This valuable life skill helps children navigate challenges, develop resilience, and foster a positive mindset. By incorporating proven techniques and examples into everyday learning, parents can significantly contribute to their children’s understanding of perseverance.
Unlocking a lifelong skill for success and wellbeing
Perseverance is defined as the ability to continue striving toward a goal despite obstacles or difficulties. It’s a key ingredient in building resilience, achieving personal goals, and enhancing overall wellbeing. Teaching children to persevere equips them with the tools to handle setbacks and improves their overall mental health, leading to increased self-esteem.
Children who learn to persevere through challenges can grow into adults who are well-equipped to handle life's ups and downs. By fostering this trait early on, parents and educators can set children up for success academically, socially, and emotionally, whilst helping them develop a growth mindset.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth, known for her research on perseverance, has found that perseverance often predicts success more accurately than talent or intelligence alone.
Practical techniques for teaching perseverance
Effective strategies to use at home to instil perseverance in children:
1. Model perseverance
Children learn by example, so when they see parents working through challenges patiently, they are likely to adopt the same mindset. Whether you’re working on a home project or solving a problem at work, explain the process to your child and emphasise the importance of sticking with it, even when it gets tough.
2. Set small, achievable goals
Encourage children to set small, attainable goals that require effort to achieve. This could be completing a puzzle, learning to ride a bike, or mastering a new recipe.
Break down larger tasks into manageable steps so children can see their progress and feel a sense of accomplishment. For instance, if a child is struggling with reading, set goals like finishing one page per night or reading a short story together. Achieving these smaller milestones builds confidence and motivates them to keep going.
Celebrate these milestones to reinforce the idea that persistence leads to success.
3. Encourage a Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist, introduced the concept of a "growth mindset," which teaches children that abilities can be developed through effort. Instead of saying, "You’re so smart," focus on praise that emphasises effort, like "I can see you put a lot of thought into this - I’m so proud of how hard you worked on it."
Recognising effort instead of focusing solely on success reinforces perseverance. This approach helps children see challenges as opportunities to grow rather than obstacles.
4. Teach problem-solving techniques
Engage children in activities where they can practice perseverance in real-time and encourage them to brainstorm possible solutions to their problems.
For example, when working on a challenging maths problem, parents can demonstrate how to break the problem down into smaller parts and encourage their child to verbalise their thought process.
Teaching problem-solving techniques gives children practical tools to overcome obstacles on their own.
5. Incorporate team-building games
Playing games that require teamwork and problem-solving can be an enjoyable way to teach perseverance. Activities like building structures with blocks or participating in obstacle courses encourage children to work through difficulties together while fostering a supportive environment.
6. Encourage reflection
After completing tasks, have discussions about what strategies helped them overcome challenges. This reflection helps children recognise their progress and understand that setbacks are part of the learning process.
7. Promote positive self-talk
Teach children to use positive affirmations when facing difficulties. Phrases like "I can do this" or "It's okay to make mistakes" can help build their confidence and encourage them to keep trying even when things get tough.
8. Read stories of resilience and determination
Incorporate literature that emphasises perseverance into reading time. Stories about characters who overcome challenges can be inspiring for young minds.
Classics like The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper or newer books like The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires and Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae provide relatable examples of perseverance and illustrate the importance of not giving up.
Discuss the story afterward to help children connect with the message.
Examples from real life
Highlighting real-life examples of perseverance can inspire children. Stories of famous figures such as:
- Thomas Edison, who famously failed thousands of times before inventing the light bulb
- Cathy Freeman, one of Australia’s most celebrated athletes, showed remarkable perseverance throughout her journey to Olympic success
- Michael Jordan, who was cut from his high school basketball team but went on to become one of the greatest basketball players.
Examples like this serve as powerful reminders that persistence pays off.
Perseverance and wellbeing: A winning combination
When children learn to persevere, they experience the benefits of improved self-esteem, resilience, and a sense of accomplishment – all of which contribute to their wellbeing.
By using practical techniques such as modeling behaviour, setting achievable goals, engaging in team-building activities, and fostering positive self-talk, parents can help their children develop this essential life skill.
As students learn to embrace life’s challenges with resilience and determination, they will be better equipped to face life's obstacles with confidence and optimism.
Ultimately, teaching perseverance is about empowering children with the skills they need to thrive both in school and beyond. By fostering a resilient attitude and demonstrating the power of persistence, parents and educators can help children unlock their full potential.
