Teaching Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is such an important concept for little learners. This theory of mindset comes from Carol Dweck. You can learn all about it in her book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” but I’ll share a brief explanation here.

Our belief about our own abilities is a significant determining factor in our success. According to Dweck, there are two mindsets: growth and fixed. A person with a fixed mindset believes that their abilities are unchangeable – they are ‘born’ smart, athletic, or artistic. A person with a growth mindset believes that their abilities are changeable – their intelligence can grow and change. Below is a video of Dweck explaining this theory.

Instilling a Growth Mindset in your Students

To encourage your students to foster a growth mindset, you must first explain what it is. I love the videos that Class Dojo put together to explain growth mindset. The first short video is below. These videos are geared toward little learners and follow Mojo, a friendly monster, that learns to change the way he views his own abilities.

There are five videos in all, and they are quick and easy to understand. I always begin by showing these videos to my students. There are also a great deal of books that teach about growth mindset! Some recommendations are listed below.

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

This sweet book is about not giving up. In my class, we often talk about perseverance and not giving up when things get hard. This story teaches children just that! 

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett & Gary Rubinstein

Beatrice has never made a mistake. One day, she finally makes a big one in front of everyone. Beatrice learns that it’s okay to make mistakes. It even makes life more fun!

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak

This book by Dr. Deak explains all the things that our brain can do. It encourages students to grow and stretch their brain to succeed. It also provides concrete strategies to foster a growth mindset!

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

This book is perfect for teaching growth mindset. Gerald is a giraffe who can’t dance, no matter how hard he tries. One night, however, Gerald finds his own special music. This story is a great way to show students to keep trying!

Keep reading for an activity that pairs perfectly with this book.

Want more books to support social emotional learning in your classroom? Click here to check out my blog post with 16 recommendations!

Applying a Growth Mindset

Instilling a growth mindset requires modeling for students. Thinking out loud and modeling mistakes will help children understand this concept. Below are some activities you can do with your students to help solidify their understanding of a growth mindset.

Give students phrases to use in their daily language

Create an anchor chart like the ones above and encourage students to swap their fixed mindset phrases for growth mindset ones. Display this in the classroom to remind students to use these phrases.

Then ask students to rephrase statements that reflect a fixed mindset. This will help them practice changing their own words and eventually change their mindset!

Provide concrete examples of growth and fixed mindsets

Students can sort phrases based on the mindset they represent. This helps them apply their understanding of what a growth mindset is. The cards in the picture above can be found in the Giraffes Can’t Dance book companion resource.

Create goals with students

After students have an understanding of growth mindset, they can identify an area in which they would like to improve and create a goal for themselves. Remind students that these goals should be attainable and measurable. Display these goals in the classroom so that they can be reminded of their mindset journey.

The goal writing pictured above is part of the Giraffes Can’t Dance book companion resource.