Ages: 7-12

Lesson Objective:

This lesson sets the foundation for a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, people believe skills and abilities can be gained through hard work and dedication. 

Group Meeting:

Gather your group to the meeting area and have them take a seat.

• Tell the children that today’s discussion and activities will be about the mindset and attitudes we have when things are going great and how to stay positive when things get tough.
• To begin a discussion, ask the group the following questions:

1. 1. 1. What are some skills or hobbies you’re really good at?
      2. Is there a school subject that’s easy for you? What is it?
      3. Is there a game or sport you can win easily?

• Once the children have discussed the things they have talent in, flip the questions around, and ask the following:

1. 1. 1. What’s something you’re not very good at?
      2. Is there a school subject that’s hard or you don’t really enjoy?
      3. What games or sports do you find difficult?

• Explain to the group, “When we find something that’s hard for us, it’s easy to give up or call it quits early on. This is called a Fixed Mindset. Although this may be the ‘easy way out,’ it’s not useful in the long run. We may find ourselves with a bad attitude toward challenges or realize we gave up when we just didn’t have the skills yet. For example, I had to ride a tricycle as a toddler before I could ride a bike, and I had to use a pencil for a long time before I could write any words.”

• Refer back to an example stated by a child about their talents, ask how long they’ve been doing it, or how much practice it took to get good at it.

• Continue the discussion, “Whether it’s a famous football player, a musician, or a scientist- no one was automatically a professional when they started out. We all have to start somewhere. Many people believe in having something that’s called a growth mindset. This means rather than staying away from a challenge or giving up, you accept the challenge, try hard, and learn from your mistakes. You don’t know it yet, but one day you will”!

• To transition to the activity, encourage the children to be mindful of having a good attitude even if it’s something they’re learning for the first time. The games you’ll be playing are likely going to be new to many of them.

Summary of Tasks/Activity:

Minute to Win It: Face the Cookie

1. Place a cookie on a kid’s forehead. Challenge them to get the cookie into their mouth without using their hands, only face muscles. 
2. If the cookie falls off their face, put it back on their forehead and let them try again until a minute has passed.

Minute to Win It: Wrap It Up

1. Have the children split off into groups of two to four (depending on the group size).
2. One child must volunteer as the “mummy” of the group, and the other(s) will receive a roll of toilet paper. 
3. The groups have one minute to wrap their “mummy” up completely.
4. Whoever covers the most in one-minute wins!

What’s one more Challenge?

1. To finish the lesson, tell the children that the final challenge of the day is to write or draw one thing they want to improve.
2. Pass out paper, writing, and drawing utensils.
3. Help children brainstorm skills they’d like to improve.

Materials/Equipment:

• Paper 
• Pencils
• Colored pencils
• Crayons
• Cookies (enough for each kid to have one)
• Toilet paper rolls (enough for each player to have one roll)

Class 14 — Growth vs. Fixed Mindset PDF Lesson Plan