"I can't."

My niece is four, and she will not stop saying that she "can't" do anything. Literally anything... she "can't" velcro her shoes/take her boots off/zip her coat/get up off the couch/try a new thing/etc.Is this just a phase, or is she learning it from somewhere (it would not surprise me if her mother said this constantly..), or is there some growth-mindset technique that I can use? I try telling her that she can, and that nobody can do anything unless they try, and if she can't do it at first she just has to practice to be able to do it, etc. Nothing seems to work or get through to her.She has (and her family seems to encourage) such a fixed mindset, and I'm trying to influence her positively here lol. Any advice welcome! :) via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2zYV0BV