Want to teach your child the value of not giving up? Read these children’s books about perseverance to instill the importance of grit.
Kids are naturally equipped with perseverance and a growth mindset, from the baby learning to walk to the toddler who insists on putting on her jacket. They don’t worry about a “failure” stigma, even if it takes hundreds of falls to walk two steps or five minutes to use a zipper.
But along the way, their perseverance gets challenged. It’s harder to keep going when the focus shifts to who can do it the fastest or who gets it perfect the first time. Excuses pile up in the face of adversity. They lose sight of the importance of grit and get tempted to give up.
That’s why children’s books about perseverance are fantastic selections to read with your child. These picture books reinforce the value of not giving up, even when the task gets hard. They can encourage her to think creatively when she can’t figure things out the first time.
In Can I Play Too?, you’ll meet three friends who think outside the box so they don’t leave anyone out. You’ll also learn about engineer Rosie Revere who realizes that mistakes are necessary to learn. And you’ll never see Humpty Dumpty the same way again once you read After the Fall.
Through these books, your child learns how practice, patience, and perseverance are what she needs to pull through.
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Children’s books about perseverance
I Am Darn Tough by Licia Morelli and Maine Diaz
Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson
The Power of Yet by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy
She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger
A Chip Off the Old Block by Jody Jensen Shaffer
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
(Get more children’s books by Oliver Jeffers)
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola
Can I Play Too? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems
Read these next:
- The Secret to Raising Hard Working Kids Is Easier than You Think
- How to Encourage Autonomy in Children
- Are You Teaching These Life Skills Your Child Needs in Adulthood?
- 6 Traits You Can Teach to Guide Kids to Success
- Teaching Kids to Lose Gracefully
Free printables: Want even more book ideas? Join my newsletter and grab the Read Aloud Book List! You’ll get hundreds of favorite selections to read aloud with your kids. Get it below—at no cost to you:
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