Raising your child to be confident, resilient, and ready for anything

How To Raise a Resilient Child

Learning resilience is an important part of growing up. The ability to overcome daily set-backs helps children develop confidence and independence. Like any skill, resilience improves with practice and even the most sensitive children can learn how to be adaptable and optimistic in times of trouble. I’ve teamed up with an independent school in Somerset to explore some of the things you can do as a parent to help your child master the art of bounce-back-ability. Keep reading to find out more.

Nurture Optimism

A positive mental outlook is the cornerstone of resilience. If your child acts as though the world is falling apart at the first sign of a set-back, it's likely they are stuck in a pessimistic mindset and are failing to see the bigger picture. Remind them that things can and will improve and try and reframe their perception by getting them to focus on the things that have gone well for them. Be sure to demonstrate optimism and be mindful of how you react to your own challenges, as they look to you for an example of how to deal with problems.

Talk About Acceptance

Learning to accept that some things are outside of our control is extremely empowering, and allows us to focus our mental resources on the things we have the ability to improve. It can be hard for children to understand that things can’t always go their way, but try to shift their focus by emphasising the things they DO have control over, helping them to keep moving forwards after a set-back.

Practice Reflection

Instead of letting your child wallow after a failure, encourage them to be proactive and consider why things didn’t go to plan. This encourages a growth mindset by challenging children to consider how they can do things better next time, and giving them insight into their capabilities and areas that need improvement.

Develop Self-Esteem

Nurturing a child’s self-esteem will help them develop resilience, as they will have the self-belief that is necessary to keep trying even when something is challenging. Remind your child of their strengths and past accomplishments. Talk about things they have overcome in the past and how good it felt when they achieved things they initially found difficult.