The ability to tackle challenges head-on and move past them is one of the most important traits we can foster in our children. Resilience describes this ability to face obstacles and bounce back from disappointment, something which makes you stronger in the long run. Here a private school in Surrey explains how you can help your child develop resilience, so they feel able to tackle life’s inevitable challenges.
Encourage but don’t interfere
It’s important to let your child work things out for themselves without you jumping in to help them. When you see them struggling with something like tying their shoelaces or solving a maths problem, encourage them to keep trying but don’t intervene too quickly. If you do feel the need to help them, make sure you explain what you’re doing to help them understand for next time. Leaving children to their own devices sometimes can help foster their independence, which is a key factor in being resilient.
Be positive
Modelling optimism about life’s challenges will help your child see the positive side to things. Encourage them to focus on what they do have rather than what they don’t. If they face some kind of disappointment, ask them what the bright side or silver lining is. Optimism is a key part of resilience; it’s important for children to see bumps in the road as just that – small bumps they’ll get over and move on from. Try to showcase this behaviour by not dwelling on the negatives and instead looking forward to the next challenge, showing confidence that you can rise to it. Tell your child that there’s always another opportunity on the horizon if they are facing disappointment.
Celebrate accomplishments
Make sure that, when your child does overcome a challenge successfully or achieve something, you take the time to praise them and celebrate it. Reinforce how this achievement shows what they can do if they put their mind to it, and, if it’s something they achieved independently, make sure to point this out. Receiving this positive feedback will boost your child’s confidence and self-esteem and encourage them to keep facing obstacles head-on.
You can foster resilience in your child by taking a step back and allowing them to tackle challenges and overcome them independently, knowing that you’re always there to support them of course. Autonomy is a key component of resilience, so letting your child try things on their own shows them that you’re confident they can do it, which will boost their self-esteem and in turn their resilience.
