Practice and quitting
What happens when your child wants to stop an activity: stop any time, finish the season, replace it with something else, or never quit core commitments.
Should we let our child quit an activity?
In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Can stop any time; Finish the season (the "Hard Thing Rule"); Must replace it with another commitment; No quitting core activities. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: school age.
- Evidence
- Your call
- Best settled
- School age
- Part of
- Learning & the wider world
Practice and quitting: what are the options?
Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.
1. Can stop any time
The child may stop whenever they want.
2. Finish the season (the "Hard Thing Rule")
The child must finish the season or term before stopping, an idea Angela Duckworth calls the Hard Thing Rule.
3. Must replace it with another commitment
The child may stop only if they take up something else.
4. No quitting core activities
The child may not drop certain activities you consider essential.
Practice and quitting: what does the evidence say?
Your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.
Duckworth's rule is advice, not evidence; grit adds little beyond conscientiousness
Sources
What else is worth knowing?
Every child wants to quit something at some point. Families differ on whether finishing a commitment matters more than following interest. Having a rule in advance makes the conversation easier.
Questions to ask each other
- What was it like quitting or not quitting as a kid?
- What counts as a good reason to stop?
- How do we teach commitment without making it miserable?
More in Play, activities and enrichment
First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.