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What is persistence? What does a persistent person do to be assigned with this trait of personality? People with this quality usually do not give up; they continue trying until they succeed. When it comes to children, of course, the most paramount for parents is their health and safety. That is why safe rules for kids are crucial to follow, especially if you think that your child is stubborn and persistent. Usually, we think that this trait is innate and depends on the set of character traits a person was born with. Is this really so?
Psychologists do not stop investigating the brains of a human, in particular, the way the behavior is influenced by certain physical traits and social aspects. Recently, a new piece of research has been conducted. As a result, it is possible to assume that to be persistent, one should not be definitely born with this trait. This quality can be learned even by children being 13 months old.
The Essence of Research
For this study, infants of 13 to 18 months were arranged to observe adults accomplishing certain tasks with a different degree of effort that could be visible. The main intention was to check if infants will be influenced by what they see and if they are going to repeat approaches they have observed when adults have been accomplishing their tasks.
Three groups have been arranged: Effort, No Effort, and Baseline. An adult was supposed to accomplish two tasks. In the Effort group, an adult had to pick up a container with a toy in it. It took an experimenter 30 seconds to open a container. In the process, an adult was actively commenting and narrating about the process and attempts to open a container to get the toy. In the No Effort group, an adult was assigned the same tasks. However, this time, an experimenter fulfilled an action within 10 seconds and repeated it a couple of times.
When the turn of babies came, they were given a box with a big button that was out of order. An experimenter explained that this button will switch on the music. Then, the box was taken out of the baby’s sight, and the music was switched on. Then, a box was given to the child, and the experimenter left the room.
The duration of the test was 2 minutes. As a result, kids from the Effort group pressed the button more times than those from the No Effort and Baseline ones. Therefore, the conclusion has been drawn that children can learn how to be persistent by observing the same behavior of adults.
What Is the Meaning of This Research?
First of all, the results of this study do not mean that to become persistent, it is enough watching other people putting effort and trying harder and harder to achieve their goal in childhood. However, it still proves that there is a positive effect from letting your children see how an adult sweats to accomplish certain tasks. And knowing peculiarities of the children’s brains and how babies learn, it is possible to practically apply the results of this piece of research to help your baby become persistent and achieve more in the future.
How to Apply the Research Results in Practice?
Every parent takes care of the future of their children. Before becoming pregnant, you have visited the courses to prepare for pregnancy and on how to take care of a newborn. You have read plenty of tips to keep your child safe and, of course, you would like to develop the qualities that will help your precious child be successful and achieve the targets they set.
For all this to be real, it is necessary to begin developing the potential of a baby starting from early childhood. Taking into account the results of the research presented above, one can conclude that even the first years are crucial for the development of skills and traits of the character of a successful personality. We have collected some tips for you. Even if you are working at home with a baby, you can follow them.
- Be an example of behavior you would like your child to follow. If you want your baby to be active and love sports, then start jogging or cycling. Would you like to develop persistence in your child? Set an example showing that no matter how many attempts it takes, you are going to achieve the goal.
- Be supportive. If your little one has decided to do something, show your support, and suggest assistance. Let a baby know that you can be trusted and relied on.
- Be ready for the baby’s independence. If your child is trying to take a chair to get to the desired cookie, stay close to catch if she falls. Remember, every interruption contradicts your wish to grow a persistent person who will achieve the goals they set.
- Always stay by the side of your little one. No matter what has happened, in the school or at the playground, you are the only person your child can rely on at this age. At home, you should explain what was wrong, however, not in public.
- Trust your baby. Even if you have doubts, it is not the reason to say to your baby that she is lying. It is better to avoid this word. Always emphasize the importance of telling the truth and show this with your own example.
All in all, every person has a set of innate traits, however, without a proper example of parents, even the best qualities won’t develop. That is why before you begin teaching your baby, analyze yourself and your behavior. None of your words will have value until you really do what you teach your baby.
