Letting Kids Fail Safely | Growth Mindset in Elementary School

Letting Kids Fail Safely: Why Struggle Is an Important Part of Learning

Failure often gets a bad reputation in schools, but it shouldn’t.

Real learning rarely happens the first time something goes right. It happens after a mistake, a missed step, or an idea that didn’t work the way a student hoped. When children are never allowed to struggle, they miss out on opportunities to problem-solve, reflect, and grow.

At Provo Mountain Academy, we believe struggle—when it’s supported—is not something to avoid. It’s something to use.

Learning Looks a Lot Like Practice

My background in sports has strongly shaped how I approach teaching.

In sports, no one expects athletes to get everything right the first time. Practice is where you mess up. You miss shots. You run the drill wrong. You make mistakes. And the coach is there to help you adjust, try again, and improve.

The classroom should feel the same way.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that students who play sports often connect quickly with my teaching style. I think it’s because I approach learning like a coach approaches practice. I provide structure, guidance, and encouragement, but I also expect effort and persistence.

Mistakes aren’t punished. They’re coached.

Creating a Safe Place to Try

Students take risks when they feel safe.

When I’m able to provide clear support, strong scaffolding, and a calm learning environment, students become more willing to try—even when they’re unsure. They stop fearing failure and start focusing on effort.

That’s when learning accelerates.

Even when failure happens—and it will—students know they won’t be embarrassed or shut down. They know we’ll look at what happened, adjust, and move forward.

A Shift I’ve Seen Again and Again

I see this most clearly in math, where stress and fear often show up early.

Students who worry less about being wrong and focus more on applying what they know tend to improve quickly. Many don’t just get better—they begin to thrive.

Once students realize that mistakes are part of the process, their confidence grows. They participate more. They explain their thinking. They try harder problems.

That mindset shift changes everything.

Why Trying Matters Most

One quote I often come back to is from Michael Jordan:

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

This idea captures what we want students to understand.

Failure is part of learning. Not trying is what holds students back.

Preparing Students for More Than School

Encouraging safe failure doesn’t just prepare students for tests or projects. It prepares them for life.

When students learn how to struggle productively, recover from mistakes, and keep going, they develop resilience and confidence that extend far beyond the classroom.

At Provo Mountain Academy, my goal is to help students feel safe enough—and prepared enough—to try.

Because when students are willing to try, real learning can begin.

Written by Scott Long, M.Ed., Co-Founder of Provo Mountain Academy