A children’s story with a lesson about Perseverance

The following story I wrote for my daughter to help her with learning to stick at something and keep trying even if it is extremely frustrating and difficult.  I wrote it because my daughter is being taught to write at school so we’re practicing at weekends though she’s struggling to find the ability to keep at it and it’s turning into a bit of a battle.

We actually started this story together and the two young fairies were named by my daughter. She loves it when we tell stories together and she’ll often suggest which direction the story should go or what the characters are doing or what they’re like. It’s a great storytelling technique and I’m constantly amazed at where my daughter’s imagination takes us!

Creating stories for and indeed with our kids isn’t really that difficult and can be both educational and fun not to mention the closeness that imagining together fosters between us.

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Once upon a time in a magical forest where all the young fairies grow up, there lived a young fairy called Isobel.

Isobel loved to play make-believe and exciting adventure games, but only her best friend Anna-Lucy would play with her which made Isobel feel sad.

Today, Isobel and Anna-Lucy were trying to conjure a small imp to make small stones hop up and down for as long as possible in a game called “Rockhopper”. Imps are really rather good at it and can sometime get two or three stones to hop at the same time!

Isobel was trying to do the tricky two finger click that was needed to make the magic to conjure the imp and had been trying for several minutes.

“Aww! It’d too difficult!” exclaimed Isobel, stamping her foot and burying her head in her hands.

“Why don’t we go and ask one of the adults to conjure the imp for us.” Said Anna-Lucy.

So Isobel and Anna-Lucy went off in search of an adult fairy to make the imp appear.

In a small clearing, with the sunlight shimmering between the leaves of the trees, Isobel and Anna-Lucy found Victoria practicing some complicated looking magic involving fizzing stars and twinkly pink butterflies.

“Oh, what’s the matter?” asked Victoria when she saw Isobel’s sad look and teary eyes.

“I can’t do the two finger click to conjure an imp to make the stones hop in Rockhopper. Can you do it for us?” demanded Isobel in a cross voice and with her hands on her hips.

“We fairies are polite courteous and I certainly can’t help young fairies who don’t ask for things nicely.” Said Victoria sternly. “Why don’t you try again.” She added.

Isobel felt annoyed but knew that Victoria was right. “Please Victoria, may you conjure an imp for us?”

Victoria gave Isobel a big grin but shook her head to say no. “We fairies are not just polite and courteous, we’re musical and beautiful. I can’t help young fairies who don’t share their beauty and music with those around them.” She smiled a beautiful smile and her musical voice rang in the forest glade.

Isobel was feeling angry and a little bit silly for not getting it right (just like the finger click for conjuring the imp) but she knew that Victoria was right, so she took a calming breath, pushed back her shoulders and lifted her head. She smiled a warm and beautiful smile and said in her most musical and twinkling voice “Please may you help us by conjuring an imp to help us play Rockhopper? Thank you Victoria.”

This time, Victoria gave Isobel a big smile back and clapped her hands as her fairy wings lifted her off the ground in a show of how much she appreciated Isobel asking in a nice way. “Because you didn’t get upset when I reminded you about your manners, and because you stayed calm and did the right thing when I reminded you about giving something back and because you stayed and worked it out, you have shown me that you have a truly magical skill : Perseverance. The ability to keep trying something, no matter how many times it goes wrong or how frustrated or angry you get.”

“With beauty, manners and the perseverance to keep trying, I am sure you will grow up to become a fine young fairy.”

Isobel was feeling very happy with the praise from Victoria, but her heart started to sink when Victoria added “I not will conjure an imp for your game of Rockhopper…”

“…But instead, I will help you learn how to conjure the imp yourself!”

And Victoria did exactly that. Spending the afternoon with Isobel and Anna-Lucy while they practiced their two finger clicks until they were able to conjure (and vanish) imps whenever they needed.

Very soon, Isobel and Anna-Lucy were able to play Rockhopper with an imp each making one or two stones hop up and down.

Anna-Lucy looked over to Isobel and saw that she was looking sad and that she had vanished her imp and her stones were lying on the ground.

“What’s wrong?” asked Anna-Lucy.

Isobel looked up at Ann-Lucy and said “it’s nice that we have managed to conjure imps, and they’re really good at Rockhopper, but I would really like to be able to make the pebbles bounce myself. It’s no fun just watching the imps do it.”

“But the magic is really difficult!” said Anna-Lucy.

“I know.” Said Isobel as she raised her head up and started to look determined. “I’ll just have to keep trying until I can do it! I’ll practice for two weeks if that’s what it takes!”

A few days later, Victoria was walking through the forest checking on the nesting birds and ensuring that magic of the forest was still strong. In a small clearing, Victoria saw Isobel and at least five stones hopping up and down. Some of them are even bouncing high into the air.

“Wow Isobel! You must have conjured a very powerful imp to have all these stones bouncing at the same time and so high!” Victoria exclaims.

Isobel looks modestly at the ground and says “it’s not an imp Victoria, it’s me. I was thinking about what you said the other day about perseverance and I thought that I would learn the bouncing magic myself no matter how hard it was or how long it took me.”

“Wow Isobel!” said Victoria as she picked Isobel up and swung her around in a big hug. “You really are the most talented and wonderful young fairy!”

Isobel felt so happy that she was actually glowing and twinkling like the big fairies do.

Isobel taught all the other fairy children how to make things hop and bounce using magic and Rockhopper has never been a more popular game (the imps are glad of the rest too) and when Isobel and Anna-Lucy want to play exciting adventure games and make-believe, all the other young fairies want to join in as well.

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As you can see, there are themes of perseverance and a sprinkling of manners and good attitude in there. It’s not perfect, but then it’s only a quick story that my daughter and I cooked up together. This story is given to you free so please feel free to share it with your kids if you feel it can help or you can see somewhere it might be useful. If you want to re-post if on your website or blog, feel free (just please let me know and reference me and this site if you do).

I’m always looking for stories and ideas to put up here, so do get in touch if you would like to share something that works for your kids.