Presentation 11:
BRILLIANT LITTLE IDEAS TO GROW PERSEVERANCE IN KIDS

Many good people who've had something to offer go to their graves frustrated by their inability to persevere. They were "gonnas" and "coulduvs". "I was gonna do this." "I coulduv done that." Perseverance is a wonderfully satisfying trait in human beings, as well it's at the core of resilience and finding personal success. This session highlights the practical things we can do to improve our children's capacity to persevere. With a firm grasp on how to do this we become enablers who know how to strategically promote growth within our children.

In recent years, Carol Dweck and Angela Lee Duckworth have researched the idea of what creates successful people. And, time and time again, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. You've guessed, haven't you? The ability to persevere. Perseverance determines our chances of success, right across the board, more than any other single characteristic. Grittier kids and adults are ones who are less likely to give up when faced with a challenge, and more likely want to find a way to accomplish the task.

Perseverance is linked to temperamental traits in humans; meaning it's linked to personality. Does this mean perseverance is a strictly inherited trait? This is not the case, because there is strong and growing evidence that children can be raised, or educated, to be more persistent. Its growth involves behaviours, thoughts, patterns and actions that are learned and developed.

So, how might we go about teaching, coaching and upskilling perseverance and grit to children and young adolescents?

This presentation is bursting with a selection of totally practical ideas, but they take time, demand our connection with young people, and insist on our resolve to build resilient kids!