This is a collaborative post.
Do you want to raise a resilient child? Helping your child become more resilient is an important way to equip them with the necessary skills and the right attitude to overcome obstacles. Hardships will inevitably occur throughout your child’s life, both big and small, despite your best efforts to protect your child against them. With that said, the best thing you can do is support your child’s mental and physical endurance so that they are in a better position to deal with these challenges and move forward in a positive way. Here are some tips from an independent school in Hampshire.
Promote Open Communication
It’s important for your child to feel comfortable approaching you and chatting about what they’re going through so that you can give them appropriate advice. With that said, be sure to regularly remind them that you are there for them whenever they need you. When they do open up to you, avoid judgement, as this will only discourage them from coming to you again in the future. Try to be open-minded and remember that you were a child once and it isn’t always easy.
Don’t be afraid to share your own emotions with your child in return, so that they can see that it’s perfectly normal to speak up about their feelings. However, try not to burden them with big, scary adult problems as this will only make them anxious. Put a positive spin on things when you can, to demonstrate that nothing is as scary as it first seems. For example, you could say something like “I was really worried about a presentation I had to do at work today, but it went really well, and I got lots of praise”.
Endorse Exercise
When we exercise, chemicals are released around the body that can tackle stress and anxiety, and essentially make us feel better about ourselves. With that said, it’s a good idea to encourage your child to get plenty of fresh air and exercise so that they become more resistant to challenging situations.
Encourage Independence
Don’t step in and solve all of your child’s problems for them, because this won’t help them learn. Instead, try and encourage them to be independent and step out of their comfort zone. Mistakes will inevitably happen, but you can use this as an opportunity to remind your child that everyone makes mistakes, even adults, but the trick is to learn from them so that we can avoid them in the future.
If your child comes to you with curious thoughts about how the world works, encourage them to do some independent research and see if they can figure out the answers on their own. This doesn’t mean you should turn them away, but you could give them a brief answer and ask them to delve a little deeper without you. Use it as a positive learning opportunity.
Give Your Child their Own Responsibilities
By giving your child some simple chores to complete around the house, they will start to develop some key soft skills and learn what they are truly capable of, especially with your praise and encouragement.
