03 Sep The power of passion and perseverance | GRIT
Angela Duckworth, the author of one of our favourite books, GRIT, discusses raising gritty kids.
“In our family, we live by the Hard Thing Rule. It has three parts. The first is that everyone—including mom and dad—has to do a hard thing. A hard thing is something that requires daily deliberate practice. I’ve told my kids that psychological research is my hard thing, but I also practice yoga.
“Dad tries to get better and better at being a real estate developer; he does the same with running. My eldest daughter, Amanda, has chosen playing the piano as her hard thing.”
More about the concept of Grit – the power of passion and perseverance – is here, in Angela’s excellent TED talk:
Raising gritty kids
Being “gritty” isn’t always something we think about when raising kids. We’re far more versed in building their self-esteem, teaching them self-awareness, money skills and being an all round good person. But having grit is valuable too. The ability for a child to commit to a task or goal and persist in the face of challenges and setbacks will set them up for lifelong success.
So, if you’re aiming to raise little champions of perseverance, here are the top five tips to sprinkle some grit into your parenting recipe!
1. Cultivate a growth mindset: Remember that our abilities aren’t fixed, and remind your kiddos of this. Make them realise that effort is like a magical potion that helps them learn, grow, and get better with time. Celebrate effort, not just results!
2. Be their gritty role model: Kids are great imitators, so give them something good to imitate! Show them what grit looks like in your life. Maybe it’s sticking to your exercise routine, or finishing that book you’ve been reading for a while. Remember, actions speak louder than words.
3. Teach them about failure: Yes, you read that right. Kids need to know that everyone stumbles and slips. It’s not about avoiding failure, but dusting ourselves off, learning from our mistakes, and getting back up again. Turn “I can’t” into “I can’t yet”!
4. Nurture their interests: Help your children discover what they love doing. When they’re passionate about something, they’re more likely to stick with it. And remember, this isn’t about what you want them to love, but what sparks their joy.
5. Set goals with increasing difficulty: Teach them the art of setting S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals. Small wins can be powerful confidence boosters, encouraging them to push through when things get tough. After the success of achieving easier goals, use this confidence boost to target bigger and better things.
Grit isn’t built in a day, but with a sprinkle of patience, a dash of love, and a hearty dollop of encouragement, we can raise kids who aren’t afraid to chase their dreams and face challenges head-on. So, here’s to raising gritty kids and a future full of determined dreamers!
Pick up a copy of GRIT now, a fantastic read for anyone seeking to understand or improve their ability to persevere and achieve great things in the long term.
If you liked this article, we think you’ll our top tips in building resilience in kids, as well as our post, how to develop problem-solving skills.
