Building Resilience in Children:
Resilience in individuals is the ability to engage with risk or adversity in a manner that allows the individual to survive and improve. Experts agree that as human beings, we are each born with varying levels of resilience, with some being more naturally gifted than others. Experts also agree that resilience can be fostered and developed through practice and experience. School and home are the ideal environments for safe caring adults to foster the development of resilience while controlling the level of risk that our students are exposed to.
In childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, life is filled with challenges to be met, problems to be solved, and adversity to overcome. Ultimately the goal for our students should be that they develop into confident and competent adults that are able to encounter life’s trials with a positive mindset that provides the greatest opportunity for success, and in cases of failure, they are able to learn and grow to be better able to meet future challenges. The adage “prepare your child for the path, not the path for your child” is a great illustration of resilience. The development of this mindset begins in early childhood, and is gained through experience in navigating small challenges which progressively become more complex as children grow and develop. A child or adolescent who is equipped with resilience will have better outcomes in peer relationships, conflict resolution, and problem solving, as well as be less likely to experience depression, anxiety, and helplessness as they grow older.
The common principles for developing resilience in children are that children must have the opportunity to encounter adversity, safe caring adults should act as supportive persons coaching the child through adversity rather than removing them from it (as is developmentally appropriate), allow your child independence, and model a positive mindset that encourages an openness to encountering rather than avoiding new challenges. As parents and caregivers, we are often tempted to intervene and remove discomfort from our students. But, allowing our students to endure discomfort in a supervised and safe environment can equip them with the experience and confidence to successfully navigate the much greater challenges to come.
I have attached an article that is a more in depth look at the importance of resilience as well as strategies to develop resilience in your student.
