Growth mindset has taken the world by storm, and it definitely has a place in the classroom. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite growth mindset kids activities that you can use with your students. By creating a growth mindset classroom and weaving growth mindset activities for kids into our school day, we are helping build a foundation of self esteem and success for our students.

Read on for some fun and meaningful growth mindset for kids activities ideas!

Looking for some pre-planned, low-prep activities? Check out the Growth Mindset Curriculum!

Growth Mindset For Students

What is growth mindset anyway? If you’re not familiar with growth mindset, here is a brief overview. It explores the idea that some of us have a “fixed mindset”, which means we believe our abilities are a certain way and that there’s not much we can do about it. And others have a “growth mindset”, which means they believe that they have the capacity to learn and grow and get better at just about anything.

Carol Dweck has led the way with research about growth mindset. But she says there’s a lot more to it than just putting in effort to show improvement.  While perseverance is certainly a trademark of growth mindset work, it’s also about embracing and even enjoying challenges, rather than shying away from them.

But you’re probably wondering, “How does this relate to my students?” Researchers are highly interested in the impact growth mindset can have on students in the classroom. Don’t we want our students to be excited to challenge themselves, enthusiastic about learning new things, and perseverant through difficult stages of growth? Heck yes, we do! And growth mindset can help all of those things.

(Want more info about growth mindset? Check out this podcast episode with Carol Dweck.)

Growth Mindset Classroom

As teachers, we want to think about how we can incorporate growth mindset classroom activities throughout the school year. Back to school season is a perfect time to start, but you can do these activities really any time of year and they will still be very effective.

And luckily, there are a number of very fun ways to weave in these growth mindset for kids activities! Crafts, full-class activities, read alouds, and anchor charts are some of my favorites. You can get a full list of my favorite growth mindset read alouds here.

Here are some engaging and fun activities for growth mindset you can try in your classroom this year! 

Growth Mindset For Kids Activities

1. Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset Anchor Chart

Teaching your students the vocabulary to help them understand a “fixed mindset” versus a “growth mindset” is the perfect place to start. I love that this anchor chart has examples of both kinds of language, so that students get a clear idea of these different ways of thinking.

A fun way to make this a full-class activity is to read the statements out loud and have the students decide which side they should go on.

A great read aloud to pair with this activity is Your Fantastic Elastic Brain.

2. YET Crown

This cute crown comes with an adorable poem printed on it to help remind students that just because they aren’t there yet, doesn’t mean they won’t get there! 

Crowns are always a hit in my classroom! Students will love decorating these fun crowns as they set goals for things they can’t do yet.

3. Growth Mindset Bulletin Board

Creating a growth mindset bulletin board can be a great activity to do with your whole class. You can give them “fixed mindset” statement and let them brainstorm how to flip them into “growth mindset” statements! 

Plus, the bulletin board then serves as a long-term visual reminder for students about the importance of using their growth mindset.

4. Setting Goals Craft

Setting goals is great growth mindset practice for our students. It helps them feel in charge of their learning, and it makes difficulties feel more expected. This craft is great because it reminds your students that not all goals come easy. Sometimes we make goals that will take more time and effort, and that’s okay!

5. YET Anchor Chart

The word “yet” can be so powerful for your students! It’s a great way to flip moments of frustration into positive light. You can make the word “yet” a common phrase in your classroom. Whenever someone is struggling with something, remind them “You just can’t do it yet.” 

This anchor chart helps students brainstorm things that they want to achieve, and adding the word “yet” makes these goals feel far more attainable!

A great read aloud to pair with this activity is The Magical Yet.

6. Flip that Mindset Craft

Help your students practice turning negative thoughts to positive ones with this fun craft. Students paste the “fixed mindset” statements to the gray side of the brain, and then find the flipped statement to paste on the “growth mindset” side of the brain!

7. Positive Messages Fortune Teller

The messages we tell ourselves matter a lot. In fact, a lot of growth mindset activities and books for students are centered around messaging. Are we telling ourselves things from a “fixed mindset” perspective? Or a “growth mindset” perspective?

