Everyone wants a healthy child, both physically and mentally. As parents and teachers, we want to see our kids grow strong, smart, and happy.
Keeping children healthy is about more than good food and exercise. It’s also about helping their minds grow!
When kids take part in fun activities, they learn new skills and build confidence. These activities help them become better at solving problems and working with others. They also learn to keep trying even when things get hard.
Children who stay active through play and learning activities develop better focus and thinking skills. They become more creative and ready to face challenges.
The right activities can make a big difference in how children see themselves and the world around them.
Growth Mindset: Why It Matters for Kids
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities improve through dedication and practice. When children adopt this perspective, they understand that their brains strengthen like muscles with regular exercise.
Kids with growth mindsets view mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures. They replace “I can’t” with “I can’t yet,” recognizing that effort and strategy can help them master nearly any skill over time.
This mindset matters tremendously for childhood development. Children who embrace growth thinking recover more quickly from setbacks, persist longer with challenging tasks, and develop superior problem-solving skills. They’re more willing to take healthy risks and try unfamiliar activities.
Perhaps most importantly, growth-minded children build self-esteem based on their efforts rather than just outcomes. This foundation helps them approach life’s challenges with confidence and resilience—essential qualities for success in school and beyond.
How Growth Mindset Helps Kids Learn and Grow
A growth mindset changes how children approach learning and face challenges in their lives. This powerful way of thinking allows children to reach their full potential.
- Kids learn to value effort and hard work over natural talent
- They develop better learning strategies instead of just working harder
- Children become more curious in learning for its own sake
- They take more responsibility for their learning and progress
- A growth mindset helps kids handle criticism better and use feedback to improve
- They compare themselves to their past performance rather than to others
By fostering a growth mindset in children, parents and educators create resilient learners ready to embrace life’s challenges. This foundation of persistence and adaptability serves them well beyond the classroom into adulthood.
Tips to Encourage a Growth Mindset at Home or In Class
Parents and teachers can help children develop a growth mindset through everyday interactions and special activities. The way we talk to kids about their efforts and achievements makes a big difference.
At Home Activities
- Use praise that focuses on effort, strategies, and progress: “You worked so hard on that puzzle!”
- Share stories of how you’ve overcome challenges through practice and persistence.
- Help kids set goals and track their progress over time
- Please talk about your own mistakes and what you learned from them
- Create a “yet” space at home where kids list things they can’t do “yet” but are working on
- Celebrate improvement, not just perfect scores or wins
In Class Activities
- Create classroom displays that show famous failures before success stories
- Use group activities where students can learn from each other’s approaches
- Provide challenging work with supportive feedback
- Allow time for reflection on what strategies worked and what didn’t
- Teach students about how the brain grows with learning and practice
- Use growth-oriented language in feedback: “What else could you try?”
Adults can model a growth mindset by showing how they keep learning and growing, both at home and in school.
Best Growth Mindset Activities for Kids
Children learn best through engaging, hands-on activities that make growth mindset principles come alive. The right activities can help kids practice persistence, embrace challenges, and learn from mistakes.
1. Try a Puzzle Together
Work on puzzles as a team to build problem-solving skills and patience.
- Benefit: Boosts focus and shows that effort leads to progress.
- Recommended Age: Ages 4–10
2. Draw Your Goals
Have kids draw something they want to learn or improve.
- Benefit: Helps visualize goals and encourages planning.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–10
3. Read Books About Trying
Pick books where characters face challenges and grow.
- Benefit: Teaches through storytelling and builds empathy.
- Recommended Age: Ages 3–10
4. Do a “Yet” Chart
List things kids can’t do—yet—and track growth over time.
- Benefit: It builds hope and shows skills grow with time.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–10
5. Celebrate Small Wins
Notice and cheer small efforts, not just big successes.
- Benefit: It builds confidence and keeps motivation high.
- Recommended Age: Ages 4–10
6. Talk About Mistakes
Openly share mistakes and what was learned from them.
- Benefit: Normalizes errors and encourages learning from them.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–12
7. Make a Growth Jar
Drop beads or marbles in a jar when effort is shown.
- Benefit: Visual reward system that encourages trying.
