Tips for Working with a Child Who Is Very Persistent

Friends, Family and Home

• Resist family members’ efforts to label her stubborn, and say that she is “persistent” instead.
• Encourage him to be flexible and willing to change activities when friends want to do other things.
• Encourage family members not to give in to her wants all the time.
• Recognize that persistent babies can be labeled as “difficult” by family.

Learning, Childcare and School

• Read picture books with more words and tell longer stories to him.
• Encourage teachers to be very specific with her about expectations.
• Parents and teacher should allow him extra time if needed to complete tasks.
• Alert teachers that she often needs some notice to be able to stop her activity and move on.

Activities and Television

• Provide him with activities that have many steps.
• Enroll her in classes and activities that she will be able to continue for a long time, such as soccer or ballet.
• Allow him to keep unfinished projects somewhere to complete after dinner, chores or other activities.
• Repeat and continue songs, games and books until she is satisfied.

Guidance and Discipline

• Be firm in your decisions so that continual attempts to get you to change your mind don’t work.
• Remember he is not stubborn, just persistent and that can be a good thing!
• Talk with her about different ways to do things.
• Meet a baby’s needs as soon as possible.

Tips for Working with a Child Who Is Less Persistent

Friends, Family and Home

• Encourage family members to be patient.
• Offer to help him and his friends complete a project, such as making a fort.
• Work on chores and activities together.
• Ask family members to respond immediately when possible to a baby’s cries and needs.

Learning, Childcare and School

• Provide her with puzzles and activities that are quick, and congratulate her completion.
• Set goals with him, and establish timelines for completing steps to the goal.
• Ask teachers to encourage her to complete simple activities.
• Encourage process art, where experiencing the art materials is more important than making something specific.

Activities and Television

• Encourage short-term projects, such as short card games, simple art projects or a one-time class, so he can complete something.
• If she is watching TV, discourage changing channels constantly.
• Involve him in simple cooking activities that are fun and quick.
• Provide activities that don’t have to be completed such as blocks, Legos and dramatic props.

Guidance and Discipline

• Offer her small rewards for completing a job or chore.
• Use charts so that he can see his progress when he completes work.
• Break chores, rules and instructions into smaller steps and give them to her one at a time.
• Encourage and help him to try again when learning to walk, sit up, ride a bike, or other new skills.