A large number of families are turning to homeschooling for their educational needs.
This has caused parents to be tested in more ways than one – to say the least.
But all of the worksheets, crafts, and new lesson plans can be conquered with this one invaluable chapter trait.
Intellect, dexterity, and raw talent are amazing gifts, helping children succeed in academics and beyond.
However, all of these building blocks of education won’t amount to much without perseverance- or grit as it is sometimes referred to.
Perseverance is striving for a goal despite the difficulty or hurdles you face along the way.
Think of when a child is confronted with a math problem and doesn’t immediately understand it.
You can encourage a genius all you want, but if they don’t have perseverance then no amount of time will make them finish the problem.
Fostering this trait is done daily by dealing with small setbacks and working through them to overcome challenges and succeed.
Our children have already begun to demonstrate perseverance, like when they rebuild a block tower after it tumbles to the ground or when they get back up after trying their bike without the training wheels for the first time.
It is undoubtedly hard to watch our children fail.
That is why we often swoop in to help our kids up when they fall off the bike, holding the seat during their next attempt.
And it is okay to be an unwavering support for our kids, but sometimes allowing them to fail and try again is the best thing we can do to help them grow.
Today puts it this way:
“How your child deals with failure is a key aspect of building resilience. If a child never fails, they may never learn to overcome obstacles. Learning is a process, and failure is part of that process.”
Instead of finding the right piece when your child is doing a puzzle, try saying, “you are so good at finding what works even when its hard. I look forward to seeing the puzzle when you are finished.”
And maybe point them in the right direction if its one of those puzzles you suspect will be out on the dining room table until they move out.
Also, provide opportunities for your child to try something new they can persevere in.
Start small like rolling a ball to each other on the floor and build up to large feats like long division.
Don’t miss out on moments to hep your children hone in on the skill of perseverance.
Discuss often how you have noticed their efforts to overcome challenges they have faced throughout the day, whether it is soccer practice or a failed science experiment.
Let them know it is okay to fail, because that is how they know what not to do next time; and they are better for it.
When a child knows how to persevere you are giving them the tools they need to be resilient when life inevitably throws them curve balls.
None of us nail a task on the first try, but those of us who keep trying until we do are the ones who make the greatest difference in this world.
Let’s bring up the next great generation of game changers.