I make it a point to teach Growth Mindset with my kiddos working on social skills and tie it in with all of my students regardless of what we’re working on (because, seriously, don’t those artic kids need some Growth Mindset if there’s any hope of tackling their goals?). But it’s been hitting me on a personal level recently.

It was time to jump start my exercise routine so I recently joined a Pound class a couple of days a week and tried out a couple of boxing workouts too. Pound is fun. If you haven’t seen this before, it’s a group exercise class with loud energetic music and Ripsticks (which are simply plastic drumsticks). The music starts and you lunge and squat and bang. You bang the sticks against each other and the floor and….I leave there sweaty and smiling. But it took a few times to get the hang of it.

The boxing was a lot different from what I’ve done before. Taping my wrists and knuckles, getting on the gloves and situating myself in front of the bag was new enough. Add a bunch of punch combinations, leans and rolls….I’m still trying to get the hang of it!

But I know I just haven’t gotten it down yet.

With a little more practice, both the endurance and choreography (do they call it choreography in boxing; I’m a dancer) will become second nature.

My elementary aged kiddos struggle more than their peers. Most of them have had enough school experience to realize academics (or social situations) aren’t coming easy for them and that classmates (appear to) move ahead effortlessly. Supporting them so they stick with challenges and develop skills is a key to their success both in life and, frankly, their mental well-being.

One of the tools I’ve been using is from Big Life Journal. Their Growth Mindset printables are clear, kid-friendly ways for me to teach children what they can/cannot control, fixed vs. growth mindset and how the brain grows. Who else would like to try it?

I have three copies of the Growth Mindset Kit to giveaway! Enter through the Rafflecopter below then be sure to enter again on my IG page. I’ll chose one entry from IG, one from my blog and one at random. (Enter by Sunday 5/5/19 at 6pm ET.)

My son is heading off to NYU in the fall and we started streaming Seinfeld from episode 1 to, you know, prepare him for city life 😉 Believe it or not, the first couple of episodes aren’t so good. Jerry’s apartment is kind of classic bachelor pad (only took one episode before a full renovation), Elaine isn’t there immediately, the diner is all wrong and there are too many breaks to the stand-up act. And this is Seinfeld! It really drove home for me the idea that talent is developed and doesn’t spring up fully formed.

Let me know if you’ve encountered a real life example of Growth Mindset in action in the comments below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway