Growth mindset activities for preschoolers are a perfect way to help build self-confidence and resilience. Keep reading to find out more.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
What is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is a mindset that new things can be learned because people aren’t born with specific abilities.
Failure is a great way to help someone assess what went wrong and to help them learn.
How to Teach a Growth Mindset
Having a growth mindset is something kids need to be taught (ironic, right?).
Preschoolers learn best through play, and because of this, the lessons about having a growth mindset must be engaging and fun.
Lecturing a preschooler about anything won’t get you far or help them retain the information.
These preschool growth mindset activities are the perfect addition to any preschool setting.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
Growth Mindset Activities for Preschoolers
Read Growth Mindset Books
With many things we teach preschoolers, books are among the best places to start!
Kids connect to story characters and can surprisingly recall what happens in books.
We have a collection of growth mindset books outlined in this post to help you.
Make an ” I can’t ….. Yet!” poster.
The idea of ‘yet’ comes up when talking about a growth mindset.
I can’t ride a bike yet.
I can’t do the monkey bars yet.
It shows that although the goal hasn’t been achieved right now, with practice and hard work, the goal can be achieved.
For this growth mindset activity:
Talk with your little one about the idea of yet.
Have her brainstorm what she would like to do but isn’t able to yet.
Write “I can’t” at the top of a page. Leave the middle blank and write “…yet!” at the bottom.
Have your little one draw in the middle what she wants to accomplish.
You can add words next to the picture to describe her goal.
STEAM Challenges
The beauty of STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, (Arts), Math) challenges is that there is no right way to solve the problem.
This gets little ones thinking about different strategies and trying new ways to solve the problem if the first wasn’t successful.
What is a STEM/ STEAM challenge?
A task (problem) is presented to kids.
They are given materials and time to try to solve the problem.
This can be anything from protecting a castle from invaders to creating a boat that floats to coming up with a way to protect an egg when it is dropped from a certain height.
The challenge encourages them to think creatively and develop a growth mindset as they try different ways to make it work!
Change it Around
You say some negatively worded statements to do this preschool growth mindset activity.
Work together with your little one to figure out how to say it in a positive way.
Think of it as practice with opposites.
“I’m not strong enough to do that” can turn into “It may take time, but I know I can do it”
Practice these with other statements.
If you catch them saying negatively worded statements, try rephrasing them and reaffirming that you believe in them.
Show Famous Fails
Some of the fantastic things we have today are because the inventor failed.
Walt Disney thought he had no good ideas or any imagination while working as a newspaper editor.
Look at what he accomplished!
Popsicles were invented when an 11-year-old boy concocted water and powdered mix.
He left it outside by accident, and it froze with the wooden stick he used to stir it still in it.
You can show your kids many famous failures to inspire them never to give up.
Yoga with Positive Affirmations
Get the benefits of yoga and positive affirmations by putting them together.
Have your little one do some yoga moves.
With each pose, have her say a positive affirmation:
- I am strong.
- I am kind.
- I can do hard things.
- I am a problem solver.
Part of having a growth mindset is believing in yourself.
Positive affirmations are a great way to reinforce that belief in your little ones.
This is one of the preschool growth mindset activities that can be used daily and freshened up with new yoga moves or affirmations.
Watch Growth Mindset Videos
Many different videos on the internet tell kids about and encourage a growth mindset.
Sometimes videos resonate better with kids than other growth mindset activities for preschoolers.
What I Love About Myself
Self-love helps to build confidence and promotes a growth mindset.
This is one of the growth mindset activities for preschoolers that can be added to even after the activity is done.
Have your little one draw a picture of herself.
Add on things she loves about herself.
Help her to think about who she is as a person and not only about what she looks like.
Create a Plan Together
Come up with a plan for handling a problem your little one runs into.
If he has trouble doing something, what should he do next instead of running to get you to come to fix the problem?
Having a plan and practicing it shows your little one that you care about him enough to let him fail and that you believe in him enough to solve his own problems.
Talking through a solution with your little one is a great way to encourage a growth mindset.
It may take some time not to do the task for your little one, but you can do it!
You’ll be thankful you let him fail when you see him flourish.
This is one of the growth mindset activities for preschoolers that encourages you to work side by side with your little one to help him problem-solve.
Good and Grow Conversations
Ask your little one about the best part of his day at dinner.
Following that, ask what made him grow today.
In other words, what is a problem he was able to solve to help himself grow?
This helps him reflect on his day and share his accomplishments with the family.
He will begin to recognize that there are things each day that help him grow.
By asking these two questions, you show him you care about him and his growth mindset.
Preschool Growth Mindset Activities
It’s never too early to start encouraging a growth mindset with your little one.
Pull together some of these growth mindset activities for preschoolers and enjoy seeing your little one grow.