A growth mindset in kids means helping children understand that intelligence and abilities are not fixed traits. Children can learn, improve, and grow through effort, practice, reflection, and support – creating a growth mindset that will support them in navigating life’s challenges and achieving their goals.
This shift in thinking matters deeply. Children who believe their intelligence or abilities are fixed, referred to as a “fixed mindset”, are more likely to avoid challenges, shut down when things feel hard, and give up quickly after setbacks. Over time, this mindset shapes how they see themselves, how they respond to frustration, and whether they keep trying when life does not go as planned.
Helping children develop a growth mindset strengthens resilience, motivation, emotional regulation, and self-belief. It helps children learn how to respond to struggle with curiosity instead of fear and effort instead of avoidance.
At Adventures in Wisdom®, we help children develop a growth mindset through story-based life coaching for kids. Rather than simply telling children to “try harder” or “think positive,” we help them develop practical tools to understand how their mind works, how thoughts shape emotions, and how new skills are built through experience. Using the WISDOM System for Coaching Kids, children learn how to apply growth mindset thinking in real-life situations. Since 2013, children’s lives around the world, in over 30 countries, have transformed because they’ve learned how to build a growth mindset through our life coaching for kids program.
This guide explains what a growth mindset in kids really is, why it is essential for emotional and personal development, and how life coaching teaches children to live this mindset in everyday life. Whether you are a parent, educator, aspiring coach, or WISDOM Coach®, you will learn how growth mindset skills are taught, practiced, and internalized through life coaching
What is a Growth Mindset in Kids?
A growth mindset in kids is the understanding that abilities, intelligence, and skills can develop over time through effort, learning, practice, and persistence. Instead of believing “I’m just not good at this,” children with a growth mindset learn to think, “I’m not good at this yet, and I can improve.”
The term growth mindset was introduced by psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck, whose research showed that children’s beliefs about intelligence strongly influence their motivation, resilience, and willingness to take on challenges. Children who believe their abilities are fixed are more likely to avoid difficult tasks and give up when they struggle. In contrast, children who believe they can grow their abilities are more likely to persist, adapt, and keep learning, even when things feel hard.
A growth mindset is not simply positive thinking; it is a learned way of thinking about effort, mistakes, feedback, and challenge. For children, this mindset shapes how they respond emotionally when they encounter setbacks, make mistakes, or feel unsure of themselves.
Children with a growth mindset are more likely to:
- Try again after making a mistake
- Stay engaged when something feels challenging
- Ask for help instead of giving up
- Learn from feedback without taking it personally
- Believe effort leads to improvement
Research has consistently shown that a growth mindset is closely linked to both academic persistence and emotional resilience. A landmark paper by Yeager and Dweck (2012) found that students with a growth mindset were more likely to remain motivated and engaged when facing difficulty, and better able to cope with stress and setbacks over time.
Importantly, children do not develop a growth mindset simply by being told to “try harder” or “believe in themselves.” A growth mindset must be taught in a developmentally appropriate way, using language, examples, and experiences that children can understand and apply. When children learn how their brain grows through effort and practice, they begin to see mistakes not as proof they are failing, but as part of the learning process itself.
This is why a growth mindset is considered one of the most important foundations for both academic success and emotional well-being. It helps children build confidence from within, persist through challenges, and develop a healthier relationship with learning and self-belief.
Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset: A Comparison
|
Characteristic |
Fixed Mindset |
Growth Mindset |
|
Belief about ability |
“You’re born smart or you’re not” |
“You can get smarter with effort” |
|
View of challenges |
Avoids them to protect self-image |
Embraces them as opportunities to grow |
|
Response to failure |
“I’m not good enough” |
“What can I learn from this?” |
|
Motivation style |
Gives up easily |
Tries different strategies, keeps going |
Why Does Growth Mindset Matter for Children Today?
Children today are growing up in a world that asks more of them at a younger age than ever before. Academic pressure, social comparison, emotional overload, and constant evaluation shape how children see themselves long before they have the skills to make sense of those experiences.
Imagine a classroom of ten elementary or middle school children. On the surface, they may appear engaged and capable. But research shows that several of those children are already struggling internally—carrying self-doubt, fear of failure, sadness, or the belief that they are “not good enough.” These feelings do not suddenly appear in high school. They begin forming much earlier, often during the years when children are still learning who they are and how to handle challenges.
By adolescence, nearly 40% of students report persistent sadness or hopelessness, with significant numbers experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2025). More than 1 in 7 children ages 6–17 experience a mental health disorder each year (NAMI). These statistics represent real children who did not receive the tools early enough to understand their thoughts, regulate their emotions, or believe in their ability to grow through difficulty.
