Resilience is a person’s ability to face difficult situations and bounce back. Helping kids become resilient trains them to view challenges as something they can overcome and is particularly useful for coping with stress and anxiety. Resilience also helps kids form better relationships, develop confidence, and gain skills and habits needed for mental wellbeing now and into adulthood.
Some kids are naturally more resilient than others. But resilience can be taught at home and in school. Here are 8 ways educators can help students build resilience.
Greet each student by name as often as possible, especially at the beginning of the school day. Connection is the cornerstone of building resilience in students.
Model kindness, empathy, and other positive social behaviors and encourage your students to do the same.
Be aware of and prevent teasing, gossiping, excluding, and other bullying behaviors so students feel safe and secure in school.
Acknowledge any challenges students have been through, remind them of their strengths and how those strengths helped them cope.
Empower students by giving them responsibilities. Students feel more confident, valuable, and attached to their school community when they're able to help others or be responsible for age-appropriate tasks.
Encourage students to ask for help. Kids need to know that struggling or failing isn't a sign of weakness, and that asking for help is a strength.
Teach students to notice their body cues. Encouraging them to talk about how their bodies feel when they are tired, nervous, hungry, or anxious helps them become more self-aware leading to more effective management of their emotions.
Express confidence and belief in each student’s ability and worth.
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