Perseverance is a social skill that kids of most abilities can learn through practice: it is up to the adults in their lives to nudge and nurture kids to reach their full potential.

For example, learning to play a sport may take perseverance if the person is not a natural athlete or has a disability. It is with adaptations and practice that a degree of proficiency is reached.

When I was teaching classical ballet there were students in my classes who struggled with getting into the correct positions, but it just made their eventual success even more sweet when they made progress. And it gave the students a boost to their self-esteem.

Perseverance pays off for anyone by giving a feeling of achievement, whether or not against tough odds. Don't we all like the feeling of success in gaining or even making steps toward a goal?

Academic perseverance definitely pays off in improving options for adult employment. Striving to achieve in childhood and the teen years means a higher standard of living in a more technical job later on.

But, most importantly, perseverance helps kids achieve their aspirations. And I feel it is the duty of all adults in the community to do their part in nurturing the kids around them.

Volunteering to help with tutoring in a community center or coaching a sports team are two ways to nurture kids' efforts. It is part of the circle of life for the adult generation to teach and promote the future society.

We are each cogs in the wheel and have our part to play to help the larger community and society. By nurturing kids, supporting their efforts to persevere on their chosen path, we fulfill one of our roles as human adults.

Some adults do more than others in helping kids achieve and teaching them to persevere in their efforts, but when a chance to assist a child comes our way it is rewarding to participate in their success.

In summary, kids benefit from help and guidance in their efforts to persevere in learning, and it pays off for the kids and society as a whole when each has reached a measure of their potential as adults.

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Recommended:
Yoga for all Kids - With illustrations and descriptions, how to teach 4 styles of meditation and 15 gentle moving yoga poses that can be used as a basic motor skills lesson plan, plus 12 how to live chapters and a dictionary of 40 definitions of happiness in 83 pages. For kids of all ages and abilities - for teens and adults, too! Available as an Ebook or Print Book


Article by Susan Kramer