you’re amazing at puzzles!’, try: ‘I love how you kept trying different pieces until you found the right one!’
2. Normalize Mistakes (Theirs And Yours)
Mistakes are an essential part of learning. They show children that getting things wrong = growing.
When your child makes a mistake, instead of saying, ‘That’s wrong,’ you could try: “That didn’t work—what could we try instead?”
Share your own mistakes. Let children know adults make them too and that’s normal. For example: ‘Oops, I burned the toast! Next time, I’ll keep an eye on the timer.’
3. Use The Power Of ‘Yet’
Every time your child says, ‘I can’t do this’, try adding “…yet.”
It’s so effective.
“You can’t do it yet, but with practice, you’ll get better!”
If they struggle with tying shoes, remind them how they once struggled with walking, but they kept at it and look at them now.
4. Encourage Problem-Solving
It’s very easy to jump in to fix things, but instead try to ask guiding questions:
“What could you try instead?”
“What do you think would happen if…?”
This helps children build confidence in their own abilities, and eventually, they will internalise those questions.
5. Read Books That Promote Growth Mindset
Stories are a brilliant way to reinforce these ideas, and there are so many great ones out there. My favourites include:
Almost Anything by Sophy Henn
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
The Impact Of A Growth Mindset On Young Children
A Growth Mindset helps children develop resilience, confidence, and love for learning. This ultimately improves their emotional wellbeing, academic success, and ability to handle challenges.
School readiness & beyond: Growth Mindset thinking helps with academic subjects, the arts, sports, and even social skills. When I was a primary school teacher, Growth Mindset was the first thing I taught my classes in September. The more resilient children are, the happier and more motivated they are to learn.
For example: A child who struggles with reading but believes they can improve will keep trying. A child with a Fixed Mindset may avoid books or be too consumed by bad feelings to concentrate when reading.
Final Thoughts & Encouragement
Parenting is full of moments when we can reinforce Growth Mindset thinking. Building towers together, playing in the bath, making dinner.
Remember: Growth Mindset isn’t just for kids! Working on our own mindsets teaches our children that we too are making that effort. And children learn from what they see us do.
Teaching children about Growth Mindset can be done through small, simple steps. It’s slow-burn rather than quick-fix, but if you keep at it, you will see your child start to internalise these ideas, and even start calling you out. Then you know you’re really onto something.
Ready to teach your child how to build resilience? Mindset Made Easy is my step-by-step programme designed to do just this. It’s done via WhatsApp and fits around your (busy!) parenting schedule. Want to chat more about Growth Mindset and your family? I’m always happy to talk – get in touch. 🙂
Thank You To Becca – The Noisy Book Club
Mum of two, lover of rubbish TV and expert in picking up (but rarely seeing through) new hobbies – Becca turned her school into a Growth Mindset school, training over 1,000 pupils, staff and parents/carers who signed up for the ride. Since then, she’s taught Growth Mindset to all the kids I’ve taught – and their parents!
Following her maternity leave, and looking for some flexibility, she started the Noisy Book Club to teach parents some of the tips and tricks from the classroom, to help them raise their child to be a happy, confident and enthusiastic learner.
Want To Get Out And About, Have Fun With Your Baby Or Toddler, And Meet Other Parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Recent Comments