This month, we are focusing on the topics Positivity and Engagement along with Self-Compassion and Resilience! This is the perfect time for both these topics as the holidays can add some unneeded worry, stress, and anxiety.
Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” and the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
This past week, the children completed a challenging game, like Jenga. This game helps require the children to be mindful and patient. When the blocks fall, it gave the children a visual for the concept of resilience.
Some things that you can do at home to build resilience in children, especially around the holidays!
- Encourage your child to try new things, even if you think it may be “too hard”.
- Encourage your child to serve others.
- Encourage your child to give old toys and clothes to charity.
- Encourage them to help others younger than they are.
- Introduce new experiences, which will help them to step outside of their comfort zone.
Here are five ways to help build resilience in children with adult support and modeling.
- Be a Supportive Role Model
- Model resilient behaviors. Be calm and consistent. Admit your own mistakes and talk about how you’ll get better next time.
- Let Them Make Mistakes
- Let them see the consequence of their actions. They will learn how to bounce back from their mistakes and do better next time.
- Praise the Right Way
- Give “process praise” by focusing on strategies, progress, or effort “I can tell you’ve been working hard.”
- Teach to Manage Emotions
- Teach that all emotions are okay. Deal with bad behaviors to set limits. Brainstorm ways to fix the problem and prevent it in the future.
- Teach to Problem Solve
- Don’t rush to solve problems for them or tell them the solution. Brainstorm solutions to address the challenge. Discuss potential consequences of each solution.
Be sure to come back next week as we discuss more on the topics of Self-Compassion, Resiliency, Positivity, and Engagement along with our weekly classroom themes!