This is why early intervention matters.
A growth mindset is a powerful starting point because it helps children understand that struggle does not define them. It teaches that effort leads to improvement, mistakes are part of learning, and challenges can be worked through. But mindset alone is not enough. Children also need practical skills—skills they can use in real moments when emotions run high, confidence wavers, or decisions feel difficult.
This is where life coaching for kids becomes essential.
How Growth Mindset Fits into Life Coaching for Kids
Growth mindset is a foundational philosophy within life coaching for kids, but it is only one part of a much larger picture. In the WISDOM Coaching System, a growth mindset is not taught in isolation; it is woven into a complete personal development framework designed to help children grow into confident, capable self-leaders.
Children do not just learn to believe they can improve. They learn how to act on that belief in everyday life.
Through life coaching for kids, children develop skills that help them:
- Bounce back from setbacks, mistakes, and disappointment
- Handle fear, change, and uncertainty with greater resilience
- Make confident, values-based decisions
- Set meaningful goals and take intentional action
- Develop courage, confidence, and self-leadership
Life coaching for kids focuses on proactively equipping children with these skills before challenges become patterns. Rather than waiting for problems to escalate, coaching gives children tools they can use in the moment: at school, with peers, at home, and within themselves.
In the WISDOM Coaching System, growth mindset is reinforced through 27 mindset skills, all taught through engaging stories, reflection, and guided coaching conversations. Children learn how their mind works, how thoughts influence emotions and behavior, and how to choose responses that support their goals and well-being.
This is what makes life coaching for kids different from mindset lessons alone. It is not just about teaching children what to think. It is about helping children learn how to think, how to respond, and how to lead themselves. These are skills that will stay with them long after the lesson ends.
How the WISDOM System Teaches Growth Mindset
The WISDOM System for Coaching Kids is a story-based life coaching framework that teaches five core areas of social-emotional development using 27 mindset skills from the Adventures in Wisdom® Life Coaching for Kids curriculum helping children build growth mindset, confidence, resilience, and self-leadership.
Rather than teaching growth mindset as a single concept, the WISDOM System develops it through five core areas of social-emotional development, using 27 carefully sequenced mindset skills. These skills are delivered through engaging coaching stories, reflection questions, and guided conversations that help children not only understand growth mindset, but live it in their everyday lives.
Each of the five areas within the WISDOM System represents a key dimension of a child’s inner development—from how they think, to how they see themselves, to how they handle fear, make decisions, set goals, and navigate challenges. Every segment contains five to six skill books from the Adventures in Wisdom® curriculum, ensuring children build confidence, resilience, and self-leadership step by step, in a developmentally appropriate way.
Growth mindset is not treated as a standalone lesson. It is woven throughout the entire system, reinforced through skill-building experiences that teach children how to apply empowering thinking to real-life situations. The WISDOM System ensures that growth mindset becomes more than a belief, it becomes a practical toolkit children can use for learning, relationships, and life.
Here is a breakdown of what WISDOM stands for and how each segment supports children’s growth.
The Five Segments of the WISDOM System for Coaching Kids
W — Wire Your Mind for Happiness, Confidence, and Success in Life with MindPower™
MindPower™ teaches children how their mind works and why mindset matters. Children learn that their thoughts create their experiences and that they can learn to guide their thinking in ways that support confidence, resilience, and growth.
Through child-friendly explanations of brain science, children explore how the conscious and subconscious mind work together, how neural pathways form, and why stepping outside their comfort zone leads to growth. They also learn practical tools such as power shifting, awareness of self-talk, and how belief systems are formed. MindPower™ is the foundation upon which all other skills in the Adventures in Wisdom® coaching curriculum are built.
I — Identify Who You Want to Be and What You Want for Your Life with InnerPower™
InnerPower™ helps children develop an inner compass for decision-making and self-leadership. Children learn how to think for themselves, clarify what matters to them, and make choices aligned with their values.
This segment teaches core self-leadership values such as self-responsibility, integrity, respect, and self-respect. Children also learn to recognize different types of peer pressure and practice strategies for standing up for themselves with confidence.
S — See Your Inner Superstar and Shine with MePower™
MePower™ focuses on building confidence and self-esteem from the inside out. Instead of relying on external approval, children learn how to feel good about who they are, even when things do not go their way.
Through this segment, children learn to honor their uniqueness, develop empowering self-talk, and coach themselves through daily challenges. These skills help children learn to proactively build self-esteem and confidence so they don’t rise and fall with performance, comparison, or setbacks.
