We often see preschoolers meltdown moments. Little children of ages between 2 to 5 suddenly screaming in the middle of the street. Parents may feel little embarrassing but this is part of children’s developmental journey. And also the time for building resilience in preschoolers. As initial years of children are very important for overall development.
In simple language resilience in preschoolers means a child’s ability to cope with day-to-day challenges. Being capable of managing their frustrations that occurs while loosing a game or not able to solve a puzzle. Resilience in preschoolers help them to learn that setbacks are normal and are part of life.
Building resilience in children between ages 2 and 5 is a major development. As these are the foundation years of a child’s life. Protecting children from all the difficulties is not possible for parents and is also not encouraged to do so. Strengthening resilience in young children guides them to navigate through all the challenges and bounce back.
This post will cite strategies to develop resilience in children ages between 2 and 5. This post is a part of Building Child Resilience Framework Series that will share in-depth strategies and guides for parents and teachers for building resilience in preschoolers.
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What resilience looks like in ages 2-5
Now we know that resilience for children means their ability to cope with the challenges. Normally children don’t have any huge challenges but little kids if not taught, are not prepared to face those challenges. Resilience in children between ages 2-5 years old can be categorized as :- emotional, social and behavioral.
Emotional Resilience In Preschoolers
Emotional resilience in young children looks like a child’s ability to absorb their basic emotions like sadness, anger and frustration. It includes their readiness to regulate their intense emotions. Like the skill of calm down after crying or anger.
Social Resilience In Preschoolers
The key aspects of social resilience in young children is their skill of handling conflicts with peers over toys or any other things they are engaged together. Establishing positive relationship with other children and adults around them. It encourages children to develop compassion instead of aggression towards peers while playing together, taking turns or sharing.
You may like to read :- Healthy Coping Strategies For Kids, Practical Tips For Parents.
Behavioral Resilience In Preschoolers
The crucial thing of behavioral resilience in children ages between 2-5 years is modeling behavior that shows calmness and the ability to recover from any fall. Like while playing stacks they should practice to try again and again on falling rather being overwhelmed. These small behaviors help them to learn bounce back in life during failures.
You may like to read :- Teaching Kids About Failure, 10 Proven Strategies.
Why Building Resilience In Preschoolers Matters
Early years of children are very crucial for their overall development and growth. How important is a balanced diet food for the growing age is same as building resilience in early years. if the foundation of a child is strong physically and emotionally, they are capable to face their hurdles in life with positive attitude.
Resiliency in life directly impacts an individual’s success, mental health and social life. Developing skills of bouncing back fosters good mental health in children in later life. It empowers children to be confident and take failures as an opportunity to learn.
There is huge difference between the perspectives of a resilient and non-resilient child. A child with resilience takes the failures as temporary situation and knows to manage intense emotions. Whereas a non-resilient child takes the hurdles as permanent road blocks and are driven by intense emotions.
Age-Appropriate Strategies For Building Resilience In Preschoolers.
Fostering resilience in young children involves practicing few practical steps in their daily lives. The Key strategies include :-
Validate The Feeling
Children should not avoid to express their emotions. So be with them, listen to them carefully and understand their emotions. By acknowledging their emotions while still be in boundaries can make them feel safe and heard.
Often toddlers cries when told to stop playing, and it is quite normal. Let them be with their emotions as emotions do not disappear quickly. But affirm them with phrases like, “It is sad to stop playing but you can play again tomorrow.
Stay Calm
When adults stay calm, it models emotional regulation for children. They get confidence to try again as calm behaviour by adults create a safe environment around them. They feel secure and not get afraid of mistakes. It fosters the habit of doing tasks independently in children.
Teaching calming techniques like deep breathing, counting to ten helps children to manage their frustrations and develop confidence. Staying calm in difficult situations helps in building resilience in preschoolers as it enhances children’s problem solving skill and the ability to bounce back.
Focusing And Praising Effort
It is very necessary to shift our mindset from the outcomes to focusing on the process. Acknowledging the hard work and praising their effort in the process boosts children’s self esteem. This helps them to develop growth mindset and remain persistent towards their goal.
Highlighting children’s particular actions in the process is a great way to build resilience in preschoolers. They get more confidence to face the challenges.
Avoid Interfering Immediately
When you offer help for every little problems of children, they become used to this interference. So let them fall, try and learn from their mistakes. If they don’t develop the skill of problem solving, they will get frustrated with their mistakes. And this will avoid them from trying again and again.
So keep patience and just observe them dealing their challenges independently within safe environment. Avoid offering quick help to children and make them understand that they have to learn to solve their own problems.
Modeling Resilience
Modelling resilience is very important to build resilience in preschoolers. Sharing stories of setbacks, help children to understand that failure is not the end. When children see their parents dealing the hurdles with calm and positive mindset, they too absorb this trait.
Sharing your own journeys of overcoming the obstacles motivate children to face their challenges with strength and courage. They become ready to face the intense situations with full confidence.
