Growth MindsetI can’t… yet

You need: Soft cushions, empty cardboard boxes or large soft blocks (nothing small; stay close)

1. Build a low tower together on the floor.
2. Let your toddler knock it down and laugh. Say, “Whoops, down it goes!”
3. Say, “Shall we try again?” and let them place one piece, however wobbly.
4. Cheer the trying, not only the tower: “You kept going!”

“It fell down. Let us try again.”

You need: A bag, a hat or a jacket with a zip or flap

1. Pretend you are stuck with something small and say, “Oh dear, I need some help.”
2. Wait. Let your toddler show or tell you how they might help, even with a pat or a point.
3. Say thank you warmly, and tell them what they did: “You helped me!”
4. Then swap: let your toddler ask you for help, and give it with a smile.

“I could not do it. You helped me. Thank you.”

You need: A clear, safe patch of floor

1. Sit or kneel together and make up a tune for “Down we go, up we get, try again.”
2. Gently lower yourselves and rise together, slowly and safely.
3. Let your toddler lead when they are ready, with you close by.
4. Use the song at other times, such as after a spill, to turn the moment into a game.

“Down we go. Up we get. Try again!”

You need: Nothing

1. Say, “I can’t tie my shoes!” in a grumpy voice. Ask, “What can I add?”
2. Help your child say the magic word: “Yet!” Everyone says, “I can’t… yet!” and does a big stretch.
3. Now let your child pick something they cannot do yet, such as whistle, ride a bike or write their name.
4. Say the “yet” sentence together and name one small step to try.

“I can’t… yet. What small step could I try?”

You need: A puzzle, a box with a lid or a toy that needs fixing

1. Pick something a little bit tricky for your child, with a small difference to find.
2. Say, “Let us find three ways to try.” Count them on your fingers as you go.
3. Celebrate each try, even when it does not work: “That was one way. Two more!”
4. When it works, or even if it does not, say, “We tried three ways. That is how we learn.”

“That way did not work. What is another way?”

You need: Paper and a crayon

1. Draw a simple ladder with four rungs.
2. Ask your child to choose something they are learning, such as jumping with two feet.
3. Draw one small step on each rung, from easy at the bottom to the goal at the top.
4. Colour in the first rung together and cheer. Come back to colour the next.

“You are on the first rung. Well done. What is the next one?”

You need: Paper, a pen and tape or a pocket

1. Each child writes one “I can’t…” on a small piece of paper, such as “I can’t do cartwheels.”
2. Add the word “yet” in a bright colour, then write one small step underneath.
3. Stick them on a wall, in a folder or in a jar.
4. When a card comes true, put a star on it and tell someone.

“What is something you can’t… yet? What is one step?”

You need: Paper and pencils, and a simple problem such as a maths question or a drawing

1. Make a small, deliberate mistake on the board or on paper and say, “Hmm, that does not look right.”
2. Ask the children to be detectives: “What went wrong? What clue can we find?”
3. Fix it together and say, “The mistake showed us what to change.”
4. Let each child spot a mistake in their own work and fix it with a smile.

“What clue does this mistake give us?”

You need: A grown-up or older child who can show a skill

1. Ask a grown-up or older child to show something they were once bad at, such as skipping or baking.
2. Ask them, “What was it like at the start? What helped you?”
3. Let the children ask two or three questions about how they practised.
4. Draw or write one idea you will use in something you are learning.

“What did you find hard at the start? What helped?”

You need: Paper and pens

1. Write down five fixed thoughts, such as “I am no good at drawing,” “I will never get this” and “It is too hard.”
2. Next to each, write a ‘yet’ version: “I am not good at drawing… yet.”
3. Add a step: “So I could look at one tutorial and draw for five minutes.”
4. Choose one to say out loud this week, and tell a friend or adult.

“What is the ‘yet’ version of that thought? What is one step?”

You need: A notebook or a sheet of paper

1. Choose a small skill to practise for five minutes a day, such as juggling, a song, a drawing or a times table.
2. Write the date and one line each day: what I tried and what I noticed.
3. Halfway through, read back what you have written. What has changed, even a little?
4. At the end of the week, share one thing you learned about how you practise.

“What did you try today? What would you change tomorrow?”

You need: Paper and pens, a wall or table

1. Each person writes down a mistake they made, from small (spilled juice) to bigger (a misjudged project).
2. Next to it, write what it taught them and what they did next.
3. Display them like a museum, with titles like “The Great Cake Collapse.”
4. Walk around and read them, and notice how many led to something useful.

“What did this mistake teach you? What did you do next?”

You need: Paper and pens

1. Write one thing you find hard right now (a subject, a skill, a habit).
2. List the smaller parts, then circle the part that is hardest.
3. For that part, write three strategies you could try and one person you could ask for help.
4. Pick one strategy for the next three days, and decide when you will check how it went.

“Which part is the real sticking point? What is one thing to try?”

You need: Paper and pens, or a notes app

1. Think of something you can do now that you once could not, such as swimming, a language or a game.
2. Write five or six lines: where you started, what was frustrating, what helped and who helped.
3. Underline the strategies and the people. These are your learning tools.
4. Choose one tool to bring to something that is hard now.

“What helped me then that could help me now?”

You need: Pairs, a piece of work each (a drawing, a paragraph, a project plan)

1. Swap work with a partner.
2. Each gives one thing that is working, one question and one idea to try next.
3. Say thank you, and write the idea down.
4. Decide whether to use it, adapt it or leave it, and say why.

“What is working? What is one idea you could try?”