Many times children take us by surprise and ask something when we least expect it. “Dad, I have a science project due tomorrow that I have not started. Will you help me?” What was your initial response to your child’s request? Perhaps it was one of surprise, disappointment, or disgust with your child for waiting until the last minute to complete the assignment. As a parent, you realize that your child doing his or her best on a project or any other class assignment requires sufficient time to read, think, plan, study, and organize. Persevering through successful task completion requires working through challenges and setbacks along the way and doing what it takes to finish the task.Simply stated, perseverance is continuing with a task despite the difficulty. All of us recognize perseverance when we see it, for example, an athlete preparing for the Olympics, an author writing a book, or a college student working on a degree. In each case, the individual must persevere to complete the task successfully. 

Why is learning to persevere in a task important? Perseverance is a key component for future success. Someone who desires to accomplish a task successfully must be willing to do what is necessary to reach a goal, which may include getting knocked down and bouncing back up, ready to go again. In essence, perseverance requires a “never-give-up” attitude. If success does not come at first, adjustments are made in order to succeed the next time. 

Parents can do much to encourage their children to persevere in a task. Consider the following strategies to assist in developing your child’s perseverance.

1. Model perseverance. Parents should model what they expect from their children. While there are many ways you can model perseverance to your children at home, several examples include decorating the house, remodeling a room, landscaping the yard, or fixing basic plumbing and electrical issues. In addition, you can model perseverance by working at home to complete a difficult work-related assignment. You could even share with your children a brief description of the task, some frustrations and struggles in completing the assignment, and what you are doing to complete the task. In the end, children will remember your perseverance to complete tasks at home or at work and will respect you for working hard to finish what you started. 

2. Give your child tasks that require perseverance. Parents can help foster perseverance in their children by giving them tasks or responsibilities to complete at home, for example, mowing the yard, helping prepare a meal, washing and waxing the car, or assisting you with specific tasks. This list of responsibilities could be expanded to include tasks that children participate in at school, such as playing a sport or acting in a school play. 

3. Teach your child how to break a goal into manageable steps. Teaching your child how to break a goal into manageable steps is an important life lesson. To help your child learn how to reach a goal, begin by giving your child a household responsibility or a goal that requires some time to complete. Such goals include cleaning the house, making basic house repairs, or taking care of a pet. Next, teach your child how to break the goal into manageable steps so that your child does not become overwhelmed in reaching the goal. 

Breaking a goal into manageable steps is an important skill that a child needs to complete certain school assignments, for example, writing a term paper for English class. The steps for completing a term paper include identifying the research topic, taking notes, developing an outline, preparing the reference page, and writing the rough draft and final draft of the paper. When students understand and follow the steps in writing a term paper or in completing other challenging school assignments, they are more likely to produce a quality product. 

4. Praise your child for effort. Take time to praise your child for completing a goal, for sticking with a task, and for being determined (Bright Horizons Education Team, August 1, 2019, Teaching Grit and Perseverance to Children). An example of meaningful praise could be, “Hey, Michelle, I really appreciate how hard you worked on your math project. That was a challenging project.” When parents emphasize effort, they communicate to their child that giving one’s best is the expectation. Interestingly, research shows that a child’s intrinsic motivation to persist with a difficult task is increased when the child is praised for his or her effort on a task (Cara Goodwin, August 30, 2021, 6 Evidence-Based Ways to Encourage Persistence in Children). 

5. Expect your child to finish what is started. It is easy to begin a task, but completing the task is often difficult. Finishing a job may be frustrating, disappointing, and perhaps humbling, but persevering with the assignment is rewarding. Tell your children that you expect them to finish what they start. For example, if your son decides to join the high school basketball team, require him to finish the basketball season. Quitting is not an option. Finally, consider several benefits of completing a task: increased self-confidence in an area of interest, improvement in a skill, learning to work with teammates or classmates, or even making the winning basket, sinking the winning putt, or placing first in the science fair. 

Conclusion 

As a parent, you have a wonderful opportunity to help your child develop perseverance. Understanding the definition and importance of perseverance and implementing the five practical strategies in this article will assist you in the task of fostering perseverance in your child. In the end, when your child develops perseverance, God is honored since He values hard work— ”Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). This involves doing one’s best, working hard, finishing the job, and never giving up. When that happens, God is glorified, and this is what every Christian should want.