Middle and lower school students partnered to explore the concept of growth mindset and how it relates to brain development and learning new skills. During the session, seventh graders were paired with first graders to build and use tactile mazes. These interactive sensory tools feature raised, textured, or indented paths that users navigate by touch. By using these mazes in short, timed sessions, the students practiced persistence, patience, and problem-solving through physical interaction.

As seventh grader Ara O. stated, “Tactile mazes are mazes we made on construction paper with tape.” The first graders were then asked to cover their eyes, using only tactile information and memory to navigate the path.

“They would feel around it with their fingers and try to get better, even if they got frustrated. And that's basically what a growth mindset is,” Ara added.