Supporting Children to Build Resilience 

Resilience is a person’s ability to cope with life’s ups and downs.  Supporting children to build skills to face challenges and to even be strengthened by them can aid in protecting and promoting their wellbeing.     

Parentlink explains, there are 3 main building blocks to resilience: 

I can… 

Control myself when needed, talk to others about my worries and fears and get help if I need it. 

I am…. 

Worthwhile, loved, respectful, responsible and able to do nice things for others 

I have….. 

People in my life I can trust and who can lead by example. 

As is demonstrated in these 3 building blocks; with care and guidance we can provide children with the foundation they need to be resilient.  This comes with a self-belief that is founded in being loved and protected and knowing they have help available if needed. 

With these foundations in place, parents can further support children to develop resilience by providing opportunities to learn to solve problems for themselves, to make mistakes and learn from them and to make choices that are right for them.  Demonstrating your respect for their opinion will also build a further foundation of self-belief and confidence.  As they grow, giving children extra responsibilities gives them opportunities to do things for themselves and to build further belief in their capabilities.   

When life gets especially challenging, seeking outside support for your child if needed can also promote resilience as they build skills in talking through their worries, expressing themselves and they also learn a valuable message that it is always okay to ask for help if you need it.   

For more information, please visit Coping skills (resilience) - Parentlink (act.gov.au) 

Or contact your school counsellors Bron or Ryoko if you feel your child could benefit from any further support.