Growth Mindset Activities for Kids That Truly Stick

Growth Mindset Lessons That Stick

In today’s classrooms, one of the most powerful tools we can offer children is the ability to believe in their own potential. That’s the heart of a growth mindset—the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, reflection, and resilience.

By integrating simple, consistent growth mindset activities for kids, educators help students take on challenges, learn from mistakes, and develop the inner tools they need to thrive—not just in academics, but in life.

What Is a Growth Mindset activities for kids, and Why Does It Matter?

Coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, a growth mindset contrasts with a fixed mindset. While a fixed mindset assumes our intelligence and talents are static, a growth mindset empowers students to see their learning as a work in progress: “I’m not there yet, but I can get there.”

Helping children develop a mindset for learning builds motivation, engagement, and emotional stamina. It teaches them that effort counts, challenges are welcome, and failure is simply part of growing.

It also aligns directly with social emotional learning, which emphasizes emotional awareness, resilience, and strong interpersonal skills—all crucial for navigating school and life.

Growth Mindset in the Classroom: The Role of SEL

A growth mindset doesn’t happen by accident. It’s cultivated through culture, language, and intentional teaching practices.

That’s where Social Emotional Learning (SEL) comes in. SEL lays the foundation for students to navigate frustration, reflect on effort, and recognize that mistakes aren’t personal—they’re growth opportunities.

Soul Shoppe’s Tools of the Heart curriculum helps educators equip students with these skills every day. When we allow kids to name their emotions, build relationships, and set goals, we’re also building their capacity to believe in their own growth.

Classroom Activities That Build Growth Mindset

Here are a few proven growth mindset activities for kids that help students internalize this powerful belief system:

1. The Power of “Yet”

Teach students to reframe defeatist thoughts with a single word: yet.

• “I can’t do long division” becomes “I can’t do long division yet.”
• Celebrate attempts, not just successes.
• Post “Power of Yet” reminders around the room.

This reframing helps students build positive self-talk and stay motivated even when learning is hard.

2. Mistake Celebrations

Normalize error-making as a valuable part of learning:

• Host “mistake of the week” moments where students can share something they learned from.
• Use class discussions to reflect on growth after challenges.
• As the teacher, model your own mistake recovery with openness and humor.

In SEL terms, this helps reduce shame and builds resilience.

3. Growth Journals

Reflection is key to growth mindset development. Create simple weekly journaling routines using prompts like:

• “One thing I struggled with and kept trying…”
• “What did I learn from a mistake this week?”
• “Something I can do now that I couldn’t do last month…”

Pair this with Tools of the Heart exercises that encourage emotional awareness and perseverance.

4. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset Sorting

Playfully help students learn the difference between fixed and growth statements:

• Fixed: “I’m just not good at this.”
• Growth: “I can keep improving with practice.”

Make this a small-group game, or turn it into an anchor chart students can revisit during tough moments.

5. Growth Mindset Affirmations

Create morning rituals with daily affirmations:

• “I grow through effort.”
• “I can do hard things.”
• “Every mistake helps me learn.”

This pairs beautifully with Soul Shoppe’s Elementary SEL Curriculum, which supports students in building both confidence and compassion.

Book-Based Mindset Lessons

Books offer a powerful way to model growth mindset for students. Try these titles to spark reflection and discussion:

• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
• The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
• Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

After reading, prompt students with:

• What challenge did the character face?
• What mindset helped them?
• Have you ever felt the same?

Building a Culture of Perseverance

To truly teach a growth mindset, we have to model it ourselves and build systems that reward effort, not perfection. Try:

• Praising process, not just product: “I see how hard you worked on that!”
• Encouraging self-reflection after mistakes, not shame.
• Giving space for do-overs and revision.

Soul Shoppe’s approach to Social Emotional Learning blends seamlessly with these efforts, giving kids a safe place to try again, speak their truth, and bounce back with support.

Quick Growth Mindset Wins for the Classroom

• Post quotes from athletes, artists, or scientists about how they learned from failure.
• Use “Failure Fridays” to share something that didn’t go right—and what came next.
• Introduce a “What did you try today?” wall where effort gets recognized.
• Pair growth mindset lessons with Planet Responsibility, helping students take ownership of their choices and progress.

Growth Mindset Grows Community

When students understand that learning is a journey, not a destination, they become more willing to collaborate, more compassionate toward themselves and others, and more invested in their own progress.

By weaving together growth mindset, SEL, and simple, developmentally appropriate strategies, we help kids believe in their power to change, grow, and thrive—no matter what challenges come their way.

