Growth Mindset Activities For Kids 101
Sep 28, 2024
By Will Moore
"Down here it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket." - Mike
I'll never forget the magic, wonder, and thrill of watching "The Goonies" for the first time. It was one of those films that etched itself into my memory, sparking a sense of adventure and possibility that has stayed with me since childhood. From the moment Mikey exclaimed, "Goonies never say die!" to the heart-pounding pursuit of One-Eyed Willy's treasure, every scene was infused with excitement and the spirit of resilience.
Now, as a parent, I see "The Goonies" in a new light. It's not just about treasure hunts - it's about never giving up, even when things get tough. That's what we call a "growth mindset," and it's super important for our kids.
In today's busy world, helping our kids build this mindset is key. It's about teaching them that they can get better at things with practice and hard work. Think of it like giving them a special map to help them through life's challenges, just like the Goonies had their treasure map.
Are you ready for an adventure? Let's explore some fun growth mindset activities for kids. These aren't just games—they're ways to help your children become strong, curious, and eager to learn new things.
The Foundation of a Growth Mindset: Understanding the Science
Did you know our brains can grow and change? Scientists call this "neuroplasticity." It's a big word, but it just means our brains are like play-doh - they can be shaped and reshaped.
Research in psychology and neuroscience shows that when we learn new skills, face challenges, and persevere through difficulties, our brains form new connections and strengthen existing ones. This adaptability is the foundation of growth-oriented thinking and is crucial for developing a growth mindset in children. It empowers kids to see themselves as capable of continuous learning and improvement rather than being fixed in their abilities.
But how do we translate this science into actionable strategies for kids? The key lies in creating environments and experiences that encourage growth mindset activities.
Saying things like, "You worked so hard!" or "I see you're getting better!" can really help. These words are like magic—they show kids that trying hard is important. It helps them focus on the learning process, not just the end result.
Another great trick is to add "yet" to "I can't." When your child says, "I can't do it," just add "...yet" at the end. This small word shows them they can improve with practice. It opens up a world of possibilities and encourages them to keep trying.
Remember, building a growth mindset takes time. It's about creating good habits, little by little. By doing these things every day, we're helping our kids write their own exciting life stories - full of challenges they've beaten and new skills they've learned.
Next, we'll look at some fun activities that bring these ideas to life. Get ready to help your child become a real-life Goonie, ready for any adventure!
Top Growth Mindset Activities for Kids
Developing a growth mindset is an ongoing process that benefits from consistent practice. To get started, choose 2-3 activities from the "Daily Core Activities" to practice consistently. When your child faces specific challenges or you want to focus on particular areas of growth, select additional activities from the relevant categories. Remember to adjust the frequency and selection of activities based on your family's needs and schedule.
Top Daily Growth Mindset Games
Peaks and Valleys Sharing Ritual
I've implemented an automatic family dinner night tradition where we go around the table asking everyone what their "peaks and valleys" for the day are. "Peaks" are their wins for the day to celebrate and connect emotion to build more momentum. "Valleys" require a share of something bad/a necessary failure experienced and what was learned from it to grow/improve moving forward.
Growth Mindset Affirmations
Start or end each day with a ritual where your child can recite or listen to growth mindset affirmations. Whether it's through a morning affirmation board, a bedtime story that reinforces these concepts, or listening to recorded affirmations, make this practice an automatic part of their daily routine.
Question Quests
Turn curiosity into a game by challenging your child to ask a certain number of questions about the world around them each day. Use a question jar where they can drop their questions, making their inquisitiveness a visible and central part of their daily activities. This approach incorporates growth mindset activities at home while making learning engaging. For more ideas on fostering curiosity, explore these 7 growth mindset questions to propel your momentum.
The Challenge Box
Fill a box with various puzzles, math problems, and creative writing prompts. Allow your child to pick one challenge each day, ensuring the task is accessible and tailored to their current level, gradually increasing in difficulty as they grow. And to up the fun level, look for growth mindset activities for kids online by searching for interactive and digital puzzles.
By integrating these fun activities into your child’s life, you’re not just teaching them to embrace challenges and the joy of learning; you're equipping them with the tools to level up in life. Remember, you are what you repeatedly do, so consistency in these activities is key.
Read More: How to build discipline and consistency
Activities for Embracing Challenges: The Heart of Growth Mindset
Teaching children to see challenges not as barriers but as stepping stones is crucial to cultivating a growth mindset. It's about shifting the narrative from "I can't do this" to "I can't do this yet."
