Developing good learning habits - perseverance
Developing good learning habits - perseverance
During their first few days in Year One, the children are still navigating the exciting world of learning and problem-solving. It’s a crucial time to learn key life skills that will serve them throughout their school journey and beyond. One of the most valuable lessons at this stage is the development of a growth mindset—the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, effort, and learning from mistakes.
To teach our Year 1 children about perseverance and growth mindsets, they took part in a a simple tower building activity. Whilst building their towers the children had an opportunity to learn about trial and error, patience and especially the rewards of persistence.
Why tower building? To build a tower children need to become masters at balancing. Balancing may seem like a simple activity, but its impact is far-reaching. The physical task of stacking pebbles or stones requires careful attention, patience, and the ability to adjust when things don’t go as planned. These elements directly mirror the skills needed to develop a growth mindset and build perseverance:
Trial and Error: Balancing isn’t always easy. Children quickly learn that a small mistake can cause their stack to topple, teaching them that it’s okay to fail and try again.
Fine Motor Skills and Focus: The process of balancing requires concentration and precise movements, helping young children develop focus and attention to detail.
Physical Representation of Effort: Watching their objects balance—after multiple attempts—gives children a tangible representation of their effort paying off, reinforcing the idea that hard work leads to success.
After discussing the idea of Growth Mindsets with the children, the teachers encouraged them to believe they can get better at something, even if it’s hard at first. The children were introduced our children to the growth mindset hero “Perseverance penguin” who embody the concept of perseverance—that trying again and again, even if something doesn’t work right away, helps us improve. It was amazing to watch the children build their towers, and not fall apart, even though some of their towers did.
“We worked together as a team!” Ralph, Bobbie, Euan
“I have to stay focused and build it again!” Archie
“I had to persevere!” Edith
“I have to keep busy!” Zara
“I needed to ask for help!” Cora
“You can share your knowledge!” Lila
