Virtue in Focus: Perseverance

This is the second post in my series “Virtues in Focus.”

Click here to read the rest.

Nothing frustrates me more than hearing my daughter say “I can’t do it” when faced with a task she has only just begun or has difficulty with.

My husband and I have had quite a number of discussions about how to instill perseverance in our children as it will serve them well as they navigate through life. We have some go-to phrases that we use to encourage our daughter to keep going, and that work quite well.

“It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you do it.”

“You just need to try.”

“Practice makes perfect.”

But nothing beats We Choose Virtues’ catchy catchphrase. It captures the essence of perseverance and speaks to a child so well.

“I can do it, even when it’s tough!”

Books

Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne, his steam shovel, work hard and fast to finish digging the land for Popperville’s new town hall in just one day!

Ming Lo and his wife want to move the mountain to enjoy their house in peace and do everything in their power to do so. They follow all of the wise old man’s advice until they achieve success with the last one – do the mountain dance by placing their right feet behind their left feet, their left feet behind their right feet, and so on. This had us laughing and walking backwards with our eyes closed.

A part of Time Life’s A Child’s First Library of Values, the story is about Dan who does not give up on his dream to have a musical concert in the forest. His efforts are rewarded with the most wonderful light he could have asked for – the light from a shooting star!

“Angelina Ballerina,” the first in the series is about a mouse who can’t stop dancing ballet everywhere. Her passion, dedication, and hard work pay off when she grows up to be the famed ballerina “Mademoiselle Angelina.” This is always a huge hit with our ballet enthusiast.

A lovely, lovely story by our favorite author William Steig. Irene faces all obstacles in order to deliver the beautiful gown that her mother has made for the duchess.

“Dogs Don’t Do Ballet” by Anna Kemp is an old favorite from our bookshelf about Biff the dog who is not like any other dog you will probably ever meet. He thinks he’s a ballerina! He pursues his dream and shows that you can do anything even if you’re told that you can’t!

Activities

Walk backwards with your eyes closed (or any other challenge that you can think of) from a designated start and goal points. We were inspired by “Ming Lo Moves The Mountain” and had a great time!
Complete jigsaw puzzles with an increasing level of difficulty. Our favorite is the Disney Princess 3 in 1 Panoramic Puzzle. Your child can start with 24 pieces, then 48, and then 63. Once completed, you can put together all three! We got ours from National Bookstore.
Let your child set a goal to accomplish for the week. Little T’s is simple: practice writing the number 3 until she can do it with confidence and without reversing.