Adventure Quests
Create an 'Adventure Quest' where challenges are presented as missions to be completed, turning obstacles into a game. This not only makes facing difficulties fun but also shows that every challenge overcome is a victory to be celebrated.
Example:
Mission: The Puzzle Path
Description: To move forward in the maze, you need to solve a simple puzzle that unlocks the next path.
Task: Arrange colored blocks or shapes to match a simple pattern shown on a card or picture. (Choose a pattern appropriate for the child's age.)
Growth Mindset Focus: Encourage the child by saying, "It's okay if it's tricky at first. Every attempt gets you closer!" Remind them, "You might not get it yet, but keep trying, and you'll figure it out!"
Celebration After Completion: Once the puzzle is solved, celebrate with a joyful "You did it!" and let them move to the next part of the maze, bringing them closer to the golden star.
Challenge Reflection Board
Use a bulletin board or digital app to post challenges and their outcomes, highlighting the learning points from each. Encouraging your child to contribute to this board makes the process of facing and reflecting on challenges an obvious and central part of their growth journey.
How to Do It:
Create the Board: Use a sheet of paper or a small poster and draw three columns labeled "My Challenge," "What I Did," and "What I Learned."
Add a Challenge: In the "My Challenge" column, write or draw your challenge, like "Learning to ride my bike."
Work on the Challenge and Reflect: Practice the challenge together. In "What I Did," write, "I practiced balancing and pedaling." In "What I Learned," write, "With practice, I got better and can now ride on my own!"
Celebrate: Add a sticker or draw a star next to the accomplishment to celebrate your success.
Growth Mindset Storytime
Select books that highlight perseverance, learning from failure, and the joy of mastering new challenges. After each story, engage in a creative activity related to the tale, like drawing or role-playing, to reinforce the growth mindset lessons in a fun and engaging way. This activity aligns with finding the best growth mindset books for kids.
How to do it:
Choose a Book: Read "The Little Engine That Could" with your child, a story about perseverance and believing in oneself.
Creative Activity: After reading, invite your child to draw their favorite part of the story or act out the scene where the little engine climbs the big hill.
Reinforce the Lesson: Talk about how the engine kept trying and didn't give up, and ask your child how they can apply that mindset to something they find challenging.
Innovation Hour
Dedicate one hour a week to a completely child-led project, where they can invent, explore, or build anything they imagine. Provide a variety of materials like art supplies, building blocks, cardboard boxes, or anything else that might inspire them.
For example:
They might decide to construct a castle out of cardboard, design a new game, or experiment with mixing colors in painting. After the hour, spend time together discussing what they did, focusing on what they enjoyed and learned during the process. Celebrate their process and what they learn from it, regardless of the outcome, making innovation an eagerly anticipated event.
By encouraging children to embrace challenges with a more positive attitude and outlook, we prepare them for a life filled with continuous learning and growth. It's about reinforcing the message that it's not about the hurdles we face but how we choose to overcome them.
Activities for Building Confidence:
Celebration of Effort Ceremonies
Organize weekly family gathering where each member shares one thing they worked hard on, regardless of outcome. Family gives specific praise for effort and strategies used, not just results .Each person adds a star to an "Effort Chart", with a monthly reward for accumulated stars.
Example:
On Sunday, 10-year-old Sam shares his struggle with a science project. He explains how he kept researching and experimenting all week. Dad praises Sam's persistence and varied approaches. Sam adds a star to the family's Effort Chart, moving closer to their monthly pizza night reward.
Affirmation Art Gallery
Create an art project centered around growth mindset affirmations. Encourage your child to draw or craft visuals that represent their positive beliefs, displaying them prominently in a home "gallery." This visual representation makes the presence of a growth mindset in daily life obvious and engaging.
Example:
Provide your child with art supplies like paper, markers, paints, or collage materials.
Suggestions include "I can improve with practice," "Mistakes help me learn," or "Every challenge is an opportunity."
Your child might draw a picture of a mountain they've climbed, symbolizing overcoming obstacles, or a plant growing to represent personal growth.
Hang these artworks on a wall in the living room or their bedroom to remind them daily of their positive affirmations.
Growth Mindset Feedback Loops
Integrate a feedback loop into the daily routine where positive affirmations for effort and resilience replace fixed mindset phrases. After activities like homework or sports, provide consistent feedback that focuses on the learning journey rather than just the outcome.
Example:
Your child struggles with a difficult math problem but keeps trying until they solve it.
