Throughout the sessions, the Wordsmiths will be carrying out activities to encourage the development of a growth mindset. One key element is to praise children for the process rather than the outcome by focusing on the effort that they put into an activity instead of the result. This must also be coupled with fostering an understanding of how they can improve and what strategies can be used when things don’t work, guiding them towards other strategies and resources that can help them resume learning. We will be encouraging focused practice, targeted effort and supporting the children to stretch themselves with challenging tasks. We will change thinking from “I can’t do it” to “I can’t do it yet.”

Although people differ in their initial talents, interests or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience. With the right mindset, we can motivate children to increase their efforts, raise attainment, take more risks and become more resilient. This will not only help them to achieve during their time in education but will also equip them with the right mindset for the rest of their lives.