D — Dream Big, Live with Purpose, and Make It Happen with DreamPower™
DreamPower™ teaches children how to move from possibility to action. Children learn how to create a vision for their lives, set meaningful goals, and take intentional steps toward what matters to them.
Using age-appropriate goal-setting tools, visualization, affirmations, and gratitude practices grounded in brain science, children learn how to focus their attention, build motivation, and follow through! These skills support both academic success and personal success.
OM — Overcome Obstacles and Manage the Ups and Downs of Growing Up with Slaying Dragons™
Slaying Dragons™ equips children with tools to navigate fear, anxiety, change, mistakes, and disappointment. Rather than avoiding challenges, children learn how to face them with courage and resilience.
This segment helps children understand emotions, recover from setbacks, and keep going when things feel hard. It reinforces the idea that challenges are part of growth and that they have the inner resources to move through them before challenges become patterns.
Together, the 27 mindset skills within the WISDOM System for Coaching Kids give children a comprehensive growth mindset toolkit. Skills that support emotional well-being, confidence, resilience, and self-leadership. By learning these skills early, children are better prepared with key life skills to navigate life’s challenges while staying grounded in who they are and what they are capable of becoming.
Why Story-Based Coaching Is So Effective for Teaching Growth Mindset
Children do not learn growth mindset best through lectures, advice, or being told to “try harder.” They learn it through experiences that feel safe, relatable, and emotionally engaging. This is why story-based coaching is such a powerful method for teaching growth mindset to kids.
When children engage with a story, their brain processes information differently than it does with direct instruction. Stories activate imagination, emotion, and memory at the same time, helping children internalize ideas instead of just hearing them. Rather than feeling judged or corrected, children can explore challenges through characters, which lowers defensiveness and creates emotional safety.
Story-based coaching allows children to see growth mindset in action. They watch characters face setbacks, make mistakes, experience fear, and choose new ways of thinking. As children identify with these characters, they naturally begin to reflect on their own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This helps them understand that struggle is part of learning and that growth is possible.
Stories also give children language they can use in real life. Instead of abstract concepts, children remember phrases, metaphors, and moments from stories that resurface when challenges arise. This makes growth mindset practical and usable, especially when emotions are high and logical thinking is harder to access.
In the WISDOM Coaching System, story-based coaching is paired with reflection questions, guided conversations, and activities. This turns stories into learning experiences where children not only understand growth mindset, but practice applying it to their own lives. Over time, these repeated experiences help children build confidence, resilience, emotional awareness, and self-leadership.
Story-based coaching works because it meets children where they are developmentally. It teaches growth mindset in a way that feels natural, engaging, and empowering, helping children carry these skills with them long after the coaching session ends.
What Growth Mindset Looks Like in Real Life for Kids – Real-Life Examples from Certified WISDOM Coaches
Growth mindset in children is not just a belief, it shows up in how children respond when things feel hard. Instead of shutting down, avoiding challenges, or giving up, children with growth mindset skills begin to pause, reflect, and try again, even when they feel uncertain or uncomfortable.
In real life, growth mindset is expressed through behavioral and emotional shifts, not just positive thinking. Children start to change the way they talk to themselves, how they respond to mistakes, and how they move through fear, frustration, or disappointment. The real-life examples below show how growth mindset skills are learned and applied through story-based life coaching for kids.
In everyday situations, growth mindset in kids often looks like:
- Replacing “I can’t” with “I can try”
- Understanding that mistakes are part of learning, not proof of failure
- Managing big emotions with greater awareness and control
- Recovering more quickly from setbacks
- Taking small, courageous steps instead of avoiding challenges
The following real-life examples from Certified WISDOM Coaches show how these growth mindset skills come to life through coaching stories, reflection, and consistent support.
A 10-year-old girl discovers the power of “I can.”
When 10-year-old Isabella first met WISDOM CoachⓇ Geeta, she had almost no confidence in herself. Struggling with learning disabilities, low self-esteem, and the loss of her mother at a young age, Isabella had learned to protect herself by giving up before she even tried. “I can’t do it,” “I don’t know how,” and “I give up” had become her default responses to learning and life.
Rather than overwhelming Isabella with multiple skills, Coach Geeta focused on one powerful shift: helping Isabella change how she thought about what was possible. Using a single story from the Adventures in Wisdom® Life Coaching Curriculum for Kids™ , Canville and Cantville: A Tale of Two Towns, Isabella began learning how her thoughts influenced her effort, confidence, and results.
