As part of our October Scholar Star Skill, Academic Perseverance, our Kinder and 1st grade students participated in a hands-on activity called Strong Brain Qs. This lesson helped students understand that their brains get stronger every time they try something challenging.

What We Did

Students took turns choosing cards with short scenarios about “tricky work” or challenging moments they might experience at school. Each card included a question to guide them in thinking about what a strong, growing brain would do.

Some examples included:

• “Should we quit when we are doing tricky work?”

• “Your teacher gives you tricky work. Why should you try it?”

• “What can you say to yourself when something feels hard?”

• “How does your brain grow when you practice challenging things?”

Students shared their ideas, practiced positive self-talk, and learned that hard work helps their brains become stronger, just like a muscle.

What We Learned

Through discussion and guided questioning, students explored core growth mindset ideas:

• Trying hard things helps our brain grow

• Mistakes help us learn

• We don’t quit when something is tricky—we keep going

• We can use positive self-talk like:

  • “I can try!”

  • “I can learn this!”

  • “I won’t give up.”

Students loved talking through the scenarios and thinking like “Strong Brain Kids.”

Try This at Home

You can reinforce this lesson by asking:
“What is something tricky you worked on today? What did your strong brain do?”

This helps your child practice perseverance and celebrate their effort, not just the outcome.