Growth Mindset for Kids: Activities for Kids of All Ages
Imagine a child approaching a complex puzzle. Maybe he or she thinks, “I’m not good at this,” and sets it aside while another says, “This is tough, but I can figure out how to solve it.”
This difference in attitude reflects what psychologists describe as a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset.
A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through persistence and hard work. Kids who adopt this perspective are more resilient and achieve higher academically. In fact, a 2024 study found that children with a growth mindset outperformed their peers with a fixed mindset, learning the equivalent of 33 extra days in English language arts and 31 extra days in mathematics over an academic year.
During the elementary school years, instilling a growth mindset can equip young people to embrace challenges, persist through difficulties, and view effort as a path to mastery, ultimately leading to more success later in life.
A 2022 study found a positive association between a growth mindset — the belief that intelligence is malleable — and academic success, highlighting the potential of this approach in shaping both short- and long-term outcomes for young learners.
At Ed2Grow, we’re committed to empowering children with the tools and mindsets they need to succeed, academically and personally. This blog will provide both educators and parents with practical activities for cultivating a growth mindset in young learners.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, persistence, and curiosity. This concept, popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck, contrasts sharply with a fixed mindset, which assumes that skills and intelligence are static and unchangeable.
The way children perceive their abilities profoundly influences their motivation, resilience, and willingness to try new things. A 2021 study demonstrated that self-compassion significantly strengthens resilience and curiosity, supporting a proactive approach to challenges. Children with a growth mindset embrace challenges and view them as opportunities to learn and grow, not threats to their identity or self-worth. They thrive on feedback and know that mistakes are a natural part of learning.
Key characteristics of a growth mindset include a love of learning, resilience in the face of challenges, and an openness to trying new approaches when things go awry.
Benefits of Growth Mindset
This mindset emphasizes the importance of learning and self-improvement, rather than being limited by innate talent or intelligence.
As such, the benefits of a growth mindset can be profound. Kids who adopt this perspective are more likely to embrace challenges, persist through problems, and celebrate progress rather than perfection. They also develop resilience, bouncing back from setbacks with a renewed determination to succeed.
Recent research underscores the significant impact of a growth mindset on students’ academic performance and overall well-being. A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that high school students with a growth mindset exhibited enhanced learning subjective well-being, mediated by increased achievement, motivation, and grit. This suggests that fostering a love of learning and a willingness to improve can lead to greater academic success and a more positive self-perception.
For instance, a child who struggles with math might initially feel discouraged. However, with a growth mindset, they would see each mistake as an opportunity to improve, ultimately leading to better performance and a more positive attitude towards the subject and learning in general.
Difference Between Growth and Fixed Mindset
A growth mindset is the belief that skills and abilities can be improved and changed throughout a lifetime with dedication and hard work. In contrast, a fixed mindset is the belief that basic qualities like talent and intelligence are static and cannot be improved.
For example, a child with a fixed mindset might think, “I’m just not good at science,” and avoid challenging tasks. On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset would approach the same subject with the attitude, “I can get better at science if I keep trying and learning.”
This fundamental difference in belief shapes how children respond to challenges and their overall approach to learning.
A growth mindset means seeing the potential for growth in every situation, while a fixed mindset means believing one’s abilities are set in stone.
As a parent, you can shape this mindset by modeling persistence, celebrating effort, and helping your child see challenges as opportunities to grow. By encouraging a growth mindset, caregivers can help children develop a more positive and proactive approach to their education and personal development.
Importance of a Growth Mindset for Elementary Children
Instilling a growth mindset, specifically in elementary-aged kids, is vital for their overall development.
At a young age, children are highly impressionable, and their attitudes towards learning and challenges can shape their future success. A growth mindset helps children develop a love of learning, resilience, and a positive attitude toward challenges.
When children believe their abilities can be developed through effort and persistence, they are more likely to take on new challenges and persist through difficulties. This mindset leads to better academic performance and contributes to their happiness, health, and overall achievement.
For example, a child who views a difficult math problem as an opportunity to learn rather than a roadblock is more likely to engage with the material and improve over time. Parents can help children develop the skills and attitudes necessary for lifelong success by fostering a growth mindset.
But how exactly do you do that?
Creating a Growth Mindset Environment
Setting the State for a Growth Mindset
The environment within the home plays a significant role in promoting a growth mindset. Simple changes in how parents organize learning or work spaces and communicate with their children can make a huge difference.
Consider creating a space with visual reminders of the value of effort and perseverance. Posters (affiliate link) with inspiring quotes or progress charts (affiliate link) for personal goals motivate children to embrace challenges. Display books about resilience or celebrate small wins together as a family to reinforce the importance of a growth-oriented perspective.
Parent Language that Promotes a Growth Mindset
Language and feedback are driving factors. Focus on praising effort and perseverance rather than innate ability. For example:
- Instead of, “I’m proud of you for getting all of the problems right,” try “I’m proud of how you kept trying.”
- Instead of, “You got a perfect score,” try “You didn’t give up, and now you’ve figured it out! Your score grew _ from last time!”
Encouraging positive self-talk, such as saying, “I can improve with practice,” also reinforces a growth mindset. Use growth-oriented praise and frame challenges as opportunities. This will create an environment where children feel safe exploring, failing, and growing.
Teaching a Growth Mindset in Your Home
Teaching a growth mindset to elementary children doesn’t require a formal lesson plan. You can weave simple practices into everyday family life.
More specifically, create opportunities for your child to practice growth-oriented thinking at home. Encourage them to set small, achievable goals — like learning a new skill or finishing a project. Then, celebrate their effort and discuss what they learned, especially if things didn’t go as planned.