Instead of saying, "You're so smart," which focuses on innate ability. Say, "I'm impressed with how you kept working on that problem until you figured it out. Your persistence really paid off!"
By weaving positive reinforcement and affirmations into daily life, you foster a positive learning environment where children learn to value themselves and their growth journey. It's about building success habits that develop the confidence to face new challenges and the resilience to persevere through setbacks.
Activities for Goal-Setting with Kids:
By integrating goal-setting into the growth mindset framework, children learn to appreciate the journey of learning and their personal development. They recognize that each step forward, no matter how small, is a step towards becoming their best selves.
1. Growth Goal Vision Boards
Encourage children to create vision boards depicting their goals and steps to achieve them. For instance, a child aiming to learn guitar might include images of guitars, sheet music, and practice schedules. This visual and creative process turns goal setting into an engaging activity.
2. Step-by-Step Achievement Maps
Work with your child to break down their goals into manageable steps, plotting these on a map or timeline displayed in their study area. For example, a reading improvement goal could be broken down into milestones like "Finish first chapter book" and "Read aloud to family," with specific action steps for each
This method makes the path to achieving goals clear and obvious, encouraging children to take one step at a time.
3. Documenting the Journey in a Growth and Resilience Journal
Equip your child with a Growth and Resilience Journal, a combined tool for them to record daily discoveries and challenges overcome. For instance, a child learning a new language might jot down new words learned, noting any difficulties and strategies used to overcome them.
This easy-to-maintain journal encourages reflection and self-awareness, documenting each step of their growth journey.
Read More: Importance of a Habit Journal
Activities for Learning from Failure
One of the most profound lessons a growth mindset teaches children is that feeling like a failure is part of success. It's through mistakes and setbacks that we gain invaluable insights and learnings, paving the way for future achievements.
1. Failure Forum:
Host Resilience Workshops where children can openly share failures and collaboratively seek solutions. This approach transforms setbacks into learning opportunities, making the process of overcoming challenges a rewarding group activity.
2. Growth Mindset Mistake Jars
Implement a "mistake jar" where children can write down mistakes they've made and what they've learned from them. This visual and interactive tool makes acknowledging and learning from failures an obvious and integral part of daily life, reinforcing that growth mindsets embrace challenges and setbacks as part of learning.
3. Celebration of Effort Awards
Introduce "Celebration of Effort" awards, recognizing attempts and efforts regardless of the outcome. Celebrating the process of trying and learning from it shifts the focus from success/failure to growth and improvement, making the journey an attractive learning aspect. It's like gamifying the process of learning.
Listen to our Podcast on Should we Fear Failure
Activities for Building Curiosity: Igniting a Love for Learning in Children
By embedding opportunities for curiosity-driven exploration and inquiry into children's learning experiences, we empower them to become not just consumers of information but active participants in their own lives and learning journeys. It develops a robust love for learning, critical thinking, and creativity, foundational elements of a growth mindset.
1. Fostering Curiosity Through Exploration and Adventure
Start by encouraging your child to dive into their interests through both Curiosity-led Exploration Projects and structured Learning Adventures. Whether investigating the backyard ecosystem or embarking on a virtual museum tour, these activities turn learning into an adventure, making curiosity a gateway to a world of discovery.
2. Encouraging Open Dialogue with a Growth Mindset Communication Board
Create a central Growth Mindset Communication Board in your home or classroom, where daily curiosities and challenges can be shared. This board serves as a visual reminder of the growth journey, making the process of questioning and overcoming visible and integral to daily life.
3. Inquiry-based Discussions
Foster a household or classroom culture where asking questions and discussing ideas is a regular part of interactions. Structuring dialogues around inquiries and curiosities makes this approach to learning an automatic and natural part of daily life.
Tips to Maximize Your Growth Mindset Journey
Choose one strategy from the ones we've explored and implement it this week. Observe the impact and adjust as necessary. Here are some additional tips to maximize effectiveness:
Lead by Example
Embody growth mindset principles in your actions and words.
Create a Supportive Environment
Foster an atmosphere that values curiosity, rewards effort, and views challenges as opportunities.
Encourage Open Dialogues
Discuss failures, successes, and learnings openly.
Set and Review Goals
Regularly set, review, and celebrate progress toward growth goals.
Use Available Resources
Leverage books, online resources, and community programs focused on developing a growth mindset.
Remember: Just as the Goonies never said die, let that spirit of perseverance guide you and your children on this growth mindset adventure.
