If your child had a superpower, what would it be?

Here at The British School Warsaw we aim to help your child develop one very special superpower, your child’s mind power.

Integral to our vision which is to shape a generation of creative and resilient global citizens – a generation that will change our world for the better - is our pedagogy which aims to inspire creativity and spark curiosity. The powerful combination of mindset and imagination can help your child succeed, overcome obstacles and be happy. Here are a few ways in which you can foster this life skill in your child.

Time travelling

Your child can time travel. ‘How?’ you may ask. Your child’s thoughts often travel back to a time when something happened. Positive memories cause pleasant physical experiences in the body. Stressful memories can make your child feel upset, scared or frustrated. Travelling back in time with their thoughts has a tangible physical impact on how your child feels in the present. Similarly, if your child thinks about future events, his or her body reacts by secreting chemicals to the blood stream (e.g. hormones) which can affect the way your child feels in the present. For example, thinking about having a tooth extracted the next day, may cause your child to feel anxiety in the present. Your child’s thoughts can affect reality. This is a superpower to be reckoned with.

Visualization and meditation

The time travelling superpower can be used to your child’s advantage. First and foremost, when your child realises that they have the ability to time travel, they can learn to choose whether to do so or not. If your child would like to stay in the present moment, they should try mindfulness techniques and meditation. Alternatively, your child can use various techniques to make the time travelling skills of the mind work for them. One of the ways in which your child can use the superpower of their mind is to visualize positive situations. While visualizing, your child can stimulate the brain to create connections between the mind and the body. Your child’s thoughts can affect reality. This is a superpower to be reckoned with.

Growth mind set

Another way in which your child can harness the superpower of their mind is by adopting the growth mindset. As opposed to the fixed mindset, people who adopt the growth mindset believe that their skills are not set but can always be improved upon. Rather than thinking ‘I am not good at learning languages’, they could think, for example, ‘I have not learnt to pronounce colours in French correctly yet.’ There are two main differences between these statements. First, the word ‘yet’ is key. It shows that the skill can be developed in the future. Secondly, the growth mindset comment focuses on the skill (the skill has not been mastered), not the person (the person is bad at something). Here is a 6-minute video called ‘Austin’s Butterfly’ which exemplifies the growth mindset in action. By adopting the growth mindset, not only can your child approach learning and life with more resilience, but importantly they can also achieve more than they thought was possible, and cultivate the habit of positive thinking. As we already know, your child’s thoughts can affect reality. This is a superpower to be reckoned with.

If your child had a superpower, what would it be? … Oh, wait! Your child already has a superpower – the power of their mind.

DR MARIA BRITTON 

YEAR 4 TEAM LEADER