- Recommended Age: Ages 4–9
8. Turn “I Can’t” into “I Can Learn”
Practice rewording negative self-talk with a positive twist.
- Benefit: Teaches resilience and positive thinking.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
9. Do Hard Things Together
Work on something tricky as a team, like building or crafts.
- Benefit: It shows teamwork and that struggling is part of learning.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–10
10. Watch a Growth Mindset Video
Watch short videos like ClassDojo’s Mojo series.
- Benefit: Visual learning that explains big ideas.
- Recommended Age: Ages 4–10
11. Make an Effort Award
Create awards for effort, not just for winning.
- Benefit: Reinforces that trying is just as important as results.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–10
12. Keep a “Try Again” Journal
Write or draw about things they kept trying at.
- Benefit: Encourages reflection and tracking growth.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
13. Do Brain Stretchers
Solve riddles, logic puzzles, or memory games.
- Benefit: Improves critical thinking and memory.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
14. Practice Gratitude
Say one thing they’re thankful for after effort.
- Benefit: Connects positivity to trying hard.
- Recommended Age: Ages 4–10
15. Tell “How I Grew” Stories
Let kids share times they learned something new.
- Benefit: It builds self-awareness and pride in progress.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–12
16. Make a “Learning Is Fun” Poster
Design posters with words or pictures about enjoying learning.
- Benefit: Fosters excitement and positive learning attitudes.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–10
17. Create a Challenge Box
Fill a box with fun mini-challenges to try.
- Benefit: It makes trying new things playful and exciting.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
18. Try Something New Day
Pick a day to explore a new skill or activity.
- Benefit: Encourages bravery and curiosity.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–12
19. Play the “What If I Fall?” Game
Talk about fears and what could go right instead.
- Benefit: Teaches optimism and creative thinking.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
20. Draw the Brain Growing
Draw or craft how the brain gets stronger by learning.
- Benefit: Helps kids see growth as something real.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–9
21. Growth Mindset Bingo
Use a bingo board with growth mindset actions to complete.
- Benefit: Gamifies trying and builds habits.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–10
22. ‘Who Had Grit?’ Game
Guess which story characters showed determination.
- Benefit: Helps identify grit and builds role models.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–12
23. Learn from A Friend
Ask a friend how they learned something tricky.
- Benefit: Promotes learning from peers and sharing.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–12
24. Flip Negative Thoughts
Help kids turn a negative thought into a positive one.
- Benefit: It builds emotional control and thinking habits.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
25. Set a Weekly Challenge
Choose a goal to try all week, like reading or tying your shoes.
- Benefit: Teaches commitment and consistent effort.
- Recommended Age: Ages 5–10
26. Do Team Projects
Group work that requires sharing and solving together.
- Benefit: It builds teamwork, patience, and flexibility.
- Recommended Age: Ages 6–12
27. Use Encouraging Words Daily
Practice using kind, supportive words with others.
- Benefit: It creates a positive space for learning and trying.
- Recommended Age: Ages 4–10
Best Times to Use Growth Mindset Activities with Kids
Starting growth mindset activities early gives children a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Different age groups benefit from different approaches tailored to their development.
- Preschoolers (ages 3-5): Use simple games and stories that show characters trying again
- Early elementary (ages 6-8): Introduce the concept of “yet” and celebrate effort during learning new skills
- Upper elementary (ages 9-11): Help kids connect their effort to improvement in specific areas
- Middle school (ages 12-14): Support kids through challenges of adolescence with reflection activities
- High school: Guide teens to apply growth mindset to more complex academic and social situations
The best time to use growth mindset activities is when children face challenges or seem discouraged. These teachable moments help kids apply growth mindset thinking when they need it most.
Final Thoughts
Growth mindset activities give children powerful tools for success in school and life. When kids believe their abilities can grow through effort and practice, they become more confident, resilient learners.
Remember, developing a growth mindset takes time. Small changes in how we talk to children about their efforts can make a big difference over time.
By encouraging kids to embrace challenges and learn from mistakes, we help them become lifelong learners who believe in their ability to grow and improve.
The time of building a growth mindset is ongoing, but the rewards of raising children who face life’s challenges with confidence and persistence are well worth the effort.
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