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Are you working on growth mindset with your students? If so, you are probably also looking for ways to foster grit in the classroom. You want your students to take risks, power through challenging tasks, and understand how to navigate frustration without giving up. It’s important to begin teaching growth-mindset vocabulary to establish a foundation for understanding.
Grit is a term used to describe a child’s resilience, determination, and perseverance when faced with difficult tasks. Grit is not determined by intelligence or talent, but is rather a commitment to persevere in the face of failure or struggle. Research shows that the impact of grit on student performance can be more important than a student’s intelligence. In a nutshell, grit involves the effort that students display and the process by which they successfully overcome challenges. If you’d like more information about grit, Angela Duckworth’s The Power of Passion and Perseverance is an enlightening and informative read.
When a student finishes a tough task, resist the easy compliment. Instead of “You’re so smart!”, try “I noticed you tried three different strategies before that one worked.” Process praise tells kids that effort is what’s worth celebrating, and that the path matters more than the perfect answer. Over time, it shifts how students see themselves: not as smart or not smart, but as capable of growing through hard work.
Exhibitions of grit are all around us. Identifying and labeling examples of grit in literature, world events, and real-life situations will serve to establish working models that students can use to compare themselves. Create a wall or bulletin board with common terms related to grit and growth mindset that students can refer back to. When you build a growth mindset climate and foundation, student behaviors and attitudes will gradually shift over time.
Grit thrives when kids can see themselves improving. Help students set short-term goals. “I’ll read 20 minutes a day this week” or “I’ll master five new math facts” alongside bigger long-term ones. Then make the progress visible. Save writing samples from September and pull them out in January. Track fluency growth on a simple chart. When kids see their own progress, perseverance starts to feel worth it.
The classroom culture you build around struggle also matters more than any individual lesson. When something is hard, name it. “This is the part of fractions where everyone’s brain feels foggy. That fog is your brain growing.” Teach kids the difference between “I can’t do this” and “I can’t do this yet.” That tiny three-letter word turns a closed door into an open one and gives kids a vocabulary for sticking with hard things.
Life is riddled with frustration. If teachers can equip students with the skills and strategies to mitigate the negative effects of frustration, they will be better equipped to face challenges across all areas of their lives. Presenting activities and lessons on mindfulness, meditation, and refocusing will assist students in these areas. When students learn to recognize the thoughts and feelings associated with the desire to give up, they can implement strategies to counter them. Teaching students about nervous system regulation is another valuable way for students to engage their sympathetic nervous system when things feel challenging or frustrating.
The following books are great references for teaching mindfulness:
Grit isn’t just an attitude; it’s a set of tools. Give kids specific, repeatable strategies for sticking with hard things: a “try three before me” rule for asking for help, a list of “what to do when I’m stuck,” a quick brain-break routine when frustration spikes. The more concrete the toolkit, the less likely a student is to shut down when the work gets hard. And when you catch them using a strategy, name it: “I saw you take a breath and try again. That’s grit.”
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I am Kirsten Tulsian, an elementary educator with 18 years of experience as a teacher and counselor. My passion lies in empowering students to discover their inherent brilliance through the use of engaging, rigorous, and meaningful activities. I look forward to connecting with you!
