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Spring 2016
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Developing a Growth Mindset


By Carissa Kanters, Public Health Promoter
 


Does your teen sometimes feel afraid of making mistakes? Do they give up easily when things are challenging, or become very discouraged if they do not do well on a test or assignment?
 
As parents, it is natural for us to want our children to succeed. One of the best ways that we can do this is by helping them to develop a growth mindset. 
 
What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset is the belief that our talents and abilities can grow and develop with effort. Our brains grow and change when we practice skills and learn new things. Hard work, perseverance and believing in yourself are all critical components of a growth mindset.
 
Research shows that a growth mindset creates resilience and persistence. This is because people with a growth mindset believe that intelligence and ability are linked with effort.

Versus a fixed mindset 
A fixed mindset is the opposite of a growth mindset. It is the belief that our talents and abilities are innate, that we are born with them or not. If you’ve ever said something like “I’m not very athletic” or “I’m not good at math” you were falling victim to a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset can view effort as a negative thing, and is often concerned about being perceived as smart or not, talented or not. 
  
How can a growth mindset impact our children?
Think about a moment when your child has felt discouraged. Perhaps they didn’t make a team, or performed poorly on a test. Research shows that students with a growth mindset focus on feedback after a disappointing outcome. Specifically, they zero in on suggestions for how to improve next time.
 
Students with a fixed mindset on the other hand, focus on the grade or level that they receive. In a large study of 7th graders who received growth mindset training, students gained more interest in learning, worked harder and their grades improved.

The bottom line is that students with a growth mindset:
  • show more resilience
  • are willing to pick themselves up after a disappointing outcome and try again
  • take information from their failure and use it to learn and improve.
If you’re thinking that you or your child has a fixed mindset, don’t panic! Research also indicates that our brains are incredibly malleable or plastic. This means that we can learn and develop our growth mindset at any age.
 
How can you encourage a growth mindset in your child?

1. Use the word YET.
When your child feels disappointed, add the word YET to your feedback. “I’ll never learn long division” can be met with the response, “You haven’t learned long division YET, but you will”. 

2. Focus your feedback on the process instead of the end result.
Can you tell the difference between these two statements?
“Wow! What a great score on that test. You are so smart.”
And,
“Wow! What a great score on that test. You must have studied so hard.”
 
The second type of feedback focuses on the process. When we praise the effort that went into the good result, children understand that the hard work and perseverance is directly connected to the outcome. 
 
The infographic below demonstrates several ways that you can focus your feedback on the process.




















For more information, check out these resources: A special thanks to Kate Dobson from the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board for sharing information about Growth Mindset with us!

Water: Get your Teens Hooked

woman cuddling her small dog
Water: Get your Teens Hooked
By Michele Hurd, Registered Dietitian
Water is essential for health and it’s the best fluid choice for thirst. With the overwhelming number of tasty drinks heavily marketed to teens, it’s a hard sell to get them to make water their beverage of choice. Here are some reasons that it’s worth the effort to push water as the best beverage for health and hydration:
  • Pop offers no vitamins and minerals and, depending on the size of the drink, contains at least 10 tsp of sugar. That can add up to lots of calories without any nutrition. Plus, the sugar and acid in regular pop (and the acid in diet pop) can lead to cavities.
  • Sports drinks offer some nutrition but can be high in sugar. They’re designed to be consumed during intense physical activity and aren’t needed beyond that use.
  • Energy drinks, coffee and tea based drinks, and some soft drinks contain caffeine in addition to sugar. Caffeine can cause anxiety, irritability and difficulty sleeping. A typical busy teen can be anxious, irritable and get little sleep on any given day and adding caffeine to the mix doesn’t help.
  • Fruit drinks, cocktails, beverages, punches and ‘ades’ have very little real juice and plenty of added sugar. They aren’t the same as 100% unsweetened fruit juice. In fact, even fruit juice is not a nutritional powerhouse and isn’t a great replacement for the high fibre, nutrient dense whole fruit.
Flavoured Water
  • To help your teen (and maybe even you!) switch from sugary drinks to water, make water more interesting by flavouring it with combinations of herbs and fruit.
  • Keep a pitcher in the fridge so it stays cold and refreshing and it’s handy for filling water bottles.
  • Experiment with these flavoured water ideas
For More Information
No Safe Tan