Let’s create classrooms where perseverance, mistakes, and hope are all part of the plan.

Empowering Choice-Making Activities That Give Kids a Voice

Choice-Making Activities: Giving Kids a Voice

When kids are empowered to make choices—big or small—it sends a powerful message: your voice matters. Choice-making nurtures independence, builds self-confidence, and helps children grow into thoughtful decision-makers. In both classrooms and homes, offering children opportunities to practice making choices in safe, supported ways lays the foundation for lifelong emotional and social success.

Let’s explore choice-making activities and how they help children build self-trust, independence, and responsible decision-making—one confident “yes” at a time.

Why Choice-Making Is Important in Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

In the world of social-emotional learning, choice-making activities help students:

• Develop self-awareness: “What do I need right now?”
• Practice self-management: “How will my choice affect me or others?”
• Strengthen responsible decision-making: “What are the possible outcomes?”
• Build confidence: “I trust myself to make good choices.”

These aren’t just important skills for school—they’re skills for life.

How Small Choices Build Big Confidence

Children often have decisions made for them, from daily routines to behavior expectations. But when they’re given age-appropriate autonomy, they become more engaged, more responsible, and more willing to participate meaningfully.

Here are some examples of small but meaningful classroom choices that give students a voice:

• Activity order: “Would you like to do writing or math first?”
• Group roles: “Which job would you like in your team?”
• Calming strategies: “Do you want to use the Peace Path or take a mindfulness break?”
• Creative expression: “Would you rather draw or write in your journal today?”

These simple moments of empowerment allow children to feel ownership over their actions—and more importantly, their growth.

Choice-Making and Emotional Regulation

Making choices is closely tied to emotional regulation. When students feel anxious, overwhelmed, or upset, offering a regulated choice can de-escalate tension and redirect attention to solutions.

Example: A child feels frustrated during a group project. A teacher might offer:
“Would you like to take a walk or sit in our quiet corner for a moment?”

This gives the child control over their emotions without punishment, helping them return to learning with a calmer, clearer mind.

Choice-Making Activities to Try in the Classroom

Here are some classroom-friendly choice-making activities that support social-emotional growth:

The Choice Wheel

Create a colorful wheel or chart with different calming, learning, or break-time options. Students spin or choose when they need a brain or emotion break.

“Would You Rather?” SEL Edition

Pose lighthearted but meaningful questions: “Would you rather talk about your feelings or draw them?”

This game encourages introspection and ownership of expression.

The Choice Journal

Give students daily or weekly prompts that ask them to reflect on a choice they made and what they learned from it.

Classroom Jobs Voting

Instead of assigning roles, let students vote or volunteer for classroom responsibilities, promoting fairness, accountability, and using their voice.

Mindful Moments Menu

Offer a list of calming strategies students can pick from when they need a break. This could include breathing, listening to music, stretching, or using a stress ball.

Try the Tools of the Heart curriculum for even more ideas on teaching self-awareness and decision-making in the classroom.

Linking Choice-Making to SEL Core Competencies

• Self-Awareness: Kids learn to identify what they need.
• Self-Management: They gain tools to handle emotions.
• Responsible Decision-Making: They think through outcomes.
• Social Awareness: They consider how choices affect others.
• Relationship Skills: They practice collaboration and compromise.

Every small moment of choice-making is a step toward mastering these competencies.

Extending Choice-Making to Home and Family Life

Parents and caregivers can use the same ideas to encourage autonomy at home:

• “Would you like to brush your teeth before or after your story?”
• “Which snack would fuel your brain better?”
• “What would help you feel better right now: quiet time or a hug?”

Even these everyday options teach children the power of their voice.

Tools That Support Student Choice

Soul Shoppe’s programs are designed to help educators and families foster emotionally intelligent, choice-ready kids. Explore:

• Elementary SEL Curriculum – Grounded in student voice and agency.
• Tools of the Heart – Helps students build emotional intelligence and responsible decision-making.
• Peace Path – A guided visual tool for resolving conflicts with choice and ownership.

Empowerment Begins with Trust

When we give kids room to choose, we’re saying: I believe in you. That belief goes a long way. As children practice choice-making, they begin to understand that mistakes aren’t failures—they’re part of growing. They learn that their thoughts and feelings matter. And they begin to build the self-trust and emotional resilience that lasts a lifetime.

Let’s raise voices by offering choices.

Daily Check-Ins for Students: Boost Confidence with Mood Meters & Reflection Tools

In every classroom, students are carrying invisible emotions. Some may be quietly excited about a family event. Others might be anxious about a spelling test, a friend conflict, or something bigger that they can’t quite name. So at Soul Shoppe we suggest daily check-ins for students.

