Teaching Tips for Lesson 17: Do Not Quit or Give Up To Easily

This is the seventeenth of seventeen blogs providing practical teaching tips inspired by the lyrics and concepts from the Sammy Rabbit song Get in the Habit!

In the original blog, How the Sammy Rabbit Song Get in the Habit Teaches Kids 17 Money Lessons — Plus Powerful Vocabulary, we explored how the song supports financial education in three powerful ways:

Through clear, repeatable phrases directly from the song
Through real-world money lessons that naturally emerge when kids discuss and apply those phrases or concepts
Through everyday money language that builds financial vocabulary.

Now, we’re expanding on that foundation with a series of blogs that offer teaching tips for each of the 17 individual lessons embedded in the song. Each blog will include: (1) Simple questions to ignite discussion and learning (2) Two easy-to-implement micro-activities (3) A challenge action step (4) Key words to build personal finance and life-skills vocabulary.

Let’s begin with Lesson 17. It's inspired by and derived from the song's lyrics.

You can click on the following links to find: song lyrics and a karaoke Video.

Summary

17. Do Not Quit or Give Up To Easily

Lesson: Discuss the importance of persistence and not giving up too easily when building good habits. Saving—and other positive habits—take time, patience, and practice. When children learn to keep going, even when progress feels slow, they build resilience, confidence, and the belief that effort leads to results. Sticking with a habit helps kids reach goals and trust themselves over time.

Share with kids: Good habits take practice, and it’s okay if they feel hard sometimes. When you don’t quit and keep trying, you get better and closer to your goals.

1. Simple Discussion Questions

Use one or two—short, easy, and great for home or classroom conversations.

What does it mean to keep going?
Have you ever wanted to quit something that felt hard?
What helps you keep trying when something takes time?
Why do you think good habits take practice?
How does sticking with saving help you reach your goals?

2. Two Micro-Activities (2–5 Minutes Each)

---Micro-Activity 1: Keep Going Game

Materials: None

Ask kids to try a simple action (clapping, hopping, counting to 10).

Then ask them to:

Do it once
Do it again
Do it one more time

Ask:

Did it feel easier the more you did it?
What happens when we don’t quit?

Purpose: Shows how practice builds confidence and improvement.

---Micro-Activity 2: My “Don’t Quit” Goal

Materials: Paper and crayons (optional)

Ask kids to:

Draw or name one habit they want to keep practicing (saving, reading, helping)
Draw a small star or checkmark for each time they practice it

Have them say:

“I don’t quit—I keep going!”

Purpose: Reinforces persistence and goal commitment.

3. Challenge Action Step

Challenge:
This week, practice not giving up.

Ask kids to:

Choose one habit (like saving)
Practice it at least three times
Say each time:
“I’m practicing—and I won’t quit!”

This builds resilience and trust in themselves.

4. Key Vocabulary Words

These words help children understand effort, patience, and growth.

Practice: Doing something again to get better

Patience: Waiting and not giving up

Persist: To keep going

Resilience: Bouncing back and trying again

Trust: Believing in yourself

So when we say don’t quit, we’re learning that good habits take time—and sticking with them helps us reach our goals.

Additional Songs and Fun Resources

Keep:

kids listening, learning, singing and growing with a FREE or PREMIUM Money School Memberships.
parents, teachers, and community leaders learning and growing their financial literacy teaching skills by reading Sam X Renick's series of articles: Money Lessons Parents Should Teach Kids!
delivering financial education at home, in school, and other venues with Sammy's Dream Big Financial Education curriculum!

Contact Sammy Today!

We welcome your questions, suggestions, and ideas! Let’s connect, brainstorm, and partner to keep helping kids, families, and communities build strong financial literacy knowledge, habits, and skills—so together, we can create better and brighter futures for all.