Growth Mindset Reset & Renew Game
Growth Mindset Reset & Renew Game
When we engage in stretching and working out, we get to practice the idea of a growth mindset.
Goal
Today, we can spend time stretching and “working out” different muscles in our body. As we engage in stretching and working out, we get to practice the idea of growth. When we work through complex challenges and stick with them, it may hurt and stretch us, but it transform us by renewing our minds and strengthening our mindsets. These exercises are a lesson in neuroplasticity. Hard things help us grow!
Getting Started
supplies
Kitchen Table or Wall
Chairs
Stopwatch or timer
SET-UP
When you are ready to play the game, tell your child that you will take a “room recess.”
Go
ASK /// Did you know that we can think of our brains as a big muscle? When we work through hard things, we are actually building up our brains, just like we build up the other muscles in our bodies when we stretch and work out.
SHARE /// Today, we will take a “room recess” to experience this idea of building muscles through hard work. When we have a growth mindset and an “I Can Do It” attitude, we can push through the pain of these stretches AND work through the challenges of life, relationships, and new experiences. You can get stronger.
WORKOUT /// Tell your child to stand up and find a place by the wall, table, and chair. Give the instructions to your child and complete the 3 following exercises. For younger kids consider decreasing the time or reps as needed. For older kids, increase them.
HAND PUSHES /// Do this isometric exercise five times, with a 20-second break between each.
Put your hands in front of your face, with your palms touching, and elbows out.
Push your palms and fingers against themselves.
Keep pushing your hands together for 10-15 seconds.
Children can push their hands together as hard as they are comfortable as long as it doesn't hurt. Make sure students breathe during this exercise because many kids tend to hold their breath while pushing.
Wall Push-Ups /// Do this ten times.
Put your hands firmly on a wall.
Step your feet back so you’re leaning on the wall.
Bend your elbows and slowly lower your body toward the wall, keeping your back straight.
Push yourself away from the wall.
Make sure the floor near the wall is clear, and feet don’t slip on the floor. To increase difficulty, children can move their feet back farther from the wall or move their hands closer together on the wall.
CHAIR SQUATS /// Do this ten times.
Stand in front of a chair with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your knees over your feet.
Slowly lower your bottom towards the chair without actually sitting down.
Keep your knees over your ankles and place your weight on your heels throughout the full range of motion.
Straighten your body upright and repeat.
Teaching Growth Mindset
GROWTH MINDSET TIP
Research has shown that students who do brief bursts of exercise before taking tests score higher. In addition, regular activity breaks during the school day can help sharpen students’ abilities to focus and stay on task.
Connect with Each Other
How did it feel when you were working out?
Which parts of your body did you feel when you were doing the hand pushes?
When we stretch and work, we actually break down the muscles; this breakdown actually helps them become stronger when they build back up. When we use our muscles, they get stronger. Like a physical muscle, the brain gets stronger the more you use it too!
When we work through challenges, when we experience failure and deal with mistakes, our brain actually gets a workout. Next time you are in a hard spot in life – friends, school, family, sports, or other challenges – recognize that you are doing something hard and remember that hard activity is actually helping you get stronger!
Game Recap
Did you know that our brains conform quickly to repetition and our brains like patterns? Our patterns make our brain pathways stronger. That said, if we have had a fixed mindset for a long time, that is the way our brains will continue to think. But we can commit to seeing the hard parts of life as an opportunity to grow! We can move from a place of “I can’t do it” to a place of “I can do it” by practicing hard things with a growth mindset. Slowly, our brains will transform, and our growth mindset will become stronger. Great job working out your arms and your legs today. Next time you find yourself in a challenging place, remember you are working out your brains, you can do it, and you will be stronger because of it!
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