Train Up a Child

What is diligence?

What does diligence mean? Diligence means to be hard-working, staying with a job till it's finished, not quitting. The opposite is to be lazy, negligent, or not caring.

Pick a big task and work together (rake the leaves, organize a closet, clean out the garage, etc.) When the task is finished, go out for a special treat and ask:

How does it feel to finish a big job like that?

There is joy in staying with a job until it is done and seeing the end result!

Chores = Fun?

One good way to teach kids about diligence is a chore chart. Decide on a few chores that are age appropriate and make a weekly chart. When the child completes the chore, a star or sticker can be added. Acknowledge their diligence with praise or a special reward (playing a game, staying up later at bedtime, etc.)


Keep On Keeping On!

For young children, use familiar stories (The Tortoise and the Hare) or songs to teach diligence.

For example: The Itsy Bitsy Spider song

The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Went up the waterspout,
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the spout
AGAIN!

The spider didn't give up when the web was washed away. It went up the spout and built another web. Being diligent means you keep at it. Don't give up or quit even if gets hard.