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.