How to Promote Resilience in Kids

Everyone is capable of working through challenges and coping with stress, even children. Resilience is a person’s ability to recover from stress, adversity, failure, and challenges. Resilience isn’t something people have or don’t have. This is a skill that people can develop as they grow.

Resilient people are more likely to take healthy risks because they are not afraid to fail. They are also brave and trusting of their instincts, and they know their limits. They don’t hesitate to push themselves out of their comfort zone, especially if it helps them reach long-term goals or solve problems.

All children will encounter stress of varying degrees as they grow, whether from schoolwork, illness, or bullying. Helping them build resistance can help them work through these difficult issues.

How to Promote Resilience in Kids: Five tips for Building Resilience

1. Maintain a daily routine.

Schedules and consistency are important to maintain, especially for younger children or children that suffer from anxiety or depression. Children thrive when they have structure, and structure can help build resilience by giving your child something constant. During times of transition or stress, there can be a little flexibility with the routine. At the same time, however, the bulk of the routine should be maintained.

2. Set reasonable goals.

Setting goals and breaking down the steps to achieve them is important to building resistance. Having goals can help children move forward one step at a time despite challenges. The best way to start incorporating goal setting into your daily life is by helping your child break down assignments into smaller, easily achievable milestones. As they get older, their goals can become bigger and more difficult to accomplish.

3. Encourage positivity.

A negative self-view will not help in the way of resilience. People with a negative self-view are more likely to give up or quit trying when they do not see immediate results. To encourage positivity, remind your child of times and ways they have overcome hardships in the past.

4. Allow independence.

As a parent, it’s difficult to watch your child struggle, but intervening whenever they have a problem isn’t helping them. It’s important to allow your child the independence to solve problems on their own. Whether it takes them five minutes or five days, cheer them on as they work, but don’t solve the problem for them!

5. Accept change.

Finally, change is a necessary part of life, even if it feels overwhelming at the time. Change is often scary for children and young adults, but setting new goals in the place of unattainable goals is a good way to begin adjusting to the inevitability of change. For some children, it’s important to point out ways they have changed, such as by moving up grade levels and shifting schools. This will remind them that they can handle new situations.

All children, regardless of their age, will go through moments of fear and anxiety. Resilience is a skill that helps them bounce back from these situations and become better and stronger individuals.

Every approach to building resistance is unique and different. However, if your child seems stuck or overwhelmed by the process, they may need the help of a psychologist or counselor. Counselors, such as those available from Connect Teletherapy, can help your child build on their resilience in a flexible environment. They can teach them how to apply them in their everyday lives, so they are as prepared as they can be for life’s inevitable challenges.