This fortune teller is full of encouraging growth mindset messages for students to use when they feel stuck. They can do it with a friend, or just use it themselves whenever they need some words of encouragement.

8. Growth Mindset Conversation Dice

This is a fun way to get your students talking and thinking about growth mindset in the classroom. These dice have different questions and conversation starters about growth mindset topics. Put students in pairs or groups and let them chat about these different ideas!

9. Easy or Hard Craft

Sometimes your students forget how much learning they’ve already conquered! Do they remember how long it took them to learn to walk? Or to master their ABCs? And now those things are second nature to them! 

This growth mindset craft helps us look back at things that are now easy, and look forward to things that currently feel hard. But with practice and perseverance, those hard things will one day be easy!

10. Growth Mindset Coloring Pages

These growth mindset coloring sheets are so fun! While I wouldn’t use these just on their own, I do think they would be a great addition to some of these other activities. These would be handy to sprinkle in throughout the year to keep growth mindset phrases fresh and familiar.

Growth Mindset Classroom Activities

Hopefully, this has given you some great ideas for getting started with growth mindset in your classroom! These growth mindset for kids activities are so important for helping your students have a positive mindset and believe in their ability to learn. 

And do you know what one of the biggest factors is in your students’ success with growth mindset? 

Their teacher’s growth mindset! If we believe they can grow and learn, they are way more likely to!

If you’re looking for more support, check out my Growth Mindset Curriculum.

Which of these activities are you going to try first? Tell me in the comments!
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

15 Growth Mindset Kids Books Every Teacher Needs To Have In Their Library

9 Amazing Ideas to Teach the Importance of Social Emotional Learning in Your Classroom

Back To School Crafts You Need To Try This Year

The post 10 Growth Mindset For Kids Activities Your Students Will Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for back to school crafts your students will love!

Jump to…

• Getting to Know You Crafts
• Rules and Routines Crafts
• Kindness Crafts
• Social Emotional Learning Crafts
• Back to School Arts and Crafts

Back to School Activities

Back to school season is an important time for teachers and our students. This is the time to lay the foundations of a great school year.

As teachers, we need to use these back to school weeks to build relationships, get our students excited about learning, and set expectations. There are lots of choices for great ways to do this! We can do this through games, children’s books, anchor charts, and…back to school arts and crafts!

If you’re looking for more great ideas to use with your students during back to school this year, read this post 21 Amazing Activities For the First Week of School.

Back to School Crafts

You can use back to school crafts in a variety of ways. Back to school crafts for kids don’t have to just be for fun decorations. Actually, we can use them purposefully in our back to school activities. For example, you might use crafts to:

• Learn or celebrate student names
• Set learning goals and get excited to learn
• Get to know each other and build friendships between students
• Learn about classroom routines and procedures
• Talk about feelings and emotions
• Establish classroom rules and expectations

Let’s dive into some examples so we can see these back to school crafts in action!

Back to School Craft Ideas

Here are 15 wonderful back to school craft ideas for you to use with your students this year. This list is organized into four categories: Getting to Know You, Rules and Routines, Kindness, and Social Emotional Learning. These are the most important things to be learning about at the beginning of the school year, so it’s a great place to start!

Getting to Know You Crafts

Building relationships is so important at the beginning of the school year! Here are some amazing back to school crafts for getting to know your students.

A Letter For My Teacher

This simple back to school craft is a great way to get to know your students! It gives the opportunity for students to tell you some things about themselves. (The template is in my TPT store right here.)

Heart Map

Get to know your students by having them create a heart map. Students color in their heart with the parts of their lives that are most important to them.

First Day Feelings

Normalizing everyone's feelings is an important part of the first week of school. This back to school activity helps students process any nervousness they have and start to feel more comfortable in their new classroom. (You can get this template in my TPT store here.)

Name Bookmarks

Celebrate student names with these name bookmarks! My students loved decorating these during the first week of school – it made a great activity for early finishers or if you finish a lesson early. (This editable template is available in my TPT store here.)

Shooting Star Goals

Encourage your students to think about what they want to learn this year. Have the write down three things they want to learn, then create their shooting star.

(Want all these activities and crafts for less? Check out my First Week of School Activity Bundle right here!)

