Chaplain's Chat

Resilience

Hi everyone, I'm so excited to be back and ready for this year! 

I'm also very excited to begin Tribes this week where we are talking about the importance of having a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset involves looking at the world in a more positive light, and can be very important for developing resilience. 

Resilience is defined as the ability to bounce back from stress, failure or challenges. It is not something that kids are naturally born with, rather it is a skill that we all need to develop as we grow. Resilient kids are not afraid of failing and tend to be curious, brave and trusting of their instincts. Building resilience helps children not only deal with current problems but also develop basic skills and habits that will help deal with challenges later in life.

So what’s the best way to build resilience in your child? Research has shown that you can help develop these skills, habits and attitudes at home as parents. Everyday challenges are a part of life, and providing love and support is the most important step for developing confidence and resilience. So what can we do to help our children overcome challenges they might face throughout the day?  

• Calming down: When your child is feeling frustrated, breathing and problem-solving can help them feel better 
  • Breathe: Slowly take three deep breaths
  • Think: Problem-solve with your child and help them come up with a solution
  • Do: Choose a plan and try it out together
• Cope with big feelings: Encourage your child to name their feelings, asking questions to help go further. For example, “I can see you are frowning, did something happen to make you feel sad?”
• Practising patience: Teach fun ways to pass the time to get them to be patient, think up games or a special song with children to pass the time
• Help overcome mistakes: Everyone makes mistakes and that’s OK. Encourage your child to keep trying, remind them of other times they didn’t give up and got better.
• Model resilience yourself: If you confront your own mistakes, try to be positive and think of a plan to try again.  For example “Today I made a mistake, but I made a plan to fix it and that made things a bit better".

Remember it's OK to be sad and upset, life can get challenging sometimes but how we behave and react to the situation that can help us handle these uncertainties in life.

Thanks,

Angel