The research on mindset is in and it’s absolutely fascinating. The implications for how we parent all kids, but specifically those of us with brown and black children, is exciting. Simply the belief that abilities are not fixed, failure is mandatory for success and that skin color isn’t indicative of predestined fates is life-altering. So, after obsessing over this stuff for the last few months, here is a mega-list of 75+ growth mindset activities, children’s books (from baby to teens), growth mindset videos and even beautiful journals. Because I’m raising multiracial children, a heavy emphasis was made to compile a diverse list that reflected varying stories and characters… but I think diversity benefits all children, not just mixed kids, so ENJOY!
First things first, maybe you’re still wondering what’s a growth mindset? I break it all down in small sections in this first post, which includes a definition of growth mindset for kids, quotes, examples, and ideas for how parents can foster a motivated mindset in their homes.
Related: Growth Mindset for Kids & How Can Parents Encourage It
The #1 Growth Mindset Book
This compelling video on Carol S. Dweck developing a growth mindset and discussing her ground-breaking research totally changed my parenting mindset. I love how she emphasizes the power of “yet” in how to develop a growth mindset in students, both in and out of the classroom. Who knew such a small word could be so powerful? To dive further into motivated mindsets, check out Dweck’s book, Mindset: The Psychology of Success where she dissects how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. Her book completely changed my parenting.
32 Growth Mindset Books
I’m so excited about this list of growth mindset books for kids, from preschool age to teens, because each story holds messages and lessons in which to find inspiration. My sweet babies have read and loved all 17 picture books listed below! We either own or have borrowed them from the library and personally recommend each one.
Growth Mindset Children’s Books for Kids, Ages 3+
The Most Magnificent Thing: The story of a young girl who sets out to make the most magnificent thing ever for her best friend. But making this thing is not easy. She tries and fails, several times. She gets really mad and quits. (Does that sound like a familiar situation?) Her best friend – a dog – convinces her to take a break and start again.
Salt in His Shoes: The story of basketball legend Michael Jordan. As a child, Michael almost gave up on his hoop dreams, all because he feared he’d never grow tall enough to play the game. But it’s practice, determination and giving your best that will that really make the difference. And the rest of Michael Jordan’s story is history…
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: A must for a kids’ mindset library, this fun and engaging introduction to the anatomy and functions of the brain will empower each young reader to S-T-R-E-T-C-H and grow their fantastic, elastic brain!
The Dot: A New York Times Best Seller, this beautiful book for ages 4 to 9 is all about encouraging the stubbornly, uncreative and power of one little dot.
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes: It is the story of the girl who makes her very public first mistake and how she learns from it.
Beautiful Oops!: A life lesson that all parents want their children to learn: It’s OK to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal of discovery.
Making A Splash: This little book explains how working hard is the key to learning and achieving, not necessarily how “smart” you are.
Not Yet, Lisa Cox: You may not be able to do what you want to do yet, but if you work at it you can reach your goals. The book also contains blank pages for the child to place their dreams in.
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle: Can you ride a bike? I bet you can! Actually, each child CAN reach their goals whether it be to ride a bike or anything else!
How to Catch a Star: The gorgeous artwork in this book, in which a boy plans his attempts to catch a star, will certainly inspire you. The book captures the essence of childhood: anything is possible.
The OK Book: The book celebrates the real skills and talents children possess, empowering them to discover their own individual strengths and personalities. And how great is it to know that sometimes it is ok to be ok?
Whistle for Willie: An older but excellent children’s book featuring an adorable boy who tries and tries again to whistle. Do you think he ever did?
Ada Twist, Scientist: In this celebration of creativity and perseverance, Ada never stops tinkering and asking questions… because it’s what she does best! Other titles in this series of growth mindset children’s books include Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer.
Thanks for the Feedback (I Think): Handling constructive criticism is a tough skill to learn. This story shows children how to accept and use kind feedback to better themselves.
Emmanuel’s Dream: The true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah who was born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg. He was dismissed by most – but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams.
