Develop a growth mindset

Life is rarely a string of successes. Think of your child's first steps. Many of his or her early efforts to walk probably ended in a tumble. But your child likely kept trying and learned to walk and run.

As your child gets older, you'll help him or her take on bigger and more complex endeavors. There will be more falls. Your job is to help your child get back up and try again. Make sure your child knows that the process of learning is important, immediate success isn't always the goal, and failure isn't something to be feared or avoided. Instead, help your child see failure as a natural byproduct of learning and experimenting with new things.

It can help to talk about times that you failed and what you learned. Even better, let your child see you try new things. Try running a long-distance race together, or taking a pottery class. You and your child will both learn from the experience.