Resilience refers to an individual’s capacity for handling stressful or threatening situations with ease and optimism, solving problems independently. Resilient children possess this quality.
Resilience in children can be linked to various aspects of their lives, including intelligence, agreeable temperament and optimism. A resilient child is likely to be supported by an ecosystem such as close ties to parents or other loved ones in his/her microsystem.
1. Help Your Child Develop Healthy Relationships
Healthy relationships are vital components of your child’s emotional and social development. Help them understand the boundaries set by others while encouraging them to set their own in an age-appropriate manner.
Your child needs to know they can rely on and turn to you as they navigate life’s obstacles, which is why it’s crucial that you share openly about your experiences so they can see you as a role model for dealing with difficult emotions.
Resilient children and teens excel at problem-solving to navigate tough situations more successfully. They possess positive inner voices, an optimistic mindset and the self-belief to see them through. By helping your kids develop these skills they’ll feel stronger to face whatever comes their way and take risks with confidence – while rebounding faster from setbacks so they won’t become overwhelmed or discouraged as easily.
2. Help Your Child Develop Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize and manage one’s feelings in an appropriate manner, and express them appropriately. Children with high emotional intelligence are better prepared for life’s challenges.
Helping children develop emotional intelligence can be accomplished by listening, encouraging them to discuss their emotions, and teaching them empathy for others. Furthermore, providing them with a safe environment where they can practise these skills will aid in their development.
Role playing is a great way for kids to develop interpersonal skills like empathy and emotional regulation. Try playing Empathy Charades with them where each turns acting out situations from their lives that caused an emotion to arise.
Encouraging children to recognize and activate their character strengths can also aid in the development of emotional intelligence. Furthermore, encouraging kids to help those in need is another great way of teaching them compassion and empathy.
3. Help Your Child Develop Self-Esteem
Children who develop positive self-esteem will have the confidence and resilience needed to try new activities and face new challenges with confidence and resilience. When they succeed, encourage them to give themselves credit and praise – this sends the message that effort over innate ability is more valuable and will foster their development of grit. However, be wary of inflating their ego with overstating accomplishments – doing so may lead to arrogance, narcissism, or entitlement issues in later years.
Be sure to recognize their efforts during daily conversations, affirm their efforts and discuss how we all possess unique strengths and skills – this will help your child understand that being different is okay and uniqueness is a good quality.
Young children gain much of their resilience from their environments of development. Family environments that foster nurturing, secure, and supportive care environments typically produce more resilient children than chaotic or neglectful ones. Resilient children typically display strong senses of locus of control and self-efficacy. Furthermore, they develop healthy relationships with at least one trusted adult while having a positive perception of themselves as worth.
4. Help Your Child Develop Resilience
Resilience refers to the ability to recover quickly after experiencing difficulties or hardship. Children and youth require resilience in order to face life’s challenges head-on and thrive. While its development depends on multiple factors, one key way is providing a supportive environment.
Helping children build networks of support from family, teachers and friends is vital in developing their sense of autonomy and mastery; teaching empathy means truly considering and visualizing other’s struggles. Furthermore, encouraging them to try things that they find frightening or intimidating can also contribute to this development process.
Resilient kids are adept at adapting and finding practical solutions, remaining positive about the future, resilient against stress and recognizing when they need assistance from trusted adults. These resilient children also tend to enjoy good self-esteem, are active at school, participate in meaningful activities outside the classroom and live in healthy, secure communities.