How to Make Kids More Resilient

How to Make Kids More Resilient : Growing up in a world full of uncertainty can be quite challenging at times. While parents and caregivers have a tendency to safeguard their children from every type of inconvenience, you could ask yourself if this would rid them of important experiences and make them less resilient to stress in the long run?

As with immunity to viruses and germs, sometimes a bit of exposure, or at least talking about unpleasant events can prepare children for inevitable changes in life. Let’s take a look at some examples of how to achieve resilience at a young age.

How can I make my kid more resilient to stress?

There are a lot of things that you can do as a parent or caregiver to help your kid enhance their self-esteem, or to deal with stressful situations. Here are some main points you should focus in order to help your kid build true resilience in life:

Value connections

One of the most important skills in life that will make your child more resilient and resourceful in stressful situations is to know how to engage and build genuine connections with peers. This will give them more confidence in stressful situations. They would be able to rely on friends for assistance, or to look for reassurance in other places, not just to rely on your help.

Maintain a steady daily routine

Everyday activities should feel purposeful. Even when there’s a lot of changes going on, for example, when you’re moving, or you have a new baby underway, following a steady routine will allow your kid to preserve a certain level of control. Make sure that the routine includes not only schoolwork, naptime, meals, and personal hygiene, but also time for fun, sports, and friends. Don’t forget about physical activities, and make sure to have your kid spend a couple of hours at least playing at the nearest local playground or in an outdoor park like Uptown Jungle in North Phoenix.

Encourage your child to help others

Asking for help is OK. One of the best ways to demonstrate this is to see others who are in need of help. Your kids will learn to value the help they receive, and learn to associate the role with something positive. Helping others, asking for help, cooperating – that is all a part of a bigger picture of resilience. Together we grow stronger.

It’s OK to take a break

When things become overwhelming and you’re on the brink of tears, it’s completely acceptable to take a break. Your kid needs to know that there are situations that demand time and patience to be reckoned with. It’s OK to sit down for a while and take a break from a struggle. Once they recharge and make sure they’re emotionally capable, you can give them a nod, and they’ll be back on their feet.

Teach self-care

Equally important as caring for others, and asking for help, we have to constantly look for ourselves. While it’s awesome to be brave, magnanimous, generous, and strong, resilience demands that they look for inner signs. If hurt, physically or emotionally, they have to recognize it, and act accordingly. Also, there’s a constant need to take good care of their own health, hygiene, school and family responsibilities, and hobbies.

Support a positive sense of self

Now, this doesn’t mean that you should support selfishness or egotism! While it’s true that kids can often be or act self-centered, this is just a position they are trying out, and it’s up to you to shape their sense of self. Reward truly positive behavior, their role in the family, teach them kindness, and teach them that they are worthy of respect, love, and fun to hang around with. Teach them boundaries, also to accept their flaws, but to strive to be better every day.

Keep things in perspective

Life isn’t fair, or at least not perfectly fair – this is one of the first bitter lessons we learn as kids. However, your kid doesn’t have to dwell on this as something negative. There’s a lot to be learned, a lot of things to enjoy, and a lot of happy events to look for, so no matter what transpired in the meantime, no matter how hard it was to adapt, there’s the bigger picture, with so many possibilities and opportunities.