Create A Calm Down Space For Preschoolers
Preschoolers have meltdowns anytime and during this time they are very high in emotions. It is difficult for the little kids to regulate their emotions. Hence, in order to give them scope to manage their emotions, a safe space is organised for them. This calm down space will make them feel safe and secure.
The place should be designed in such a way that gives warmth and comfort to the preschoolers. Calm down corner will help kids to free from overwhelming feeling to practice mindfulness. There are many calm down corner ideas and ways to create safe space for preschoolers to regulate their emotions in Children In Motion.
Problem Solving Games
Preschoolers love to play and when they are introduced to any problem solving games, they are engaged in repeatedly trial and error process of playing. This strengthens their skill to overcome adversities and ability to bounce back. Problem solving games encourage children to be persistent and manage their frustrations too.
This teach children that failures are the part of games and can be handled by trying again in a new way. In real life also they learn to handle the problems with a calm and positive mindset.
Gentle And Predictable Transition
Frequent changes in daily routine creates anxiety in preschoolers. Consistent routine develops stability in children and set a positive tone for them. Predictable routine helps preschoolers feel safe and secured, they are able to manage their emotional outbursts.
Their transitions should be smooth enough by preparing them mentally. Children between ages 2- 5 years experiences many transitions. Like starting going to play school, bidding good bye to parents at preschool or day care. So this transitions should not make them feel scared. Preparing them mentally beforehand teaches them to be emotional flexible and also helps in building resilience in preschoolers.
Less Screen Time
Everything comes with its own pros and cons. And same goes with the digitalisation of today’s world. When child sees people around them glued their eyes to screen. They too develop a keen interest in screens. And hence the screen time increases as they grow.
Watching screen from little age affects children’s mentality, they are not able to focus on any things. They become impatient very easily. Lack of concentration and patience affects their performances in daily lives. Though screen has become an inevitable part of everyone’s lives. But it children should be exposed to it very mindfully.
Story Time About Feelings And Mistakes
Building resilience in preschoolers through telling stories of experiencing challenges and persistence fosters confidence and encouragement among children. They model resilience and act like that. Children also want to face challenges and handle them with same confidence as in the stories they listen.
The characters of the stories inspire children to be like them and children also develop empathy. It helps them understand their emotions and how to control them. They learn how to respond to challenges and difficulties will pass away if faced with strength and courage.
Daily Routines That Build Resilience In Preschoolers
When a preschooler follows a consistent and predictable routine, they understand what comes next. This reduces their anxiety and builds emotional tolerance. Consistency in life is the key factor for building resilience in preschoolers.
Morning Routine
Starting the day with same set of actions make children less frustrated. They become used to with the routine. They become comfortable with the actions and stay calm. The less anxiety in a routine makes children feel secured and they show positive attitude towards other new actions to try. This builds resilience in little children. The sense of positivity and calmness in their daily routine encourage them to learn new skills.
Mealtime
Mealtime may sound too simple and doesn’t fetch much attention. But it holds a vital role in development of little children. This is the time where all family join together to have meal and exchange each other’s experiences through the day. Children learn how their parents face the small or big challenges each day.
Taking turns to pass the meal and waiting to be served during mealtime fosters patience in children. They learn to be patient while their turn comes. They learn to value food they get and know its importance that builds their adaptability.
Playing And Social Time (sharing, small conflicts, adult coaching)
Playing and developing social time is the key element to foster resilience skill in children from early age. This is the time they develop the habit of facing little conflicts during their play time and resolving them. They learn to solve a puzzle again and again inspite of failing several times. They get the idea of bouncing back in life.
Establishing social relationships with peers, teachers helps preschoolers to learn about cooperation and solving conflicts. This strengthen their social bond that builds emotional stability.
Bedtime (connection, reflection on hard and good moments)
Following a consistent bedtime routine for preschoolers creates a sense of security and safety in children. Bedtime for little preschoolers involves ending the day on positive note by reflecting the entire day’s good and bad moments.
Adequate sleep helps to lower the stress level and anxiety in children and prepare them for fresh start for the next day. This bedtime routine secures them and a good night sleep strengthen their emotional regulations too.
You may like to read :- Establishing BedTime Routine For Kids, Tips & Tricks
What To Avoid While Building Resilience In Preschoolers
Building resilience in preschoolers is one of the most priceless gift you can gift to our child between ages 2 and 5. While developing resilience in preschoolers we should avoid doing few things like :-
- Rescuing too quickly from every challenge.
- Dismissing or shaming big feelings
- Over-directing or doing everything for them.
- Comparing them to siblings or peers
Conclusion
Supporting resilience in young children is to develop them emotionally strong. Enhancing emotional strength helps children to learn setbacks are normal and can be bounced back. And building resilience in preschoolers is very important as this is the foundation time of children. The early they learn to essential skills of life the stronger they will in their future. Resilience in young children can be built in little moments of everyday nothing big coaching is required for this.
Don’t forget to check the daily routine of preschoolers that will help to frame resilience in children. As tine steps taken each day frame a large and strong base in children. Hope this post will guide you in a very simple way to foster resilience in the little children.
