Frustration…and Persistence

Frustration is a leading cause of challenging behaviors! It’s natural for young kids to feel frustrated—new things don’t always come easily. It’s important for kids to persist, even when learning just seems to take too long!

Here are some ways to encourage kids:

• Recognize his feelings. “I can see that you’re frustrated. Want to tell me about it? What’s making you feel that way?”
• Help your child find a way of calming down that works: taking some belly breaths, counting to 10, or taking a break. Encourage her to walk away and try again later.
• Facing a new challenge can be difficult. Make a plan together. If it doesn’t work, make a new plan. Invite your child to invent her own super-hero name. Then say, “This sounds like a job for ___________!”
• Together, think of something new he’s learned to do in the past year. Ask, “Did you do it the first time you tried?” Learning something new takes patience and practice. Remind him that it’s not that he can’t do it—it’s that he can’t do it…yet!
• Break the task into lots of little steps. Help her to master one before moving onto the next. Remind her of the progress she’s already made.
• Explain that every failure is an opportunity to learn—and to get closer to the final goal.