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Growth Mindset Activities for Kids: 10 Ideas for Ages 3 to 8

By Chaz Bagri9 July 20258 min read

A boy pedals a small red bike with stabilisers along a path beside a grassy field

Ten growth mindset activities for kids aged 3 to 8, from the power of yet to a pose they can't do yet. Five minutes each, nothing to print.

Growth mindset activities for kids are small, low-stakes challenges that let a child practise saying "I can't do it yet" and then having another go. Below are ten fun growth mindset activities for ages 3 to 8. Each takes about five minutes, needs nothing printed, and works for a child who can't read yet.

Most growth mindset material online is written for teachers. This is the kitchen-table version, for parents and grandparents.

How do you explain growth mindset to a child?

A growth mindset is the belief that you get better at things by practising, trying another way and learning from mistakes. For a young child it fits in one word: yet. "I can't do it" becomes "I can't do it yet."

The term was coined by the Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, and Stanford's teaching centre suggests the word "yet" to keep the focus on improvement. A fixed mindset is the opposite: you're either good at something or you're not.

Say your four-year-old throws down a jigsaw piece: "I'm no good at puzzles." The growth mindset reply: "Not yet. Which bit is tricky?"

Ages, timing and why you go first

These growth mindset ideas for kids suit ages 3 to 8, with an age note on each. Start anywhere. Do one at a time, for five minutes, and join in yourself: watching a grown-up get something wrong is half the point. Praise the trying, not the result.

10 growth mindset activities for kids

1. The power of yet

Catch "I can't" and add "yet". The twist: you go first, out loud, about yourself. "I can't fold a fitted sheet yet." Hearing you do it is easier to copy than being corrected. Say it often, so "yet" becomes a family word. Age 3 and up.

2. Mistake of the day at teatime

Everyone at the table names one thing they got wrong today and what they'd try next time. Grown-ups go first, with real mistakes. Getting things wrong becomes teatime chat instead of something to hide. Age 4 and up.

3. Three-try drawing

Draw the same thing three days running: the cat, your house, a tree. On day three, put them side by side and ask what changed. Three-year-olds can draw with their other hand and laugh at the wobbles. Age 3 and up.

4. The "not yet" pose ladder

Ours. On the Sun Salutation mat the fifteen poses are numbered, ending in standing balances. Climb a rung at a time: mountain, tree (14) with a toe down, tree with the foot on the calf, then dancer (15). Your child colours a paper rung for each pose held for three breaths. Age 4 and up.

5. Build it again

Build a tower of blocks or plastic cups as tall as it will go. When it falls, ask one question before rebuilding: "What will you change?" Wider base, slower hands. The question matters more than the height. Age 3 and up.

6. Teach the grown-up

Your child teaches you something they're good at: a dance, a card game, a pose. You're honestly not great at first, so they see "not yet" from the teacher's side. Grandparents are excellent here: ask them to learn tree pose from your child. Age 4 and up.

7. The yet jar

Write or draw things they can't do yet on slips of paper: swim a width, do up a zip, ride without stabilisers. When one becomes a yes, move it to a second jar and read it out. Pre-readers draw their slips. Age 4 and up.

8. Five-day practice

Pick one everyday hard thing, such as shoelaces, buttons or a cartwheel, and practise it for two minutes a day for five days. The sticker is for practising, not succeeding. On day five, compare with day one. Age 5 and up.

9. Story stop

At bedtime, pause any picture book when a character gets something wrong. Ask: "What could they try next?" Let your child answer before you turn the page. You don't need special books; the ones you own will do. Age 3 and up.

10. The too-hard jigsaw

Leave a jigsaw one size too hard out on a tray for a week and do a bit together most days. Don't finish it for them. Finishing on day six rather than day one is the lesson. Pick a picture they actually like. Age 4 and up.

A safety note for activity 4: in tree, the foot goes on the calf or inner thigh, never the knee, and a three-year-old can hold a hand or a wall. Our easy yoga poses for kids show it step by step, here's how to start yoga with your child, and you can see the Sun Salutation mat with its numbered rungs.

Which growth mindset activities suit preschoolers?

