Teaching your Child to Persevere

Perseverance is one of the most important qualities you can teach your child. The determination to conquer a challenge, the persistence to keep trying and the patience to see it through will help them achieve their goals throughout childhood and on into their adult life!

Teaching your children to not give up is not hard if they see determination in you. You have to set an example of patience and persistence towards your own goals, so they will see that giving up is not an option.

Have your children read about people who showed perseverance. Edison kept trying after finding thousands of 'ways that wouldn't work' until he invented electricity. Peary reached the North Pole after 16 years and four attempts. He never gave up!

Let your child know that it is all right to fail, as long as you don't give in to discouragement. Let them hear you refuse to be defeated - say "I won't give up! I will persevere until I succeed." Seeing you push onward to achieve your goals will give them motivation to do the same.

There are so many ways to teach your children to keep trying, no matter what. If they fall off a bike and scrape their knee, wash it off, bandage it and dry their tears - then encourage them to give it another go. When the cake falls because they forgot the flour, help them wash the pan and start again. If they fail in sports or activities that they really like, encourage them to practice more and give their best until they make it. And always remember encourage your children to go for their dreams and NOT YOURS!

Make it a habit to point out persistence shown by characters in their favorite books and stories. Jack made the most of his handful of beans, and was sure the beanstalk would work out for the best. Dorothy kept trying to get back home even when it seemed impossible.

Patience is as important as determination and persistence. If you become exasperated, and say "Just forget it!" chances are you won't get ahead. Learning to work your way through a problem slowly and methodically is half the battle. If going at a problem or obstacle doesn't work in a certain way, encourage your child to step back and re-evaluate instead of becoming frustrated.

If they are very small, often a suggestion from you will point them in the right direction, and they will prevail. Follow up with a discussion of how they would have missed out if they had given up, and how good it feels to conquer a difficult task!