Persistence
We don't always succeed in everything we try. Sometimes our determination is enough to make us keep trying, but sometimes we need someone who can encourage us and help us sustain the belief that we can succeed even when we doubt ourselves. We can learn from the strength of the people we trust the most, people who guide us, but do not take over for us. The life-long lesson lies in the willingness to keep on trying.
Persistence refers to how long a child (or any person) spends working at a task to get it accomplished. Persistence (trying) can bring frustration. Some children seem to continue to try and are able to manage their frustration, while others seem to give up quickly and may be overwhelmed by a sense of failure.
In this set of resources, we will use video and a song from DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD to focus on how you can help children learn that being persistent is worthwhile; and when we keep on trying we are more likely to succeed. When we don't succeed, we can learn from our mistakes.
Watch
Watch the videos about Persistence and think about how you could use them as part of a classroom activity or throughout the year whenever children need help or inspiration to keep on trying.
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Episode: O Builds a Tower
In the block corner at school, O the Owl is determined to use all of the blocks to build the tallest tower in the world. When the blocks keep falling, O feels ready to give up, but Teacher Harriet and his friends encourage him to keep trying and finally he succeeds!
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Clip #1: Strategy Song: “Keep on trying, you'll get better!”
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Clip #2: Watch as children keep on trying and eventually succeed in zipping a sweater like Daniel's, flying a kite, peeling a banana, and digging with a hand shovel.
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Explore
Use these resources to further explore the topic of Persistence in your classroom.
Share
Share these resources with the families of your students, so they can continue the conversation at home.
An important part of being persistent is learning from mistakes. When trying is not enough and things don’t turn out in the way they’d hoped, we can encourage children to look more closely to see what they could do better. Who can help? Where might they find some answers? With that help, they can try again.