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Teach your baby how to succeed by really trying
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There's nothing like a good work ethic to propel you forward in life and according to a study by the world renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), even babies can be taught that hard work pays off.
Researchers found that tots as young as 15 months can learn the value of effort by watching adults struggle with tasks and then succeed.
How did they come to this conclusion?
For this study, researchers enlisted the help of a group of babies. Half of the bubs watched as an adult struggled to remove a toy from a container and take off a key chain, before finally succeeding. In comparison, the other half witnessed a grown-up easily completing those tasks.
All the babies were then given a musical toy, with a non-working button on top, and asked to turn it on.
What happened next?
The babies who'd seen the adult struggle, pressed the button nearly twice as many times as the babies who'd seen the adult succeed quickly. They also pressed it more times before asking for help or tossing the toy away. In other words, the 'struggle bubs' tried harder to make the toy turn on, even when it didn't work.
Babies also put in more effort when researchers interacted with them through eye contact and speaking.
What does this mean for parents?
Although the study occurred in a laboratory setting and researchers don't know how long the effect lasts, it suggests that babies benefit from seeing grown-ups persevere.
Professor Laura Schulz says, "There's some pressure on parents to make everything look easy and not get frustrated in front of their children … but this does at least suggest that it may not be a bad thing to show your children that you are working hard to achieve your goals."
Further findings
This isn't the only study around youngsters and the value of hard work. According to MIT News other research has found that:
- Children's persistence or 'grit' can predict their success above and beyond what IQ predicts
- Children who believe that putting in effort leads to better outcomes, do better at school than kids who think success depends on a fixed level of intelligence
How babies can learn to try hard
Here are 5 activities that help babies develop their skills and perseverance:
- Stacking blocks or cups
- Catching bubbles
- Doing wooden knob puzzles
- Poking paddle pop sticks into a plastic bottle
- Painting with water
And, of course, you'll need to set up some tricky activities for yourself first! Judging by the study, bubba will be inspired to try, try and try again when they see you struggling, so how does an origami rose sound?
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