15 Mindset Books for Tweens and Teens – Ages 9+
Fish in a Tree: A story about a dyslexic girl struggling through school and learning to read. A wonderful example of a using growth mindset to combat dyslexia and other educational differences.
X: A Novel: Teen readers will find this a powerful fictionalized account of Malcolm X’s childhood which included a murdered father and time in prison to learn how he overcame his past to become an influential civil rights leader.
Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina: An orphan who was thought never to have a family due to her skin condition, Michaela was adopted from an orphanage in West Africa. Even at the orphanage, she wanted to be a ballerina and her determination and hard work paid off.
A Long Walk to Water: This is the amazing & powerful biography of a boy with courage and hope who walked across Africa to find a better life.
Unbroken: Louis Zamperini’s life is almost unbelievable — a hoodlum, an Olympic runner, an airman shot down, and above all, a man who has great strength of character to persevere despite all of life’s challenges. The Young Adult version of the book is suitable from age 14.
The Key to Extraordinary: Right before her mother died, Emma promised that she’d do whatever it took to fulfill her destiny. But when Emma’s dream finally arrives, it points her toward an impossible task. This book is about determination and following your dreams. Readers 8+ will love this.
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Betty MacDonald: Perfect for fans of Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee, this classic series is all about learning and problem-solving.
Marvelous Mattie: With charming pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, this introduction to one of the most prolific female inventors will leave readers inspired.
Maniac Magee: Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn’t made him an orphan. After living with his aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run–and not just run away, but RUN. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.
Strong Is the New Pretty: A celebration and catalog of the girl spirit in gorgeous photographs and affirmations of the fact that it’s what’s inside you that counts.
Chasing Freedom: A picture book for older children depicting the stories of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: A drought affects William’s Malawi village, ruining crops and leaving everyone hungry, so William decides to figure a solution. And he does! He learns about wind power and builds a windmill that powers a water pump for the farmland. A must-read growth mindset book for kids.
Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter: Read the book that inspired Studio Ghibli’s series, Ronja the Robber’s Daughter! A thrilling adventure crafted by the author of Pippi Longstocking.
If I Stay: Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Though the main character suffers an accident, its the life she leads after that will enthrall. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time (12+).
Kira-Kira: When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the deep south of Georgia, it’s Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it’s Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow (suitable from age 10).
Growth Mindset Activities
These growth mindset activities are great for kids, adults, anyone who’s looking for more awesome in their lives! In this section, I’m linking to posters, coloring sheets and games that focus on building a motivated mindset. Once you’ve worked through all these, make sure to check out my Growth Mindset Pinterest Board for even more ideas.
Growth Mindset Activities for Kids: Journals
Big Life Journal: This is by far the most beautiful journal for children that I have seen! They’ll all over social media and we can’t wait to start journaling in ours when it arrives in the mail. Be sure to visit BigLifeJournal.com to see inside the journal, prompts and tips for inspiring kids.
The Grit Guide for Teens: A Workbook to Help You Build Perseverance, Self-Control and a Growth Mindset: written by a clinical-child and school psychologist and based on the latest research, this journal is a supportive guide to some tough years. Journaling and creative writing are both wonderful growth mindset activities for kids of all ages.
7 Growth Mindset Posters + Coloring Sheets
Posters for Motivation: Who loves Teachers Pay Teachers as much as I do? I’m not even a teacher and this site takes all my money! This collection has 13 bright posters to decorate a classroom or a bedroom.
Growth Mindset Posters featuring Superheroes: 13 superhero posters with 13 matching coloring pages.
Posters with Growth Mindset Quotes: colorful and FREE!!!
Coloring Banner: Another TPT find that would be perfect for a group project.
Growth Mindset Coloring Sheets: a huge collection of free and fun coloring sheets.
FREE Interactive mini-book: 7 pages of questions and conversation starters to use with young children! Follow up with this fun printable flip book to assemble and color, and you’ve got a great mindset lesson for your home or classroom!
Quotes printable with a focus on cursive: Practice two underrated life skills at the same time!
