In a world where instant gratification and quick fixes dominate our daily lives, teaching children the value of perseverance is more crucial than ever. As so many of the alternative activities become easier and easier to access, likelihood of abandoning an old difficult activity for a new one increases immensely. Yet we all know the ability to see tasks through to completion is a vital life skill that equips children with resilience, determination, and a growth mindset. We will do a deep dive into strategies on how to complete tasks in our seminars in the weeks of July 10th and August 21st, here are a 5 of the concepts we plan on covering if you want to implement some at home.
Set realistic expectations
To encourage perseverance, it's essential to set realistic expectations for children based on their age, abilities, and developmental stage. A bad goal, one that is unattainable, will teach them to quit not to finish what they started. Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps, gradually increasing the difficulty as they progress. By doing so, children experience a sense of achievement with each milestone reached, boosting their confidence and motivation.
Foster a growth mindset
Cultivating a growth mindset is key to instilling perseverance in children. Teach them that intelligence and skills can be developed through effort and practice, rather than being fixed traits. When faced with a challenging task, encourage them to view it as an opportunity for growth and learning. By reframing challenges as learning experiences, children become more likely to persist in the face of adversity.
Be a role model
Children learn by observing and imitating those around them, particularly their parents and caregivers. As an adult, let your child see you struggle with your challenges. Share your own challenges and how you overcome them, you provide them with a valuable roadmap for navigating obstacles. Letting your young child know that you aren’t perfect (they will figure that out when they are a teenager anyway), but that you are learning & growing everyday sets a positive and realistic example.
Anticipate Problems and Have a Plan
Teaching your child to expect things to go wrong, in part is setting realistic expectations. But having a plan for WHEN things go wrong is something you can help them with. Giving them appropriate and productive responses in various situations increases the likelihood they will follow a productive path. It’s best to have these conversations when your child is in a calm and receptive state, not when they are frustrated and upset with a difficult problem.
Plan Breaks
Again related to setting realistic expectations, your child may not be able to complete the project in a single sitting. You will likely find that having them focus for 15 minutes-30 minutes, then having a planned 5-10 minute break before returning to work leads to better results and less fighting. The trick to this break is to make sure it doesn’t extend unnecessarily by having some way for them to know to return to their task.
Teaching children how to complete tasks instead of giving up in the middle is a gift that will serve them throughout their lives. As they learn to embrace challenges and persist in the face of difficulties, children develop self-confidence and there is less fighting a home. I’d love to share more on this at the our seminars weeks of July 10th and August 21st but I hope this helps you better understand how to help them develop this critical skill at home.
