Building Resilience in Children and Teens: A Guide for Parents

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, adapt to adversity, and keep moving forward despite setbacks.

As parents or caretakers, we often want to “fix” problems for our kids. It can be so tempting to see a problem and solve it for the ones we love. It often even feels like the “right” thing to do. Unfortunately, doing so is not always helpful and can even cause more harm than good for your child. It is a valuable life lesson for children to build resilience in developing problem-solving skills, and this life lesson can even boost a child’s self-esteem, as they will feel confident enough to solve many of life’s issues independently. Below are some things you can do as a parent to prepare your child to become resilient and navigate the complexities of growing up, including academic pressures, social dynamics, and personal challenges.

Strategies Help Nurture Resilience

• Encourage a Growth Mindset: Remind children that challenges are a regular part of life and that they are growth opportunities. This will help them accomplish their goals and not give up when faced with difficulties.
  

• Foster Strong Relationships: Everyone needs a strong support system of family, friends, and mentors. Check in with your child regularly and listen to their thoughts and feelings without judgment. Strong connections help youths feel valued and understood, boosting their confidence in facing challenges.
  

• Promote Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Introduce your kids to healthy ways of coping with stress, such as mindfulness, exercise, or creative outlets like art or music. This will help them self-soothe and manage their emotions effectively.
  

• Set Realistic Goals: Help your children create achievable long-term and short-term goals. Break larger goals into smaller, manageable steps, which makes the process less overwhelming and more attainable. Teach them to celebrate their wins along the way.
  

• Teach Problem-Solving Skills: Help young people develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. When encountering obstacles, guide them in brainstorming solutions rather than providing answers. This will empower them to take the initiative and understand that they can do hard things.
  

• Model Resilience: Demonstrate resilience in your own life by sharing your challenges and how you cope with them. Share about times when you faced setbacks and what you did to overcome them.

Building resilience in childhood is a collaborative effort that requires patience, understanding, and encouragement. By implementing these strategies, parents and guardians can empower children to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and strength. Cultivating resilience helps them in their current challenges and arms them with essential life skills for the future. Next time you are tempted to “fix” a child’s problem, consider if it may be an opportunity for them to develop problem-solving skills, with your guidance.