Determination

The character training focus for Session 1 is the trait of determination. Having determination means choosing a clear goal and not giving up until you reach it.

The Bible verse for this session is found in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Experts now say that teaching kids the value of hard work and determination is more important than building self-esteem, and the skill of determination is essential to a child’s social emotional development.

Andrew Andestic from Tall Trees Grow Deep gives five tips for parents to help grow determination in children:

1. Praise the effort more than the accomplishment.

2. Put kids in difficult but doable situations, and don’t help them too much. Encourage them to keep working even in the face of mild frustration.

3. Modeling is always important. Like any skill you want your kids to have, you need to demonstrate it in your own life.

4. Read and tell stories of people who worked very hard to acquire skills and accomplish great feats.

5. Teach kids to recover and grow from failure. When your kids fail, help them turn those feelings into a time to ask questions and get better.

“The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.” ~U.S. Army Corp of Engineers