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March 10, 2021

Letting Kids Make Mistakes

There are benefits to our kids making mistakes, even when it’s hard. Maybe especially when it’s hard. We discuss how the brain learns from a mistake, the benefits of a “growth mindset,” and how we can make our homes mistake-friendly environments.

There are benefits to our kids making mistakes, even when it’s hard. Maybe especially when it’s hard. Some kids have tons of flexibility and safety around trying new things, around failing. Others not so much.

In this episode we discuss:

  • how the brain lights up when a mistake is made, paying extra attention
  • why being very wrong about a fact once ensures you will always remember it thereafter
  • the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset– and how mistakes encourage the latter
  • Carol Dweck and what she calls the power of "not yet"
  • how we can make our homes "mistake-friendly environments"


Here are links to writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode:

Claudia Wallis for Mind/Shift: Why Mistakes Matter in Creating A Path For Learning

Dr. Janet Metcalfe, Columbia University: “Learning from Errors,” 

Carol S. Dweck for TED: "The Power of Yet"

Carol S. Dweck: Mindset

Jo Boaler for youcubed.org: Mistakes Grow Your Brain

Melissa Taylor for Brightly: What Is a ‘Just Right’ Book? Reading Levels Explained

Dr. Jason Moser for Frontiers In Human Neuroscience: On the relationship between anxiety and error monitoring: a meta-analysis and conceptual framework

Sesame Street: Mary Had a Little Lamb



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