Daily check-ins for students create space to acknowledge those feelings—good, bad, and everything in between. These moments of reflection are more than just routine; they’re powerful tools for building self-awareness, resilience, and student confidence.

Why Daily Check-Ins Matter

Children thrive on connection and predictability. Starting or ending the day with a consistent classroom morning check-in (or afternoon reflection) provides:

• Emotional safety: Students feel seen and heard.
• Routine: Predictable structure builds trust.
• Self-expression: Kids learn to identify and name emotions.
• Confidence: When kids can reflect and be acknowledged, their sense of self grows.

These moments also provide valuable insight for teachers. You’ll quickly notice when a student is off, stressed, or needs support—all before it turns into a behavioral disruption or learning block.

Check-ins are a simple but powerful way to weave Social Emotional Learning into the rhythm of your classroom.

Daily Check-In Ideas to Boost Connection and Confidence

Here are easy-to-implement, meaningful activities that support daily check-ins for students—helping them feel emotionally grounded and ready to learn.

1. Mood Meters

Mood meters offer a visual way for kids to identify how they feel. These tools often include colors or quadrants representing energy and pleasantness (e.g., red = high energy, unpleasant; blue = low energy, unpleasant).

Encourage students to:

• Point to their mood
• Say one sentence about it
• Offer a strategy to shift or embrace that feeling

Using a mood meter builds emotional reflection skills while normalizing the full spectrum of emotions.

2. “One Word” Circles

Gather the class in a circle and invite each student to share one word to describe how they’re feeling. You might guide with a sentence stem like:

“One word for how I’m feeling today is…”

It’s quick, inclusive, and gives every voice a chance to be heard.

This strategy, often used in Tools of the Heart lessons, reinforces self-awareness while building classroom community.

3. Digital Polls and Feeling Surveys

For tech-friendly classrooms or upper grades, try tools like Google Forms, Padlet, or digital emojis where students can check in privately.

Benefits include:

• Quiet reflection time
• Safe space for introverted students
• Real-time insight for teachers

Use polls to ask about energy levels, excitement, challenges, or how students felt during a specific lesson. It helps them build reflection muscles and creates opportunities for follow-up support.

4. Feelings Chart or Poster

Place a Feelings Poster in a visible space. At the start or end of the day, ask:

• “Choose a feeling word from the chart that fits you today.”
• “Did your feelings shift from morning to now?”

This simple routine builds emotional vocabulary and helps students learn that feelings are natural, fluid, and worth naming.

5. Confidence Boost Cards

Have students write short affirmations or appreciations to themselves or peers:

• “I tried something hard today.”
• “I noticed that I stayed calm even when I was frustrated.”
• “You helped me in group work—thank you.”

These quick notes can be posted, journaled, or placed in a “Confidence Jar.” When students reflect on their progress, they internalize growth and strengthen resilience.

6. “Rose, Thorn, Bud” Reflections

This classic activity invites kids to share:

• Rose: A highlight
• Thorn: A challenge
• Bud: Something they’re looking forward to

It supports emotional reflection exercises and shows kids that life includes ups, downs, and things yet to bloom. Plus, it fosters empathy as students hear one another’s stories.

How Daily Check-Ins Build Confidence

When students are invited to pause, reflect, and speak about their experiences regularly, several things happen:

• They learn their voice matters.
• They grow trust with peers and adults.
• They practice emotional vocabulary and perspective-taking.
• They begin to see themselves as resilient and capable.

These micro-moments of reflection are foundational to developing lifelong skills like self-advocacy, compassion, and focus.

Through daily check-ins, students aren’t just asked “How are you?”—they’re being taught how to answer.

Integrating Check-Ins into SEL Curriculum

Soul Shoppe’s Elementary SEL Curriculum naturally supports check-in routines. Lessons incorporate tools like:

• I-Feel Statements
• Peace Path strategies
• Body and brain calming tools
• Reflection on social-emotional challenges

Adding check-ins before or after an SEL lesson creates space for deeper processing and connection. These routines complement academic learning and create a classroom culture rooted in respect and emotional safety.

Small Moments, Big Impact

Confidence isn’t built in one lesson—it’s cultivated daily through consistent, caring moments. Morning check-ins, mood meters, and “one word” shares may seem small, but over time they shape how students see themselves and each other.

By incorporating daily check-ins for students, we help kids start each day with intention and end it with reflection. That sense of ownership and emotional awareness becomes the groundwork for everything else—learning, empathy, and leadership.

