# Practice and quitting

**Should we let our child quit an activity?**

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.

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.

- Area: Play, activities and enrichment
- Evidence: Your call
- Best settled: School age
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/play-activities-and-enrichment--practice-and-quitting

## Practice and quitting: what are the options?

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:

- [Inc.](https://www.inc.com/david-burkus/want-your-kids-or-employees-to-have-more-grit-add-this-rule.html)
- [Credé et al.](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304032119_Much_Ado_About_Grit_A_Meta-Analytic_Synthesis_of_the_Grit_Literature)

## 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?

---

General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=play-activities-and-enrichment&topic=play-activities-and-enrichment--practice-and-quitting