Rules and Routines Crafts

Learning your classroom rules and routines doesn’t have to be boring! Help students process all this new learning with these hands-on arts and crafts projects. You can find more ideas for teaching rules and routines in my blog post 5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas.

Classroom Materials Flipbook

Setting expectations around care of classroom materials is so important at the beginning of the school year. This classroom materials flipbook helps students remember the right way to take care of their school belongings.

Classroom Rules Flower

Classroom rules – but make it arts and crafts! After teaching your classroom rules, have students write them down on each petal of this fun and colorful flower. These make a fun classroom decoration.

Listening Body Cut and Paste

Encourage students to explore what they need to have their best behavior during group lessons. This provides a great time to talk about what listening looks like for different students, and to set the expectations that work best for you and your classroom. (This template is available in my TPT store here.)

Class Promise

Creating a class promise is a great way for students to feel like part of their classroom community. Have students help you come up with your classroom rules. Then each student places their handprint around the chart to show that they will do their best to follow those rules. (You can get this class promise template for free right here!)

(Want more rules and routines activities and crafts? Check out my Routines and Procedures Activity Bundle right here!)

Kindness Crafts

I always start the school year off emphasizing kindness in the classroom. Here are some simple craft suggestions for integrating kindness into your classroom. Read this blog post for how to do a Week of Kindness with your students.

Friendly Notes To A Classmate

This is one of my favorite back to school crafts for spreading kindness in the classroom. Have a time when students can write notes to each other and deliver them anonymously. They're bound to bring a smile to each student's face! (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

Wow Words Crown

Talk about qualities that you want to see in your students. Have them decorate these crowns to show that they all have these qualities within themselves! (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

Kindness Chain

Every time you see your students being kind, add a link to the paper chain. See how long your chain can get! (You can get the template for this in my TPT store here.)

Bucket Filler

Teaching about bucket filling is one of my favorite ways to talk about kindness with my students. The book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” explains acts of kindness in a clear and accessible way for children. (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

(Want even more kindness activities and crafts? Check out my Week of Kindness Activity Bundle right here!)

Social Emotional Crafts

It’s never too early to start weaving social emotional learning into your school day. These types of activities help students feel safe and help them build important social skills right out of the gate. Here are some back to school crafts that will start this SEL work from the beginning of school!

Growth Mindset Craft

Teaching growth mindset is a great way to start off the new school year. This back to school craft helps teach students about fixed mindset versus growth mindset. (This craft template is part of the Growth Mindset Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Positive Affirmations

Self-love is becoming more and more important for young people to practice. This back to school craft helps students practice positive affirmations. (This craft template is part of the Self-Love Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Making New Friends

Making new friends at the start of a new school year can be challenging for many students. This is one of my favorite back to school crafts for friendship because it gives students concrete strategies they can try out to make some new friends. (This craft template is part of the Friendship Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Back to School Arts and Crafts

Are you as excited as me about using back to school crafts this year? These ideas are a great starting point, and of course there are lots more you can use!

If you need more inspiration, check out my Classroom Community Megabundle for more ideas.

Which back to school craft idea are you excited to try? Tell me in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

21 Amazing Ideas for Activities on the First Day of School

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

The post Back To School Crafts You Need To Try This Year appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for 10 of my favorite end of year crafts to try in your classroom.

(Want something prepped and ready to go? Check out my end of the year memories anchor chart and craft activity right here!)

End of the Year Craft Ideas

There are so many ways to celebrate the end of the year. (Check out this post for end of the year celebration ideas). Plus, it’s a special time to recognize the journey you’ve taken together as a class. Students have grown and changed during the school year, and they’ve bonded with you and their classmates. 

It’s important to honor this learning and growth, not just because it’s fun, but because it helps students prepare themselves mentally and emotionally for ending their time with you. The crafts in this round-up all focus on celebrating learning, growth, and memories. And they help students not only look back on what they’ve accomplished, but also look forward toward what’s next!

Memories Booklet

This Memories Booklet is such a sweet end of year craft. It prompts students to look back at the year they’ve had and remember their favorite times. Not only does it serve as a great way to reminisce about the year, but it also will be a sweet keepsake for students to keep and look back on in the future. You can get templates for this craft right here.

