Perseverance is the ability to keep trying and not give up, even when things are difficult or take a long time to achieve. It is one of Milchel’s 5 Key traits that we endeavour to teach Milchelians. Perseverance can be trained in kids, and parents play a crucial role in doing this. This trait is useful to kids as they study, and later on in their adult life as productive members of the society.
Firstly, parents should model perseverance. Children learn a lot from what they see from their parents. You can show perseverance by setting goals and working toward them consistently. You can also share your experiences to your children and highlight those instances when you overcame a difficulty by being perseverant.
Secondly, guide your child to set challenging but attainable goals. This need not be only school-related. This can be in the chores they do at home, or in their other sports or hobbies. Help them to break their major tasks into smaller steps so that when they experience satisfaction, they will be more motivated to continue towards their goal.
Finally, you can teach a child perseverance by providing them with opportunities to face challenges. As parents, it is our automatic response to shelter our kids and protect them from difficulties. However, allowing them to face some difficulties could be helpful. When they realise that they can overcome challenges by themselves, they learn to be persistent and their confidence grows.
It’s important to realise, too, that perseverance is not only applicable to studies. There are many other areas where a child can learn and practise perseverance. When kids learn perseverance through these non-academic areas, it will naturally transfer to their academic attitude.
Sports, music, and arts are areas that require consistent practice and effort. Skills develop gradually too, instead of instantly. The perseverance learned through activities in these areas can easily translate to perseverance in academics.
Household chores are also a good training for kids to learn perseverance. Tasks involved in the household teach kids the importance of finishing a task, no matter how tedious it may be. It helps them develop a work ethic that is very similar to what they can apply in their academic work.
When parents consistently encourage perseverance in multiple aspects of their child’s life, they equip the young with the resilience they need to handle academic challenges. They’ll learn that the process of sticking with something, even when it’s hard, is what ultimately leads to success.