For instance, after a tough homework session, you might say, “That was tricky, but I’m so proud of how you stuck with it. How do you feel? What did you learn that can help next time?”
Perhaps the most effective way to teach a growth mindset is by modeling it yourself. Share your own challenges and how you work through them. For example, if you’re learning something new, let your child see your process — including the mistakes.
Be vocal, too. Say things like, “I didn’t get it right the first time, but I’m trying a different way,” to show them that it’s okay to struggle and that perseverance pays off.
By embedding these practices into your daily routines, you help your child develop a mindset that embraces challenges, celebrates effort, and sees setbacks as opportunities to grow.
Activities to Foster Growth Mindset
Hands-on activities help children internalize growth mindset principles. Structured yet flexible exercises allow kids to embrace challenges, reflect on progress, and celebrate growth.
These activities are designed to engage kids in the learning process, helping them see challenges as opportunities to grow. When utilized correctly, they develop resilience and perseverance – and that’s valuable.
Research highlights the importance of perseverance in achieving long-term success. A 2024 study found that individuals with strong willpower shared a common ability: they reframed difficult situations as opportunities to grow. This mindset was linked to improved self-discipline and problem-solving skills.
Weekly Goal-Setting Check-Ins
Begin with simple exercises where children identify one personal and one academic goal. Provide tools, such as goal-setting worksheets or visual trackers, to monitor their progress.
These check-ins are an excellent way to teach children the importance of setting and working towards goals.
Encourage kids to revisit their goals regularly, asking questions like, “What’s working?” or “What can I try differently?” This process teaches adaptability and reinforces that growth comes from continuous effort and learning.
Challenge of the Week
Weekly challenges are a fun way to push children beyond their comfort zones. These can be academic, like solving a tricky math puzzle, or personal, like sharing a new idea with the class.
Encouraging positive self-talk during these challenges to help kids build resilience and a growth mindset.
After completing each challenge, have a discussion about the experience. Focus on what kids learned, how they overcame obstacles, and how they felt about their progress. This helps them see challenges as growth opportunities rather than barriers to success.
Interactive Growth Mindset Exercises
Interactive exercises make growth mindset concepts concrete and engaging. These exercises help children actively practice shifting their thinking, reflecting on experiences, and reframing challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
Mindset Journals and Positive Self-Talk
Encourage kids to keep a mindset journal (affiliate link) in which they reflect daily or weekly on their learning experiences. Prompts like “What was one challenge I overcame today?” or “What did I learn from trying something new?” can guide their entries.
Journaling helps children develop growth mindsets by encouraging them to reflect on their progress and learning experiences.
This practice reinforces self-awareness and allows kids to track their growth over time. Journaling also helps children celebrate progress and recognize how effort leads to improvement.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Scenarios
Role-playing exercises can help kids identify a fixed mindset and practice shifting toward a growth mindset. Notice moments when your child habitually becomes frustrated – maybe tying shoes, doing homework in a certain subject, or not getting their way – and use these instances to create future role-play scenarios. Recognizing a fixed mindset phrase, such as “I can’t do this,” and shifting it to a growth-oriented statement is a key part of these exercises. Present scenarios, such as:
- “You didn’t do well on your first try at a science project. What do you do next?”
- “Your classmate finishes a puzzle faster than you. How can you respond?”
Discuss their responses and highlight growth-oriented language and ideas. These activities build empathy and teach children how to reframe negative thoughts into positive ones.
Mistake of the Day
Mistakes are a natural part of learning, and celebrating them helps kids view errors as valuable. Each day, have children share a mistake they made and what they learned from it.
It’s important to praise children for their effort and the lessons they learn from mistakes, reinforcing a growth mindset. For example, a kid might say, “I forgot my homework, but now I know I need to pack my bag the night before.”
Growth Mindset Games and Activities
Puzzle and Problem-Solving Games
Puzzles and problem-solving activities are ideal for teaching perseverance and critical thinking. Offer challenges like jigsaw puzzles, riddles (affiliate link), or escape-room-style tasks where children work toward a solution step by step.
These activities help kids understand the term growth mindset by showing them that persistence leads to success.
Emphasize the importance of trial and error, and celebrate incremental progress just as much as completing the task. These activities help children see that persistence and creative thinking lead to success.
Brainstorming Sessions
Group brainstorming activities encourage innovative thinking and teamwork. Pose a question or problem, such as “How can we make our home more eco-friendly?” or “What would you invent to solve a common problem?”
Give kids time to share their ideas, no matter how big or small, without fear of judgment. This process reinforces the value of diverse perspectives and collaboration while promoting an open-minded approach to challenges.
Story Time with Growth Mindset Themes
Stories are a powerful way to connect with kids on an emotional level. Choose books or short stories where characters demonstrate resilience, problem-solving, or a love of learning. After reading, lead a discussion with questions like:
- “What challenges did the character face?”
- “How did they overcome them?”
- “What can we learn from their experience?”
Stories like The Most Magnificent Thing (affiliate link) by Ashley Spires or The Dot (affiliate link) by Peter H. Reynolds are excellent choices for highlighting growth mindset values. Books like The Outsiders (affiliate link) by S. E. Hinton and The House on Mango Street (affiliate link) by Sandra Cisneros reinforce a growth mindset for older kids and teens.
Planting the Seeds of Growth
Nurturing a growth mindset in your kids is one of the most valuable investments you can make. By teaching children and teens to embrace challenges, view mistakes as opportunities, and celebrate effort, we prepare them for a lifetime of learning and resilience.
Take the next step by exploring our resource library filled with tools and activities to support growth-oriented thinking at home.
Join the Ed2Grow community for free to connect with other parents and share your experiences. Together, we can inspire a future generation to face challenges with confidence and determination.
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