Memories Anchor Chart

This idea is extra fun because it’s an activity you can do together as a class. First, have your class remember and share some of their favorite things they’ve done this year. Then, give each student one of the polaroid cut-outs for them to draw their favorite memory and write their name. Finally, paste all the polaroid cut-outs onto the anchor chart to create a memory collage you can display in your classroom!

Click here to get this anchor chart template.

Goodbye Stars

This is such a fun way to help students get ready to say goodbye to their friends! As a class, you brainstorm phrases you could write to your friends to say goodbye and wish them a happy summer. Then every student gets a large star for all their friends to write a message on. 

I love this idea for creating a simple way for students to give a simple message to their friends. Students will love getting to take home these special stars for summer time.

Memory Lapbook

There is something just so fun about lapbooks! And I love this one because of all the different pieces students get to put together. This craft is all about remembering the great times from the year. I love that it has lots of different parts for students to reflect on and record their favorite parts of the year.

Mini Year Book

This end of the year craft idea is designed for students to make a page in each other’s booklets, so that they end up with a little mini-yearbook at the end. The pages include a simple prompt for students to draw and write a favorite memory they had with their friend. 

You get to choose how many pages the students have. You can have one for every student in the class. Or, you could limit it to 5 and have students just choose 5 friends to write in their booklets for a shorter activity.

Click here to get the template for this craft!

Memory Wheel

This fun end of the year craft could be adapted for any grade level. Students get to think about their favorite memories. Then they add them to this wheel-shaped design. You’ll end up with a great little keepsake or classroom display!

Class T-Shirts

I love creating our very own t-shirts with my class each year. This one is always a big hit with my students.

First, students bring in a plain white t-shirt from home. Then, we all sign the backs of the shirts with sharpies. Finally, students get to decorate the front of the shirts with fabric paint. These make the perfect shirts to wear on the last day of school and take some fun pictures together.

Memories Flower

This is one of my favorite end of the year craft ideas because they turn out so beautiful you’ll want to display them in your classroom! In each flower petal, students record one of their favorite memories from the school year. Then the edge of the petals can be decorated with sequins to make them extra beautiful.

You can grab the template for this craft right here!

Ice Cream Memories

This is another fun memories craft for the end of the year. Students record their favorite memories on different scoops of ice cream. Then the scoops get stacked on top of each other to create a super cute ice cream cone. This craft is such a fun way to celebrate the year that’s past while also building up excitement for the upcoming summer months.

Wave Goodbye

This is a fun end of the year activity that is a pure art craft. Students trace their hand and create a cut out. Then they decorate a paper with paint marks to create a fun background. The hand print cut out gets glued onto the background paper to look like it’s waving. For the final touch, give students a little poem about the end of the year to glue on next to the hand.

This end of the year craft idea could help you have a discussion with younger students about the end of the year, what it means, and to help them process any feelings of anxiety they have around it. The more we can prepare our little ones for change ahead of time, the better they will be able to handle it!

End of the Year Crafts

I hope this helped you find the perfect end of the year craft for your students! Crafts are the perfect activity for when you’re feeling those end of the year blues kick in (or that end of the year craziness!).

Any of these end of the year craft ideas would be a fun way to close out the school year. They make fun displays for the end of the year, and they become beautiful keepsakes to help students and families look back and remember the fun school year.

Remember if you need something prepped and ready to go, you can get this end of the year craft and activity bundle:

Which craft are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

Student Gifts For The End Of The Year That Are Totally Cute And Totally Affordable 

5 Activities For The End Of The School Year That Your Students Will Love!

The post 10 End of the Year Craft Ideas Your Students Will Absolutely Love  appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

My students absolutely love learning about new places in the world. Celebrating and honoring Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a perfect opportunity to give my students a chance to experience and learn about some amazing countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands.

For many of my students, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a chance to see new places they've never learned about before. For some students, it's a chance to celebrate their own cultures and to see characters like themselves in the books and activities we do.

(Looking for some done-for-you activities to do with your class during Asian American Heritage Month? Check out my Asia Virtual Field Trip bundle!)

