Persistence is a Value You Should Teach Your Children

Persistence is an important quality that people must possess in order to achieve goals in all areas of life. Therefore, persistence is a value that you must teach your children from an early age.

Written and verified by the pedagogue and trainer María Matilde.

Last update: 27 December, 2022

In general, it’s very common for people to start something and then drop it, be it a study or a hobby, physically exercising, or following a healthy diet. That’s why persistence is a value you should teach your children from a young age. No project or activity can come to fruition without effort and steadfastness.

What does persistence and being a persistent person means?

Persistence refers to the unwavering and continued will in the determination to do something or in the way of doing it. Persistence is synonymous with perseverance, will, determination, and firmness.

When people have the value of persistence, they persevere and are determined to achieve their purpose, goals and decisions. These people are consistent, methodical, patient, responsible and disciplined. They work hard to achieve their goals. These people also resolve all the problems and difficulties that may arise along the way.

Learning to be a persistent person is important to face life situations, both in our intimate and everyday environments, as well as other formal and professional ones. And being consistent in everything you undertake is essential to avoid the frustrations of not being able to achieve something easily. Persistence is an essential value to achieve all our goals.

Persistence is a value you should teach your children

To educate our children in persistence, it’s necessary to keep in mind that you must succeed in creating a habit in them. And the habit to achieve persistence is repetition, doing something over and over again, even in a thousand different ways, until you get it.

Children must learn that nothing is achieved on the first try, and that everything requires effort, creativity and desire. In addition,  problems and difficulties are part of the journey. Thus, you can help children learn to be persistent when they internalize that gratifications are directly proportional to their effort.

Furthermore, as psychiatrist and professor Enrique Rojas states in his book 5 consejos para potenciar la inteligencia (In English: 5 Tips to Enhance Intelligence), persistence is necessary to develop auxiliary intelligence. Along with order, will, motivation, and the ability to observe and take note, persistence is an instrument of reason.

In fact, the author states that auxiliary intelligence allows, among other things, to maintain fluid relationships with those around you and to enjoy a healthy emotional life.

How to teach persistence as a value

Sometimes, it isn’t easy to find the most appropriate ways to educate children in the value of persistence. Although we know that the starting point is to convey to them that they must strive to achieve their goals, you must also take the following into account:

• Both parents and educators must give their children freedom and allow them to make mistakes. Adults must be patient and avoid doing things for them.
• Adults must contain themselves, at times, in the need to resolve and provide restraint when children become frustrated because they can’t do something. It’s important for them to experience frustration. This way, when they calm down, you can make them understand that they can only avoid those unpleasant emotions by trying things again.
• Leading by example is essential. It isn’t good for parents to express, with gestures or words, their frustrations when children aren’t able to do certain tasks or activities. It’s better for children to observe their parents doing something patiently and calmly, and then being happy when they accomplished it.
• Children learn to be persistent by getting used to the fact that things must be earned and worked for. This way, they’ll also feel that they’ll achieve rewards by being persistent. And we’re not just talking about gifts or flattery but, mainly, the reward of deserving what’s been achieved.

Persistence is a value for your children’s personal development

In short, developing the habit of persistence forces people to challenge their routine and laziness. It serves as an engine to achieve, on the one hand, the things that are part of your daily obligations (domestic, work, bureaucratic) and, on the other hand, everything related to more personal projects (studies, hobbies, etc).

Therefore, persistence is a value to teach your children and help them develop as a habit from a young age, as it’s fundamental for their personal development. This will allow them to face the different challenges that come their way in life with determination and will, in a mature and conscious way.