Resiliency in Children

Building Resiliency in Young Children

Resiliency is your child's ability to bounce back from things that challenge them. It is also a way for them to adapt to changes in their environment and difficult circumstances in a positive way. It is important to help young children develop resiliency. This is a skill that develops as your child grows and will help them succeed in school and life.

Here are some tips to build resiliency in children:

• Maintain a positive relationship with your child. Try to connect during day to day activities such as when you are doing chores, eating meals or in the car.

• Show them that you respect their feelings and opinions by listening to them. Try not to be distracted when they talk to you. .

• Support your child to make good choices about their behaviour. You can do this by using different parenting styles that suit your child's temperament.

• Try to help your child to look at difficult situations in a positive way.

• Build in time to play. Play helps children learn about the world and develop planning and thinking skills. Consider playing games that involve attention, memory and taking turns.

• Try to help your child to find ways to feel better when they feel stressed. Children between 4 and 9 years old may enjoy Mindmasters 2.

• Understand your child's age and stage of development. One way to check this is to complete the Looksee Checklist® (formerly Nipissing District Developmental Screen®-NDDS). This tool is for children up to 6 years old.

• Encourage healthy eating, physical activity, and sleep. 

Stressful events:

The best way to know how your child is reacting to situations is by observing and listening to them, and by being present in the moment. Also, keep the lines of communication open with the other people in your child's life.

Sometimes a stressful event may require you to get extra help for yourself and your child.

• Talk to your health care provider.
• Let your childcare provider know.
• Talk to your support network about the event.

For more information, please visit our Responding to Stressful Events webpage.