Parents Can Guide Children To Build Persistence From Resistance

Parents can guide children towards mastery by developing a ‘practice makes perfect’ mantra. Building persistence overcomes resistance…when you focus on these tools to build your child’s motivation. 

The Value of Giving Children Choices 

When children are given choices, they will ‘buy into’ tasks more easily. 
Here’s why:

• They will seek knowledge about what interests them most
• They will find meaning in their project
• They will become self-motivated via their progress 

Breaking Down One Task into Many Parts 

When a child resists undertaking a project, they may do so because they don’t know how to get to Point B from Point A. In turn, resistance may build anxiety—and they may not even attempt to solve the problem!

You can address this challenge by breaking the problem into pieces or finding a fellow age-range classmate to tackle each component. ‘Study buddies’ create teamwork and help both students better understand, cooperate and master the task. 

Imagination = Fantasy = Realization
 

Another way parents can guide children to address a task is by engaging their imagination. Visualization is a tool employed by professional athletes to help them get to the top—and stay there. Although many may possess the physical abilities to win, only a few have mastered the mental mindset of what winning takes to achieve and sustain.

So, encourage your child to use their imagination...first, by seeing themselves succeeding in their minds; then, using those feelings to focus on the task at hand.

These tools--compartmentalization, cooperation and visualization—can quickly help your child rise to the next level of skill because they have thwarted how procrastination and resistance negatively affects the child’s mindset. Still, if you haven’t gotten your point across, here’s one last strategy. 

Consequences of Inaction 

Salesmen know that being persistent wins orders. By embedding the thought of how action creates reaction, a buyer is left with the multiple consequences of NOT using the salesman’s product or service.

For parents seeking to create persistence, try this approach: if you do not do Part A, then Part B will not be possible. For example, if you do not measure and cut the wood carefully first, you will not be able to put together the model airplane to fly it.

In this way, a child is awakened to the power of persisting at a task because ‘resistance is futile.’ 

The Montessori Edge
 

Montessori toddler, primary, Kindergarten and elementary school teaching differs from traditional public schools. A private Montessori school centers on building children academically, socially and emotionally.

At Lifetime Montessori School in Santaluz, teachers and parents can guide children towards building persistence from resistance. The Montessori methodology gives students respect, autonomy, peer partnership and individualized foundations designed to create a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.