How to Build Empathy in the Classroom

Empathy is at the heart of social-emotional learning (SEL). It’s what allows students to care about each other, resolve conflicts peacefully, and create classrooms where everyone feels seen and heard.

But empathy doesn’t just happen. It’s a skill—and like any skill, it needs to be modeled, taught, and practiced.

In this post, we’ll explore the role of empathy in SEL, how to cultivate social awareness in schools, and share empathy activities for students that help them step into someone else’s shoes with compassion and curiosity.

Why Empathy in the Classroom Matters in School Communities

Why Empathy is more than “being nice.” It’s the ability to:

• Recognize and understand someone else’s feelings
• Respond with compassion and care
• Acknowledge differences without judgment

When empathy is part of daily classroom life, students are:

• Less likely to bully or exclude others
• More likely to cooperate, help, and build friendships
• Better at managing conflict and expressing themselves respectfully

When Empathy isn’t just a benefit to others—it helps students become more emotionally resilient themselves.

Empathy in the SEL Framework

Empathy is a key component of social awareness, one of the five core SEL competencies. Here’s how it fits into the bigger picture:

Teaching empathy supports academic achievement, too. Classrooms with strong empathy cultures have fewer behavior disruptions, higher peer engagement, and stronger emotional safety—all of which contribute to better learning outcomes.

Explore how this works in our Elementary SEL Curriculum or learn more about Social Emotional Learning.

Empathy Activities for Students in the Classroom (Grades K–6)

The following are activities that can support building empathy in classrooms.

1. “If I Were In Their Shoes” Game

Read a short story or present a real-life situation (e.g., a student drops their lunch tray). Ask:

• “How do you think they feel?”
• “What might they need right now?”
• “What would you do if you were them?”

This helps kids practice perspective-taking and develop emotional vocabulary.

2. “Mirror Faces” Exercise

Pair students up. One child makes a facial expression (happy, sad, worried, surprised), and the other mirrors it. Then they guess the feeling.

This activity builds emotional awareness and empathy through nonverbal communication.

3. Empathy Journals

Invite students to reflect weekly on questions like:

• “Who helped you this week?”
• “Who might need help right now?”
• “How can you be a friend to someone who feels left out?”

Encourage personal connections through writing, drawing, or both.

4. “Kindness Web”

In a circle, one student holds a ball of yarn, says something kind about another student, then passes the yarn. Repeat until everyone’s connected. This makes inclusion and appreciation visible.

5. Story Time with a Twist

Choose books that highlight characters from different cultures, abilities, or experiences. Pause to ask:

• “What is this character feeling?”
• “What would you do if you were their friend?”

Books like Last Stop on Market Street or Each Kindness are excellent SEL empathy lessons for elementary students.

6. Empathy Freeze Tag

Play tag with a twist: when someone is tagged, they freeze in a feeling (e.g., scared, angry, tired), and another player must guess and act out a helpful response to “unfreeze” them.

This combines movement with emotional literacy and peer problem-solving.

Teaching Kindness Through Daily Habits

Empathy grows when it’s part of the classroom culture. Here’s how to build it into your daily routines:

• Model It Out Loud: Narrate your own empathic thinking—“I wonder how he’s feeling right now.”
• Use I-Feel Statements: Encourage students to say, “I feel ___ when ___” to express emotions non-defensively.
• Celebrate Differences: Acknowledge and appreciate the unique identities, cultures, and strengths of your students.
• Normalize Mistakes: Let students practice empathy when others mess up—and when they do too.
• Create Community Agreements: Invite students to co-create rules that honor kindness, listening, and belonging.

Explore more tools like our Tools of the Heart to help students resolve conflicts using empathy and responsibility.

Quick Journal Prompts for Empathy Building

Try adding these as bell ringers, morning meetings, or reflection time:

• “A time someone showed me kindness was…”
• “I noticed someone feeling __ today. I helped by…”
• “If someone felt left out at lunch, I could…”
• “What does being a good friend mean to you?”

These questions support deeper self-reflection and compassionate classroom behavior.

Why Empathy Needs to Be Practiced, Not Just Taught

Empathy can’t be taught in a single lesson. It needs to be:

• Modeled by adults
• Practiced in real-life situations
• Supported through stories, games, and discussions
• Embedded in conflict resolution and relationship-building

It’s not about being perfect—it’s about being present and intentional.

By making empathy a central part of your teaching, you’re helping students feel safe, valued, and emotionally connected—and that’s a foundation for everything else.