🚀 Ready to Be the Growth Mindset Role Model Your Child Needs?
As a parent, your child looks up to you as their greatest influence. To truly foster a growth mindset in your child, it starts with developing one yourself. By taking our Core Values Quiz, you’ll uncover your strengths and areas for growth in the 5 Core Areas of Life: Mindset, Career & Finances, Relationships, Physical Health, and Emotional & Mental Health.
Understanding where you stand in these key areas will not only help you improve but also empower you to model the very behaviors you want to see in your child—resilience, perseverance, and a love for learning. When they see you embracing challenges and thriving through obstacles, they’ll naturally begin to do the same.
This quiz is about more than self-reflection—it’s about becoming the role model your child needs to grow. Start your journey today and inspire your child to level up in all aspects of life by leading the way!
Growth mindset activities for kids FAQs
Q: How early can I start teaching growth mindset activities to my child?
It's never too early to start! Even toddlers can benefit from growth mindset activities for kindergarten levels. Simple practices, like praising effort ("You worked so hard on that!") instead of just outcomes, can lay the foundation for a growth mindset early on.
Q: Are there specific growth mindset activities for middle school students?
Yes, middle school is a critical time for reinforcing growth mindset principles. Activities that challenge their problem-solving skills, such as growth mindset game-based learning and growth mindset workshops, can be particularly effective. Encouraging self-awareness and personal growth through journaling or reflective discussions can also be impactful.
Q: Can growth mindset principles help with exam anxiety?
Absolutely. Teaching children that intelligence and abilities can grow with effort helps reduce pressure and anxiety around exams. Positive affirmations and growth mindset statements focusing on effort and learning from mistakes can transform their approach to exams and learning in general.
Q: How can I incorporate growth mindset activities at home?
Integrating the best growth mindset activities and games at home can be as simple as setting aside time for curiosity-led exploration projects or having daily question-of-the-day discussions. Creating a positive learning environment that celebrates questions, perseverance, and effort is key.
Q: What if my child is resistant to growth mindset concepts?
Resistance is often due to fear of failure or ingrained beliefs about abilities. Start with small, manageable growth mindset activities that yield quick wins, like growth mindset puzzles or challenge boxes, to build confidence. Share stories of successful people, who have overcome failures to achieve success, emphasizing the learning process over the outcome.
Q: Are there any other growth mindset topics or books for kids you recommend?
Yes, several excellent books introduce growth mindset concepts in engaging ways. Titles such as "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck, tailored for an adult audience, provide a foundation for a growth mentality, while children's books like "Your Fantastic Elastic Brain" by JoAnn Deak offer accessible introductions to these concepts.
Q: How can I ensure the growth mindset is reinforced at school?
A: Communication with teachers is key. Discuss growth mindset strategies and activities being used at home and ask how they can be supported or mirrored in the classroom. Encouraging a positive learning environment at school that praises effort, resilience, and improvement over just grades can reinforce these positive thinking principles.
Q: What are some specific growth mindset activities for high school students?
Here are some growth mindset activities tailored for high school students:
Goal-Setting Workshops: Help students set long-term academic and personal goals, breaking them down into actionable steps.
Failure Resume: Have students create a resume of their failures and what they learned from each experience.
Growth Mindset Book Club: Read and discuss books that exemplify growth mindset principles.
Ted Talk Analysis: Watch and analyze TED Talks about resilience, perseverance, and personal growth.
Peer Mentoring Program: Pair students to mentor each other in areas where they excel and need improvement.
Growth Mindset Journaling: Encourage daily reflection on challenges, efforts, and learning experiences.
Career Exploration Project: Research different career paths and the skills needed, emphasizing the potential for growth and learning in any field.
Q: How can we compare growth vs fixed mindset activities?
When comparing growth vs fixed mindset activities:
Growth Mindset Activities:
Focus on the process of learning
Encourage embracing challenges
View effort as a path to mastery
Learn from criticism and feedback
Find inspiration in others' success
Fixed Mindset Activities:
Focus solely on outcomes
Avoid challenges to prevent failure
View effort as fruitless or a sign of incapability
Take criticism personally
Feel threatened by others' success
For example:
A growth mindset activity might involve reflecting on lessons learned from a failed project.
A fixed mindset activity might involve only celebrating successful outcomes and ignoring or hiding failures.
The key is to transform fixed mindset activities into growth mindset ones by shifting the focus from innate ability to effort, learning, and development.