With gentle coaching, repetition, and belief, Isabella’s mindset started to change. What followed was not just progress in reading, but a visible transformation in her self-belief. This heartfelt success story shows how one story, one mindset skill, and consistent coaching can help a child move from “I can’t” to “I can.”
Read her full story: From “I Can’t” to “I Can.”
Molly: From hiding to shining
At twelve years old, Molly was quietly struggling with her self-worth. She had become deeply concerned about her appearance and what others thought of her, and that self-doubt was holding her back from trying new activities with her peers. What looked like shyness on the outside was actually something deeper. A fear of being judged and a fear of failing. Wanting to support their daughter, Molly’s parents turned to WISDOM CoachⓇ Jackie for help.
Through story-based life coaching, Molly began developing a growth mindset, learning that fear and failure were not signs that something was wrong with her, but part of learning and growing. Instead of avoiding new experiences, she learned how her brain responds to fear and how to take small, manageable steps forward. By practicing mindset skills and starting with simple challenges, Molly slowly rebuilt her confidence and willingness to try.
This inspiring success story shows how teaching growth mindset skills can help a child move beyond self-doubt, discover their inner strengths, and begin shining from the inside out.
Read her full story: 12-Year-Old Molly Finds Her Inner Shine
Alan: From tearful goodbyes to confident independence
Eight-year-old Alan was bright, imaginative, and deeply caring, but his sensitivity often overwhelmed him. Small misunderstandings with friends or moments that felt unfair could quickly spiral into intense emotions and uncontrollable tears. Although Alan felt embarrassed by these reactions, he did not yet understand why they happened or how to manage them. Wanting to help her son without shutting down his sensitive nature, Alan’s mom reached out to WISDOM CoachⓇ Cristina for support.
Through story-based life coaching, Alan began developing a growth mindset about his emotions, learning that big feelings were not something “wrong” with him, but something he could understand and influence. Using a single, powerful story that explained how thoughts create feelings, Alan discovered that he had more control than he realized. Instead of believing “I can’t stop crying,” he learned to ask himself new, empowering questions. This touching success story shows how teaching growth mindset skills around emotional awareness can help a child move from feeling powerless to feeling capable, confident, and proud of who they are.
Read his full story: How Alan Used the Power of His Mind to Cure His Tears
What These Growth Mindset Stories Have in Common
While each child’s journey is unique, these stories reveal a consistent pattern. Growth mindset is developed through understanding how the mind works, practicing new responses, and receiving supportive coaching.
Through life coaching for kids, growth mindset becomes something children can use when learning feels hard, when emotions run high, and when confidence wavers. These real-life examples show how story-based coaching helps children build the skills to navigate challenges, believe in themselves, and keep moving forward with resilience and self-leadership.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a growth mindset in kids and why is it so important?
A growth mindset in kids is the understanding that abilities, intelligence, and skills can develop through effort, learning, and practice. It helps children see mistakes and challenges as part of growth rather than signs of failure. This mindset is important because it builds confidence, resilience, motivation, and emotional strength, giving children tools to navigate setbacks, manage self-doubt, and keep trying when things feel hard.
At what age should children start learning growth mindset skills?
Children can begin learning growth mindset skills as early as elementary school, typically between ages 6 and 12. These years are especially important because children are forming beliefs about themselves, learning how to handle challenges, and developing emotional patterns that often carry into adolescence. Teaching growth mindset skills early helps children build confidence, resilience, and self-belief before academic pressure and social comparison increase.
How does life coaching for kids teach growth mindset differently?
Life coaching for kids teaches growth mindset as part of a broader life skills framework, not as a standalone concept. Instead of lectures, children learn through stories, reflection, and guided coaching conversations that show them how their mind works and how thoughts influence emotions, choices, and behavior.
In addition to mindset awareness, life coaching helps children build practical skills such as emotional regulation, decision-making, goal setting, self-leadership, and resilience. These skills help children apply growth mindset in real-life situations, at school, at home, and with peers, so they are not just thinking differently, but acting differently when challenges arise.
What is the WISDOM System for Coaching Kids?
The WISDOM System for Coaching Kids is a story-based life coaching framework that teaches five core areas of social-emotional development using 27 mindset skills from the Adventures in Wisdom® Life Coaching for Kids curriculum. It helps children build growth mindset, confidence, resilience, self-leadership, and goal-setting skills in a structured, age-appropriate way.
Is WISDOM Coaching for kids the same as therapy?
