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It’s understandable that you would want to shield your child from anything which could potentially hurt them, but it’s also important to help children develop the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Nurturing resilience in your child will enable them to grow into adults who can face challenges head on and overcome them and recover from disappointments. These tips from a private school in Surrey will help you raise a resilient child.
Encourage independence
Give your child the space to explore and let them try new things. Encourage them to figure things out on their own, resisting the urge to intervene too quickly. Working things out for themselves will develop children’s problem-solving skills whilst also building their confidence in their abilities. This self-confidence will serve them well as they grow and mature, allowing them to tackle challenges rather than shy away from them.
Don’t over-accommodate your child’s needs
We all want to make sure we’re meeting our children’s needs and that they feel loved and cared for but granting your child’s every request and coddling them may actually do them a disservice. If you tend to their every whim, they may grow up thinking that they’re entitled to anything they want, when they want it, and expect other people to comply with this. It’s important for kids to realise that they can’t always have everything they want and to foster a sense of flexibility. That way they’ll be able to adapt and move on when they don’t get something they want, which is a big factor in resilience.
Help your child manage difficult emotions
It can be hard to resist the temptation to rescue your children when they’re experiencing uncomfortable emotions such as anger, frustration or boredom, but allowing your child to feel these emotions and learn how to manage them is an important part of developing resilience. Boredom in particular is a feeling a lot of parents try to distract from, but letting your child experience a sense of boredom can actually stimulate their imagination and creativity as they think of ways to fill their time using the resources they have available. So next time your child says they’re bored, instead of offering them a snack or doing an activity with them, try leaving them to it and see what they come up with. As well as encouraging independence and resourcefulness, this also teaches them that difficult emotions and feelings can be endured.
Resilient children grow into resilient adults, and resilient adults are able to tackle challenges head on and overcome their problems without relying on anyone else to help them.