Raising Resilient Kids: 6 Tips for Parents

One of our goals as parents is to equip our children with important life skills needed in order to help them navigate all of life’s challenges. One of these skills that is particularly helpful during childhood and beyond is resilience. Resilience refers to one’s ability to cope with difficulties and find solutions as they face new or difficult situations. While adults may typically encounter bigger and more significant responsibilities and adversities, young kids also encounter their fair share of struggles. This is where the importance of raising resilient kids comes in. 

Resilience is an important skill needed during development to help youngsters deal with challenges throughout childhood. Whether your child is faced with a conflict with a peer, academic difficulties, or moving to a new school, being resilient will help your little one tackle these obstacles with less stress and anxiety. 

Parents play a significant role when it comes to building resilience in children. Learn how you can raise more resilient kids by following these tips!

Encourage independence

Raising resilient kids doesn’t mean leaving our children to figure things out on their own or not helping them when they have problems. But if we want our little ones to develop resilience, we need to allow them room so they can learn the skills needed to solve their problems independently.  

It’s natural for parents to feel inclined to comfort their children in times of distress. But it’s also healthy for them to experience some of life’s challenges so  they can learn how to figure out how to solve a problem on their own, and when to reach out for help.  

Carve out time to connect with your child

Another key source of resilience in kids is a strong parent-child relationship. Therefore, it’s vital that you make it a priority to maintain a positive and nurturing connection with your child. Carve out time for quality parent-child bonding. Do fun things together like enjoying meals, reading books, and so on. Keep communication lines open and encourage children to share what’s going on in their lives with you. Ensure that they feel they are loved, supported, and understood. 

Allow your child to make mistakes

Making mistakes is part of the learning process. It’s important for us as parents to allow our children room  to make mistakes. Let children fail and mess up. It may be tough for parents to witness  our kids experiencing slip-ups, but this is the best way for them to learn how to make better decisions in the future. There’s no need to strive for perfection. Allow your child to learn vital decision-making skills and experience the consequences of his or her actions. 

Ask “how” instead of “why”

To help promote problem-solving, it is best for us, as parents, to ask our kids more “how” questions and less “why” questions. This can be applicable when your child gets into trouble or has made a mistake. 

For example, if your little one has accidentally spilled water on his or her brother’s book, ask your child how he or she might fix the problem instead of asking how it happened. Kids can be careless at times, and trying to get them to explain things may not yield results. 

“How” questions can also be asked to find out how your child can get through a tough situation. For instance, you may ask them how they manage when their classmates get rowdy, or how they might balance academics while participating in sports.

Make sleep a priority

Quality sleep is crucial when it comes to children’s healthy growth and development. In addition to helping children stay physically strong and healthy, adequate sleep also enriches their mental well-being. 

Establish a reasonable and consistent bedtime routine at home. Make sure everybody in the family adheres to the routine, too. Limit screen time an hour or two before bedtime so as to help your child get into a restful mindset. Try to ensure that your little one gets eight to ten hours of sleep every night when possible.

Don’t strive for perfection

Your child isn’t perfect and neither are you. Don’t make perfection the goal. While excellent results should be celebrated, effort is just as important. Teach your child to focus on how much he or she persevered and the hard work they put into something. The goal is learning from  experiences, and taking the lessons with them as they achieve success. 

We can’t protect our kids from some of the harsh realities  of the world. What we can do is equip them with the skills they need to cope with life’s difficulties and overcome challenges. By learning how to raise resilient kids, you’ll have the peace of mind that your child can handle anything that life throws at them. 

For more tips on parenting, or if you’re looking for the best childcare center for your little one, please visit ABC Academy.