The best growth mindset activities for preschool children involve no reading and very short goes: the power of yet, three-try drawing, build it again and story stop all work from age 3. Do them alongside your child.

Nurseries already work this way. England's early years framework lists "Playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and 'have a go'" and "Active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements" among its characteristics of effective teaching and learning. That's most of what a growth mindset means at three.

What should you say when your child says "I can't do it"?

When your child says "I can't do it", agree that it's hard, add "yet", and ask about the next small step. Skip "You're so clever", and don't rush in to finish it for them. Notice the effort and the strategy instead.

YoungMinds, the children's mental health charity, lists putting yourself down, "for example by saying 'I'm stupid' or 'I can't do that'", among the signs of low self-esteem, and says specific praise beats general praise like "good". So try:

"You can't do it yet. What could you try next?"
"Which bit is the tricky bit?"
"You kept going when it went wrong."
"I find that hard too."

Our positive affirmations include a set for after a mistake.

If "I can't" comes with your child seeming low or worried most of the time, talk to their teacher or your GP. YoungMinds notes low self-esteem can sometimes lead to anxiety or depression, and suggests speaking to a GP if so.

How do you build resilience in children?

You build resilience in children by letting them meet small, manageable struggles with a kind grown-up nearby, and keeping the rest of life steady. Resilience is a child's ability to cope when something goes wrong and to recover afterwards.

NHS Every Mind Matters suggests building positive routines and encouraging children's interests, saying being active or creative and learning new things can boost wellbeing. YoungMinds suggests showing your child "that you know they will be okay if something does not turn out the way they planned". For more, see how to build confidence in a child.

Does growth mindset actually work?

For school results, the evidence is weaker than the posters suggest. Two meta-analyses in Psychological Science in 2018, one on mindset and academic achievement and one on mindset programmes, found weak overall effects, though students from low-income backgrounds or who are academically at risk might benefit from the programmes.

A large trial reported in Nature in 2019 found a short online programme, under an hour long, improved grades among lower-achieving US secondary school students.

Neither looked at three- to eight-year-olds at home. So we use these activities as practice at having a go and getting it wrong in front of someone kind, not as a way to raise marks.

A weekend 'not yet' session from two activities

A five-minute "not yet" session suits a weekend morning: two activities, one honest try each, one sentence to finish. Try three-try drawing, then the yet jar, then "I can't draw a horse yet." Or the pose ladder followed by teach the grown-up, with your child as teacher.

When your child hates getting it wrong in front of you

Some children hate being watched getting something wrong, and a "lesson" loses them fast. Do it alongside them and get it wrong yourself first. Or make it a game: our yoga games are full of wobbles nobody minds. If today isn't the day, leave it.

Frequently asked questions

At what age can you start teaching a growth mindset?

From about three, through play rather than explanation. A three-year-old won't follow the idea of a mindset, but they can hear you say "not yet" and copy it. England's early years framework already expects young children to have a go and keep on trying.

What is the difference between a growth and a fixed mindset?

A fixed mindset is the belief that ability is set: you're either good at drawing or you're not. A growth mindset is the belief that you get better with practice and by trying different ways. For a child it's often one word: "I can't do it" against "I can't do it yet".

Do you need printables for growth mindset activities for kids?

No. Every activity here works with a jar, a pencil, some blocks or a pose, and a child who can't read can draw or say their answers. On a mat with numbered poses, the mat itself is the chart, and it never needs reprinting.

What is a good example of growth mindset for a child?

A child who wobbles out of tree pose and says "I can't do it yet, I'll try with my foot lower" is showing a growth mindset. They've noticed it's hard, kept going, and changed their approach. That's the whole idea, and it doesn't need a worksheet.

Fifteen "not yets" in one present

Choosing a birthday or Christmas present? Here's one with fifteen "not yets" built in, which is more than most presents have left after Boxing Day. More gift ideas that aren't another screen are in our guide.

Our mats are designed for ages 3 to 8, with fifteen numbered poses laser-engraved in and no screen needed. Start with mountain tonight: a yoga mat your child can follow on their own is £34.99 with free UK delivery, and 10 per cent off two or more if a brother or sister wants a ladder race.

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