Children who are persistent keep on trying when things seem hard or not much fun.

They try hard to complete tasks and activities at school and at home and they often meet their responsibilities without always having to be reminded. Over time they learn that, to be successful, they sometimes have to work hard and not give up. Students who are persistent believe that the harder they try, the better they will get.

Madam Curie – a role model for persistence.

marie curie c1920


Marie Skłodowska Curie, born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win twice, the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences, and was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris, and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris. (Maria Sklodowska-Curie, n.d.)

Examples of Persistent behaviour in a child. 

  1. Cleans up after playing with an activity even though he/she might not want to. 
  2. Finishes a new task even if he/she needs to ask for help to get there. 
  3. Keeps trying when reading difficult words to work out meaning.  
  4. Doesn't get distracted when doing homework and doesn't look for excuses not to finish. 
  5. Does what he/she says he/she will do.

Ways to provide positive feedback to your child for Persistent behaviour.

  1. "You really put a lot of work into that." 
  2. "You really tried hard. Doesn't that feel good?" 
  3. "Good for you. You didn't give up." 
  4. "You found that hard, but you kept trying" 
  5. "Well done, you did that even though it wasn't easy." 
  6. "The more you practice the better you become."

Talk to your child about persistent thinking  

I CAN DO IT (when work is hard, I can do it) 

PUTTING IN THE EFFORT( The harder I try, the better I will get.) It won’t happen immediately but it will happen. 

SOMETIMES IT'S A BIT TOUGH( to do the best I can, I sometimes have to do things that are not easy or fun.)