A lot of people try their best to find an easy way out, especially when faced with challenging situations. This isn’t an ideal way to respond to challenges because the easiest way isn’t always the best.
The problem with most adults is that they don’t really have enough faith in themselves. And this probably started from when they were young.
As parents, it’s your responsibility to teach your children the basic values. You need to teach your child to be strong and persistent, to keep on trying no matter how hard the situation may seem.
Children who grow up with this value can do great things, as long as they believe they can. That’s why it’s crucial to teach your child never to give up.
If you teach your child perseverance early on, it will guide him as he faces different challenges in his life. People aren’t really born with perseverance; we need to learn the trait. Fortunately, it’s not that hard to learn. You can easily teach your child persistence by following these tips:
Talk about perseverance with your child
The very first thing you can do to teach perseverance to kids is to talk about it with them. This is especially useful with older kids. Find interesting ways to introduce the concept, such as through a story or role-play.
When kids hear about perseverance regularly, they will be more interested in it. When they’re interested in it, they’ll be more willing to learn about it and understand what it means.
Along with talking about perseverance, use some positive key phrases with your kids such as, “I can do it!” or “I won’t give up!”
Stay positive
After you introduce the concept of perseverance to your child, get your whole family involved in living it. Keep in mind, though, that this concept is quite abstract. So your child may not be able to understand or apply the concept immediately.
The key to teaching persistence is staying positive. Even though your child doesn’t seem to be getting it, keep the encouragements coming. Soon enough, your positivity will rub off on your child.
Be a good role model
The next step is to be a good role model for your child. As your child is growing up, he is learning most of his language and actions from you and every other adult in your home. Be conscious of your actions as well as your words.
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes in front of your child. These can actually serve as valuable learning experiences. When you face a challenge, show your child that you will keep on trying until you succeed.
Give your child responsibilities
Giving children responsibilities is a great way to teach them the value of persistence. Start off with something simple.
Ask your child to collect the mail, set the table or even read bedtime stories, clean ride on toys, arrange toys to a younger sibling. As your child grows older, give them more challenging responsibilities. Make sure they do the work with a lot of love and encouragement from you.
Resist the urge to rescue your child
At some point, your child needs to learn independence along with perseverance. When you see that your child is trying to do something and he is struggling, resist the urge to rescue him.
The better thing to do is observe your child and see what he will do when faced with a challenge. Children learn a lot through trial and error. If you keep saving your child from difficult tasks, he might start believing that you do so because you don’t think he can.
When your child learns from failure, he becomes happier and more confident when he succeeds. And more importantly, he will keep on trying until he does!
Provide your child with chances to succeed
Here’s another great tip for you. If a child doesn’t have opportunities to succeed, he won’t learn the value of perseverance. Allow your child to experience situations where he has to overcome a certain obstacle.
If your child asks for help, give it willingly. But never accomplish the task for him. When your child succeeds, make sure to praise him for doing so.
When he finds a situation particularly difficult, remind your child of his past successes. Emphasize how he achieved them because he didn’t give up.
Give the right amount of “push”
This tip can be quite tricky to achieve. Knowing the right amount of “push” is key in teaching perseverance without frustrating your child. If at some point, your child gives up, don’t scold them.
If you can, show your child how to do the task and the next time, push him to try a little harder. This is important when your child is learning a new concept or skill.
Never push your child to the point that he will hate doing the task. Know when to pull back and know when you should encourage your child more.
Finally, never give up on your child
This is probably the most important step. When teaching perseverance, you should also be persistent. Even if your child gives up on himself, you should never give up on him. When your child sees that you aren’t giving up, he may try harder to succeed too.
ADAM & Mila contributor Jim Stevens wrote this article. Jim is co-founder of Toys Advisors blog. Jim has two kids, a naughty boy and a very cute baby girl, and love to share his experience about parenting.
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