Do’er Duck teaches children about perseverance and what it means to never give up. Do’er Duck also assists in instilling why it’s an important character trait to carry on in life and knowing the difference between when it’s okay to walk away and when you could continue striving.
Do’er Duck was created by Joni Downey, founder of Characters of Character NFP, Inc., to help children understand, internalize, and portray what it means to persevere. Do’er Duck helps children relate to the trait associated with the Character by being a visual (similar to their favorite cartoon character.) They begin to learn about the trait through conversations, activities, books, discussions, and art activities. Once there is an understanding and connection between Do’er Duck and perseverance, children will eventually begin to portray what it means to persevere. From there it transitions from mimicking the trait they’ve learned about to understanding and internalizing it so that it becomes second nature to persevere in all settings - and know the difference between giving up or redirecting their goals. As the child grows older, they continue to develop the trait even after Do’er Duck as a visual reinforcement begins to fade out.
“Never give up!”
Those are three words that our pal, Do’er Duck, loves to reinforce, but it is also important to know the difference between when it is okay to walk away and when we should redirect our focus.
If a child is taught at an early age that giving up is okay, they may struggle to pursue their goals later on in life. If a child believes that they can give up and someone else will complete the task for them, they will never learn responsibility for themselves and always rely on someone else to do things for them.
Perseverance also teaches someone how to deal with rejection, allowing that person to develop coping skills to be able to deal with life when it becomes difficult.
Lasting Impact of Do’er Duck
In 2005, Miss Joni was piloting her character education program in a classroom. One of Miss Joni’s students connected so strongly with Do’er Duck, one of our nine Characters, that she asked her mom to create a costume so that she could be Do’er Duck for Halloween!
Flash forward to 2014 and that same student surprised Miss Joni at the Chicagoland Kids Expo where she got to meet Do’er Duck in costume! Our costumes didn’t become a reality until 2009/2010 - so it was a surprise for both of them!
One way that you can bring Do’er Duck into your classroom, home, or community is with our free resources. You can download and print our ‘determination’ coloring page to the right.
Determination can be a big word for a lot of kids - just like the word perseverance! This is a great opportunity to open up a dialogue with your students or children to discuss what determination means.
It is also a good opportunity to gauge where your children or students are at with their level of motivation. Do they give up easily? Do they know when to ask for help or when it is okay to walk away?
Take Do’er Duck With You Wherever You Go
Click each individual image below to find our Do’er Duck resources on Amazon. Every purchase helps support our mission of providing a firm foundation for children to develop strong civic values and your support is greatly appreciated!
