ourselves or someone else. By following these three steps we can allow ourselves to respond to stressful situations effectively instead of just simply reacting. STEP ONE stop and catch your thoughts – STEP TWO take three deep breathes – STEP THREE the situation by asking yourself how else can I think about this? – “Re-think” – Tips for helping children 3 years and older develop thinking skills Help your children talk about their thoughts Show empathy for your children’s thoughts and feelings Gently change your children’s negative thinking thinking like always – ‘Always’ “Jack wants to play with someone else” can be turned around by pointing out times your child played with Jack Play thinking games together Encourage children to imagine another way to do something Read or tell children stories how others overcome obstacles, get along with others or turn a difficult situation around BUILDING CONFIDENCE We start to develop confidence in our ability to make things happen very early in life. When we have confidence in our abilities, it helps us to respond to problems with resilience. Helping children gain confidence is best done in a caring relationship and is an important part of self-regulation. Tips for building your children’s confidence Encourage your children to keep on trying even when the task is hard or frustrating Show your children that are OK” “Mistakes Be a Detective” pointing out your children’s strengths is a much better “Strengths – confidence-builder than focusing on their limitations Give your children lots of time to just play
ourselves or someone else. By following these three steps we can allow ourselves to respond to stressful situations effectively instead of just simply reacting. STEP ONE – stop and catch your thoughts STEP TWO – take three deep breathes STEP THREE – “Re-think” the situation by asking yourself – how else can I think about this? Tips for helping children 3 years and older develop thinking skills Help your children talk about their thoughts Show empathy for your children’s thoughts and feelings Gently change your children’s negative thinking – ‘Always’ thinking like “Jack always wants to play with someone else” can be turned around by pointing out times your child played with Jack Play thinking games together Encourage children to imagine another way to do something Read or tell children stories how others overcome obstacles, get along with others or turn a difficult situation around BUILDING CONFIDENCE We start to develop confidence in our ability to make things happen very early in life. When we have confidence in our abilities, it helps us to respond to problems with resilience. Helping children gain confidence is best done in a caring relationship and is an important part of self-regulation. Tips for building your children’s confidence Encourage your children to keep on trying even when the task is hard or frustrating Show your children that “Mistakes are OK” Be a “Strengths Detective” – pointing out your children’s strengths is a much better confidence-builder than focusing on their limitations Give your children lots of time to just play
Building-Resilience-in-Young-Children.docx