If you’re anything like me …. these common phrases will just roll off your tongue … and then you’ll feel bad. Let’s take a few minutes to see if we can try a growth-mindset alternative!
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Instead of this common phrase…
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Try this growth-mindset alternative…
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Why it works…
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| 1. “You’re so smart!” | “You worked so hard to figure that word out!” or “I love the strategy you used there.” | Praises the process and effort, not a fixed trait. This teaches them that their hard work is what leads to success. |
| 2. “This is easy, you can do it.” | “This looks challenging. What’s the first step we can take together?” | Validates their struggle. Acknowledging the difficulty makes you a teammate, not a dismissive judge. |
| 3. “That’s not right.” | “That was a great first try. What other sound could that letter combination make?” or “Close! Let’s look at that word again.” | Removes judgment and reframes mistakes as a normal part of learning. It encourages another attempt instead of shutting them down. |
| 4. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it.” | “It’s okay to feel frustrated. Let’s take a deep breath. What part is feeling sticky?” | Acknowledges the emotion instead of brushing it aside. This helps them learn to manage their feelings during a challenge. |
| 5. “Just sound it out.” | “Let’s be word detectives. What sounds do you see? Let’s blend them.” or “Does this word have any parts you already know?” | Provides a specific, actionable strategy. “Sound it out” can be too vague for a struggling reader. |
| 6. “You read that perfectly!” | “I noticed how smooth your reading was on that page! Your brain was really working.” | Highlights a specific, positive observation about their reading skill, linking it back to their focus and effort. |
| 7. “Hurry up, we’re almost done.” | “Let’s focus on this one last page with our best effort.” | Removes the pressure of time, which can increase anxiety and errors. It brings the focus back to the quality of the immediate task. |
| 8. “You know this word, you read it yesterday.” | “Our brains sometimes forget things. Let’s use our strategy to unlock this word again.” |
Normalizes forgetting and reinforces that using strategies is the key, not perfect memory. |