Build a Positive Mindset in Kindergarten

As we near the end of the school year, mindset work is still important! Teachers often make the mistake of trying to build a positive mindset in their students at the beginning of the year. But, after a full school year of learning, your students may be struggling to think positively about themselves. Things tend to feel even harder at the end of the year. Follow these tips to build a positive mindset in your kindergarteners! Be sure to read all the way to the end to snag a great freebie!

Morning Meetings

You have probably had a morning meeting time for most of the school year. Morning meetings are a great time to build positive thinking. Come up with different prompts for each week, and have a couple students share each morning. The prompts can be things such as, “Something I am really good at is…”, or “A time I worked hard and felt proud was…”. These prompts will get your students thinking about their strengths before tackling a long school day!

Conferences

As you can make time for it in small groups, carve out some time to work with students one-on-one in reading and math groups. This is a great time to point out specific things students are doing well in their work. If there is something they have been working on, you can point out how much you love their finger spaces. Or, notice how they are remembering to use capital letters so much more often. Students don’t always notice the progress they are making in real-time, and your words as their teacher can make a big difference in how they feel about their growth!

Affirmation Cards

Strategically place affirmation cards in places where your students will have time to read them. Great places for affirmation cards include around a mirror where students wash hands, around a doorframe where students often line up, or around your whiteboard where you host your morning meeting. Make a point to ask your students to choose one card to read to themselves each day at a different time. Reading these simple, but positive, sentences back to themselves will build confidence and positivity over time! You can grab a totally FREE set of affirmation cards in my TPT store to get started!

Happy teaching, everyone!