Wait, What Is a Growth Mindset?

Are you a person that gets frustrated when faced with a new problem? Do 

you sometimes give up when trying to learn something new? These are 

growth Mindset Activities to help you get over these issues. Learning and

trying new things are often abandoned by people such as this due to their 

unwillingness to put in the time and effort to accomplish a goal. Or perhaps 

it might be fear that keeps this type of person from continuing, or even 

trying in the first place. A person with a fixed mindset does not strive to get 

out of their comfort zone so as to learn and grow.

On the contrary, a person characterized as having a “growth mindset” is

the type of person that enjoys trying new things, even if they fail at them at

first. 

The fear of failure is not strong enough to deter them from trying, and 

learning new things is an enjoyable activity.

The term “growth mindset” is a phrase that was created by psychologist 

Carol Dweck, and popularized in her book: Mindset: The New Psychology of

Success. Dweck explains people with a growth mindset are people who  

“believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication 

and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.”

Dweck has also gone on record saying that she believes that people with a 

growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset, lead happier, more 

successful lives in general.

Isn’t a Growth Mindset For Children?

It is true that the “growth mindset” doctrine is very popular in the

education arena. Dweck herself has spent most of her career in this realm

and many educational institutions are applying this idea to their

classrooms. However,  the idea of a growth mindset itself is just as much for

adults as it is children.

Have you ever heard of the saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? 

This idea has been used by adults for a very long time as an excuse to 

retain the thought process that the brain is not as capable as an adult of 

learning new things. Whether or not it just made it easier to continue to 

remain in a person’s comfort zone or not is debatable, but it used to be 

believed that the brain did not have the ability to continue to grow and 

change after a certain age.

Now, however, with the idea of neuroplasticity, we now know that the

brain can grow and change, whether to overcome trauma from an injury,

or merely from a change in surroundings. These new findings then suggest 

that anyone can learn something new, and at any age.

Are Growth Mindset Activities How I Do It?

In a word, yes. Growth mindset activities, i.e. activities aimed at fostering a 

more open and capable mindset, are exactly how this is accomplished. 

There are a plethora of these activities as well, varying according to age 

group. There are activities aimed at children that the educational system 

utilize and as well as activities for adults. The purpose of both being to 

curate a more open, capable and successful growth mindset.

Growth Mindset Activities for Children

Teaching children to have a growth mindset tends to be easier as there are 

fewer bad habits to have to get over. Starting as early as kindergarten is 

ideal to more easily establish a child on the right path. 

Changing the Language

Changing the way children speak is a wonderful way to start them on the 

path to curating a growth mindset. Young children love to say “I can’t” and 

there is no better place to begin. Reframing their language into a more 

positive connotation starts to change the way they think about problems. 

One especially common reframe is adding “yet” at the end of any negative 

phrases like “I can’t”, “I’m not” and “I don’t”. 

Making Mistakes Seem More Normal

Making mistakes is normal. Yet sometimes children develop the idea that 

making a mistake is a terrible thing. This makes them afraid of trying 

something new and thus holds them back. Explaining to a child that 

everyone makes mistakes and that it is normal can put a child on a 

completely different path. Explaining to a child that mistakes are not all

bad as long as they are viewed as lessons and not failures gives them more 

confidence to try new things. 

3-2-1 Exercise

This exercise begins to teach children to cognitively explore their 

progression. It can be done at the end of every day or at the end of the 

week. The idea is to have them ask themselves three questions and then 

provide their answers, They are: 

1. What are 3 things I’ve learned?

2. What are 2 things I want to learn?

3. What is 1 question I still have?

This activity is perfect for getting children to take control of their learning 

mindset and feel more empowered whilst doing it.

Grow-ga 

This activity is the combination of yoga and growth mindset affirmation. 

Since yoga is also being practiced more and more by children, adding 

affirmations to the poses helps to ingrain them into a child’s thought 

process. During each pose, children say an affirmation out loud. Some 

examples are:

Growth Mindset Activities For Adults

Rinse And Repeat

Most of the activities already mentioned may also be utilized by an adult. 

Someone who is new to the idea of a growth mindset naturally has a fixed 

mindset and therefore the simple introductions that are given to a child

also apply. Changing the language and changing the idea about mistakes

being lessons and not failures are especially important for anyone new to

the growth mindset mentality. Take the test and find out if you have a fixed 

mindset or a growth mindset.

But Wait There’s More!

One of the absolute best ways to foster a growth mindset is to start reading 

every day. There are more books about creating a growth mindset today 

than ever. I also feel it necessary to mention the woman that is considered 

to be foremost expert and creator of the term growth mindset, Carol S. 

Dweck Ph.D., author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. If you 

do decide to commit, this definitely needs to be on your list.

Learning A New Skill

Learning something new presents a level of challenge or stress to the brain 

which is what causes it, similar to any muscle in the body, to grow.

Thinking of your brain as the most powerful muscle in your body will cause

the mindset of growth to either begin and/or increase. You will challenge 

yourself to learn a new skill and in the process step outside of your comfort 

zone. Your brain will adapt and create the neural pathways needed for this 

new skill.

 Do You Have Grit? 

Not only does learning a new skill increase your abilities, but it also 

strengthens your skills of patience and persistence, otherwise known as 

Grit. Grit is defined as your perseverance to meet your goals. It is the 

amount of effort you are willing to put forth to accomplish something and 

your willingness to keep moving–no matter how difficult things get.

Cultivating grit is not an easy task but one that will reward you

handsomely in the long run.

Keep a Journal and Retrospect

Another fantastic growth mindset activity for adults is keeping a daily 

journal for at least 21 days. The journal should be focused on trying 

something new every day. This exercise is fantastic at getting a person out 

of their comfort zone and allowing real growth. 

For the first week you will most likely stick to things closer to your normal, 

but by the third week you will definitely be trying things well outside of

this realm and causing yourself to increase your abilities at a greater rate.

This will also boost your confidence and sense of worth as you have newer

and greater skills to utilize in your everyday life.

Just The Beginning

Now that I have gone through some of the top growth mindset activities for 

children and adults, understand that I have merely scratched the surface. 

There are literally hundreds of other activities, doctrines and ideas that

will help anyone of any age cultivate a growth mindset and hopefully

achieve all of their goals and dreams. All you have to do is be willing to

start.

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