Raising a Resilient Child

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Whilst we cannot shield our children from all of the hard, stressful stuff that happens in life, we can help them become more resilient and more able to deal with these types of situations. Resilience is key for helping children to develop and something to work upon as they grow older. Building resilience gives children the chance to be themselves, think independently and work on their own initiative. 

As parents, we should be giving them the tools to learn about resilience, which is why I’ve teamed up with a boarding school in Kent to show you tips on how to raise a resilient child.

Let them take part in regular exercise

To show a child how to be resilient both physically and mentally, take them out to do sports or to do regular exercise each week. A lot of team-based sports like football, rugby and cricket rely on a lot of physical strength to score goals, defend or hit the bat in the right way. Continued practice will give your child the chance to hone their craft and develop skills that will make them better players both on the pitch and in situations where they need to think on their toes. In turn this builds up not only resilience but drive and determination to keep going when things might not work out the first time, or are tough too!

Work towards set goals

Especially when children are in school there will be a lot of targets they’ll have to reach in order to be successful or get the grades they might need. This is where a sheet that lays out each goal step by step can help your child know where they are and what they need to improve on. If they know that they’re struggling in certain areas they can work to improve on their performance, whether it’s taking part in extra studies or seeking help from teachers to help them along the way. Schools also like to see children showing resilience in those subjects they might find tough so helping your child show this and be in control of their learning is a great way to do that. 

Have regular conversations with your child

If your child is more reserved and quick to avoid conversation they’re less likely to be resilient to change or obstacles. Open yourself up to your child and have regular conversations with them. You then have the chance to learn more about how they’re feeling, their strengths and what they dislike about school. This works well in setting goals for your child, as they’re able to focus more on the smaller goals rather than larger goals. You could try have conversations over dinner together or in a relaxed situation in your home, encourage your child to get involved and join in the discussions too. 

Teach your child about effective problem solving

Solving problems comes with a number of steps and knowing how to solve them or work them out really helps with the resilience to keep going. Give your child the skills to be able to break down problems into chunks and come up with strategies to manage them. Then, you’ll be able to give them more complex tasks that can train their resilience skills. From doing chores at home to learning how to drive, your child is developing key ways they can handle issues that arise in front of them.

Do you think resilience is something children need as they grow up? How do you help your child build up their resilience to different situations in your home? 

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