By Karen Bergin-Payette, Public Health Nurse

With warm summer days at the beach right around the corner, teens may be tempted to tan.  Many youth view skin cancer as a problem that concerns older people, but it can be a young person’s disease. Did you know that skin cancer is the number one cancer in Canada?

It’s important to help your teens understand the importance of protecting themselves from the sun. Role modelling sun protection behaviours is a great start.

Here are some things that you can do:
  • Try to limit sun exposure between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and when the UV index is 3 or higher at any time of day.
  • Look for shade whenever possible.
  • Cover up with sunscreen, long sleeves, hats, and sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.
  • Apply SPF 30 sunscreen 20 minutes before going outside and check that it protects again UVA and UVB.
  • Apply sunscreen before insect repellent.
 
Visit www.newfamilyrule.com  to learn more about how you can help prevent skin cancer.


Free Sunscreen!

Exploring Stratford this summer? Don’t let forgetting sunscreen ruin your family adventures! The Health Unit has strategically placed 11 sunscreen dispensers in high foot traffic outdoor areas in Stratford to provide free sunscreen for the public to use.

This project is to help families, tourists and recreational enthusiasts be sun safe in Perth County.

 

Preparing for Emergencies:
It's Not Just for Adults


By Dale Lyttle, Public Health Inspector

Although we don’t like to think about bad things happening, emergencies and disasters can happen anytime and without warning. It is important to include youth in preparedness activities so they can be ready as well.
  • Involve everyone in your family, including children and teenagers, when creating your family emergency plan and making an emergency kit.
  • Make sure that everyone knows how to evacuate your home safely in an emergency, and where everyone should meet. Include how to stay safe in specific emergencies such as severe storms or power outages.
  • Discuss what to do if an emergency happens at school.
  • Participating in discussions and planning may help youth to develop confidence if an unexpected situation arises, and may help to reduce their anxiety during an actual emergency.

Families need to be ready to respond to emergencies together so why not start planning together? For more information and useful resources click here: www.getprepared.gc.ca 
 

They Will Too


The bicycle: one of your child’s first tickets to independence. Whether riding for fun, to get around, or for fitness, bikes and youth go together like heads and helmets.

As a parent of a teenager, you may feel you have lots of things to be nervous about, and your daughter or son on a bike or skateboard without a helmet might be one. Convincing them to wear a helmet might seem like a lost cause.

Here is the one thing you can do that you control completely: wear a helmet yourself. Research shows that teens model both the safe and unsafe behaviours of their parents. Teens whose parents wear a helmet are more likely to wear it themselves.

Research shows that helmet use reduces the risk of a head injury by 85%. A helmet works by absorbing the force of a crash. In Ontario, it's the law that every cyclist under the age of 18 wears a bike helmet. If you as a parent wear your helmet, your teen is much more likely to wear theirs.

To find out more, visit www.TheyWill2.ca. Be the right role model for your kids; lead by example- wear your helmet and #TheyWill2

Links we Like from Around the Web!

  • Great app for the whole family: Stop, Breathe and Think by Tools for Peace
    • This is a free mindfulness meditation and compassion-building tool. Check-in to how you are thinking and feeling, and select emotions that guide you to recommended meditations.
  • Video: The Biology of Positivity
    • We can change our brain! This video shares ways that we can use mindful strategies to create positive changes in our neurobiology (from Harvard Education)

Congratulations to our Draw Winners!


Carissa (Public Health Promoter) drew three names of new subscribers on May 16. The winners have been contacted by email. 

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Perth District Health Unit · 653 West Gore Street · Stratford, On N5A 1L4 · Canada

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