6 Growth Mindset Games for Kids
Affirmation fortune tellers: OMG, where were these when I was a kid?! 4 do-it-yourself, customizable & colorable fortune tellers with 50 affirmations in total.
FREE task cards: Another awesome, FREE find from TPT, these little task cards are conversation starters with older children.
Neuron Buddies: An adorable craft to make with creative kids of all ages to explain how the brain works.
FREE Bingo Game to Teach Grit: two fun bingo games that emphasize how great and gritty life can be. From Big Life Journal.
Mindset Game of Cards: suitable for most school-aged children, this game encourages players to reflect on the importance of making mistakes, resilience and working towards goals.
Flower Headband Craft: 6 templates of flowers growing from our brains help to illustrate how amazing our brains are when we nourish them.
15 Growth Mindset Videos for Kids
This collection of mindset videos are ones my kids love to watch. My favorite is probably the growth mindset math video below because it tackles a subject that students often struggle with in school. Right now, both of my kids love math and fully expect it to challenge them. Maybe these math videos are really helping their mindset?! I really like this growth mindset math video that normalizes struggles and enforces practice to master a skill.
Growth Mindset Introduction: Great graphics and easy to follow along, this is a longer video but it goes into details about the mindsets
Do You Know This Guy: a video by the University of California. This is perfect for middle schoolers and upwards.
You can learn anything: a video every parent should watch. The beautiful videography and empowering message of unlocking kids’ potential gave me chills. Short and sweet, this growth mindset video reinforces that nobody is born smart.
Class Dojo Videos: Did you know how fun these popular Class Dojo videos are? This one is one of our favorites on mindset.
Batman, Belief & A Math Growth Mindset: a great video for parents and older children to watch together using Batman as an example to bust “The Math Person” myth.
Keep Moving Forward: a short clip from the Disney film: Meet the Robinsons. A fun clip to reinforce that mistakes lead to success.
Famous Failures: a video for older kids or teenagers highlighting some of the failures of successful and famous people.
Math Boosting Math: this growth mindset math video by Stanford University (for middle schoolers and up) is about how everyone can be good at maths and how mistakes lead to learning and brain growth.
Ormie the Pig: a very sweet animated film that teaches about figuring out how to achieve a goal despite setbacks. Ideal for a younger audience and very funny.
Sesame Street: Big Bird Sings about Mistakes: pretty self-explanatory title, perfect for little ones.
Let Me In! Simon’s Cat: cute, wordless story of a cat who tries and tries again to get indoors.
Sweet Cocoon: a beautiful Oscar-nominated short animated movie about problem solving and friendship.
Sesame Street do Growth Mindset: a video by the Magna Carta School. It is a music video with very catchy songs kids will love to sing.
How Your Brain Works: a craft video where the authors (I have a Go) explain through a craft how the brain works with a simple craft for kids.
Growth Mindset animation: the short simple animation explains the difference between fixed and growth mindsets. It is more suited to older children.
5 Family Friendly Mindset Movies
All rated PG, these family-friendly flicks are entertaining examples of how much we can achieve with grit, resilience and a positive mindset.
Cool Runnings (1993): The Jamaican bobsled team’s determination teaches us that winning isn’t everything. Every time we lose, we get better.
Hidden Figures (2016): I can’t tell you how much we love this story! Based on the true story of three of the first black “human computers” at NASA who helped send the first American into orbit.
Moana (2016): I’m a sucker for Disney storytelling and Moana is my favorite of all. She demonstrates a great deal of perseverance, hard work, and determination as she sets out to find her true identity.
Sing (2016): How adorable was this film?! I love how this movie demonstrates how to hold nothing back and how to leave it all on the stage.
Leap (2016): A story of a young girl who reaches for her wildest dreams with hard work and determination.
Misc Resources
- Songs: A great playlist of songs suitable for children full of inspiration.
- Podcasts: an amazing collection of over 35 podcasts suitable for all ages.
- TED talks: JK Rowling’s talk, in particular, is amazing.
- Growth Mindset Quotes: over 65 inspiring quotes for kids and adults.