No. WISDOM Coaching and life coaching for kids are not the same as therapy. Therapy typically focuses on healing past trauma, diagnosing mental health conditions, or treating emotional distress. Life coaching for kids, including WISDOM Coaching, is proactive and skills-based. It focuses on helping children develop growth mindset, confidence, emotional awareness, self-leadership, and practical tools to navigate everyday challenges before problems become patterns.
WISDOM Coaching does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Instead, it equips children with mindset and life skills through stories, reflection, and coaching conversations, supporting healthy development, resilience, and self-belief. Coaching and therapy can be complementary, but they serve different purposes.
How do the 27 mindset skills in the WISDOM System support growth mindset?
The 27 mindset skills in the WISDOM System support a growth mindset by developing it across five core areas of social-emotional development. Instead of teaching children to simply “think positively,” the system helps them build skills that shape how they think, feel, decide, and act in everyday life.
Through these five areas, children learn how their mind works, how to manage emotions, how to build healthy self-belief, how to set and pursue goals, and how to navigate challenges and setbacks. Growth mindset is reinforced as children practice skills related to emotional regulation, self-talk, decision-making, courage, resilience, and self-leadership. This integrated approach turns growth mindset into a lived experience, helping children apply it when facing failure, peer pressure, fear, change, mistakes, or frustration, and empowering them to keep growing through real-life challenges.
Why is WISDOM Coaching effective for teaching growth mindset to kids?
WISDOM Coaching is effective because it teaches growth mindset within a complete personal development system. Children learn through engaging stories and coaching conversations that make complex ideas easy to understand and emotionally safe to explore. By pairing growth mindset with practical life skills, WISDOM Coaching helps children develop lasting confidence, resilience, and self-belief they can use throughout their lives.
What’s the best way to help my child build a growth mindset?
One of the most effective ways to help a child build a lasting growth mindset is through life coaching with a certified WISDOM Coach®. WISDOM Coaches are trained to teach growth mindset as part of a complete personal development system that includes 27 mindset skills, all delivered through engaging stories and guided coaching conversations that children understand and remember.
This story-based coaching approach helps children recognize unhelpful thinking patterns, build resilience, and learn how to respond to challenges with confidence and self-belief. By learning these skills in a safe, supportive environment designed specifically for children, kids are able to practice growth mindset in real-life situations, at school, with peers, and at home, so the lessons stay with them throughout high school and into their adult years!
Can I become a WISDOM Coach®?
Final Thoughts on Growth Mindset in Kids and WISDOM Coaching
Helping children develop a growth mindset is not about pushing them to try harder or telling them to “think positive.” It is about teaching them how their mind works, how to respond to challenges, and how to believe in their ability to grow, especially when things feel hard.
This is the heart of WISDOM Coaching. Through the WISDOM System for Coaching Kids, children learn how to develop a growth mindset within a complete life coaching framework that builds confidence, resilience, self-leadership, and emotional strength. Using engaging stories, reflection, and coaching conversations, children do more than understand these ideas, they practice them in real-life situations, so the skills stick.
When children are given these tools early, they are better prepared for school, relationships, and the challenges of growing up. They learn to navigate setbacks without giving up, believe in themselves without comparison, and move forward with courage and clarity. This is how children don’t just cope, but thrive from the inside out.
Since 2013, Adventures in Wisdom has been helping Certified WISDOM Coaches in over 30 countries help children develop a growth mindset and skills needed to be confident and prepared to thrive in life using our story-based coaching curriculum and WISDOM System for Coaching Kids.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If you are a parent or educator, you can start by exploring how story-based life coaching helps children build growth mindset and essential life skills in a supportive, developmentally appropriate way.
If you are feeling called to do this work, WISDOM Coaching offers a meaningful path to make a difference in children’s lives while using a proven, structured system. Many aspiring coaches begin by experiencing the curriculum firsthand before exploring certification.
- Download your free coaching story
- Explore how WISDOM Coaching® can support your child
- Learn more about how to become a Certified WISDOM Coach® if you feel called to help other children as well
Blog sources and references:
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindsets and Math/Science Achievement. Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets That Promote Resilience: When Students Believe That Personal Characteristics Can Be Developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302–314.
Yeager, D. S., et al. (2019). A National Experiment Reveals Where a Growth Mindset Improves Achievement. Nature, 573, 364–369.
Renaye Thornborrow is leading a worldwide mission to bring life coaching to kids. Since 2013, Adventures in Wisdom® has certified hundreds of coaches in over 30 countries, helping them create a business they love as a life coach for kids, while helping children build the mindset and skill set for resilience, self-esteem, achievement, and self-leadership so that they are confident and prepared to thrive in life.
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Adventure well, my friend!
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