How to teach children to be persistent?
"Everyone sees your success, but not your efforts ." This phrase refers to the fact that many times the achievement of the goal blurs or obscures the daily effort; those little steps are called persistence.
What is it about? When does it develop? How do teach children to be persistent?
Find out a little more in this article.
What does it mean to be persistent?
Persistence has to do with consistency, perseverance, staying on track. It involves not giving up when things get tough and encouraging yourself to do more by overcoming challenges.
Persistence is also linked to tenacity and effort. It requires a long-term vision, a greater goal, beyond the gratification of everyday life.
It means learning to choose, as many times we have to give up some things. For example, if I want to have a good workout on Saturday morning, I will have to rest well on Friday night, even if I would like to stay at that party until late.
The advantage of being persistent
Persistence has the advantage of going hand in hand with satisfaction. To have reached the goal or at least to have tried.
Along the way, we learn a lot, especially about ourselves. We develop different skills and sometimes we meet new people.
In general, persistence tends to have a positive balance. However, for this to happen, it is always advisable to work on the different emotions involved in the process, to develop a certain tolerance for frustration as well.
What's the benefit of teaching children to be persistent? First, the fact that encountering difficulties along the way will allow them to seek solutions. In this way, they will learn to solve problems, something very useful that they can apply in other fields, such as school.
Teach children to be persistent.
In the transition to school, children must know persistence and know how to use it.
The keys to helping children to be persistent
It is very important to teach children to be persistent, as it is a value that will accompany them throughout their life, in the personal and professional sphere. Here is a small guide for parents:
Help them regulate themselves (so they can do it themselves later). Children need to know that if they are tired or something happens, they can take a break. Perseverance means having continuity, but not at all costs. Sometimes, to move forward, you need to know when to stop. The process must be more valuable and fun than the result itself.
Don't interrupt them. When children are busy with a task, we often interrupt them and ask them to do something else. This de-focuses them and disconnects them from what they are doing; something that goes against the benefit of persistence.
Accompany them. One of the best ways to stimulate perseverance is to think about activities to do together to motivate them and make them feel supported. For example, if your child is very fond of tennis, but he is lazy and does not want to go to class, you can take the opportunity to do an activity in the same club and be of company.
View the goal. If you help them visualize what it feels like to reach a goal, if they can fantasize about that result, they will certainly be more motivated.
Trust is the basis. To teach children to be persistent, they must have self-confidence. But to do this they will have to see that we trust them too. To this end, it is important to have them participate in housework so that they learn to assume their responsibilities. In order not to frustrate them, activities of increasing complexity can be proposed.
Each child has his time. This is essential to understand, as imposing the timing of the adult world at its own pace reflects impatience and causes anxiety.
Congratulate them on their successes and effort. Of course, in addition to praising the achievement, it is also necessary to acknowledge the effort, time and perseverance.
It is good to stimulate the spirit of improvement and growth, but it is equally important to learn how to manage emotions when things do not go the way you want. On the other hand, respect must also be taught to the child. It is not necessary to “pass over the corpses of others” to achieve the objectives. That is, let's educate them in healthy competition.
Mother teaches her son to be persistent.
Accompanying children in their activities is a way to share tenacity with them.
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Don't romanticize persistence in children
It is important to recognize the benefits of persistence, but it must also be recognized that it is often difficult and expensive. Let's talk about it with the boys and girls.
There will be days when it will be much more rewarding to stay in bed than to get up to do homework. They shouldn't feel guilty about it. What we can do is offer them resources and alternatives to motivate persistence and perceive the benefit.
In this sense, it is important that the adults of reference do not feel frustrated or give up in front of the children, as the latter may receive the message that they are not capable. Therefore it is necessary that adults also review the style of education they use on the little ones.
For example, parents with an authoritarian style will tend to frustrate and discourage their children more easily. While those who have a democratic style will be an important source of motivation.