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Activities

There are some amazing ways to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in your classroom! My favorite ways are with virtual field trips, books, and crafts. These are guaranteed to engage your students and get them excited to learn about the amazing cultures found in countries of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Read on for lots of ideas!

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips have been growing in popularity ever since so many of us had to switch into virtual learning in March of 2020. Virtual field trips are fun and engaging ways for students to visit and learn more about places all over the world. Doing virtual field trips to various countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands can be a great way to have your students learn lots of new facts about these places.

Usually virtual field trips consist of a slide show containing links to videos, prompts to discuss learning, and sometimes an activity. These can be fun to put together yourself, if you already have information in mind that you'd like your students to learn about. Maps, video tours, and photos are great visuals for immersing students and helping transport them to a new place!

My students this year LOVED our Asia virtual field trips! They were so excited every time I announced we were doing another virtual field trip that day. I did one per week during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, so we were able to visit quite a few countries.

If you're interested in the virtual field trips that I used, you can check out my Asia Virtual Field Trip Bundle! It includes virtual field trips to 3 countries: India, Japan, and China. There are 4-5 videos in each slideshow, as well as companion crafts and follow-up activities.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Books

One of my favorite ways to teach any topic is through children's books. Books help us connect and see new perspectives, and they help children feel seen. It's so important for children to feel represented by the characters in the books we share. It's equally important to expose our students to protagonists who are different from them. Here is a round-up of great Asian Pacific American heritage books that I especially love sharing with my students. You can get them on Amazon here.

If you want to research even more books, click the links below. These websites have great Asian Pacific American heritage booklists!

Social Justice Books

Conscious Kids

PBS

Asian Pacific American Heritage Crafts

If you've been here before, you know that I love arts integration! Finding ways to incorporate crafts into my curriculum is one of my greatest passions in teaching. I had a lot of fun researching crafts for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. There were so many wonderful choices, and I knew my students were going to love making their own versions of crafts that we were reading and learning about. I included templates for most of these crafts in my Asia Virtual Field Trips Bundle. Here are some of my favorite crafts that I found in my research:

Japan – Origami

Doing origami with children can be tricky. Even origami labeled “easy” is often beyond the reach of primary grade students. I had to look long and hard for origami that was accessible to my first graders. For beginners in grades K-2, I recommend these tutorials:

• Simple Origami Fish
• Simple Origami Cat
• Simple Origami Heart

If your students are a little older or have a background in origami, you could try this Fun and Simple Whale.

China – Paper Lantern

One of China's most famous celebrations is Lunar New Year's. At the end of Lunar New Year's is the Lantern Festival. Paper lanterns have become a recognized symbol associated with China. My students loved learning about these beautiful lanterns, and they were very excited to make their own!

Here are two tutorial videos to make simple paper lanterns:

• Easier Paper Lantern (Grades K-2)
• Harder Paper Lantern (Grades 3-5)

India – Mandalas

Mandalas are a beautiful art form used for many ceremonial and celebratory purposes in India. Mandalas can be very intricate and very difficult. Here are two accessible mandala tutorials that are simple enough for children to follow along!

• Nature Mandalas (Grades K-2): This video shows a simple way to make a nature mandala using whatever materials you can easily find outside. I had my students collect rocks, sticks, and grass right outside our classroom, and they were able to make beautiful pieces of artwork!
• Mandala Drawings (Grades 3-5): This video provides a clear guide and simple steps to designing your own simple mandala drawing. It starts out with a template of circles, and then shows students how to create a different design within each circle, building upon their mandala as they move outwards.

Somoa – Pattern Designs

Somoa is famous for its delicate artistry. They have amazing woven mats and incredibly intricate tattoo art. This video shows students how to draw some of the basic patterns that are sometimes used for tattoos. These patterns are repetitive and simple, but they look stunning when put together!

These crafts are a fun way to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month through hands-on learning! Having these crafts up in my classroom and in our hallway is a great way to share with our school community our Asian Pacific American heritage celebrations!

The post The Best Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Classroom Activities appeared first on Love Grows Learning.