innovatED Magazine - Issue 3 - Autumn 2019

Emotional resilience
Emotional resilience is not about being tough, but more to do with
outlook and attitude. It is also intrinsically linked to how children
perceive themselves against their peers. It is entirely possible to be
deeply sensitive and emotional but remain unaffected by the actions
of others. Likewise, it is possible to be outgoing and seemingly
confident but inwardly vulnerable to the smallest of comments from
classmates.
Finding ways to encourage a strong sense of self can be crucial to this
idea of resilience. If a child is secure with their own identity and
possesses a solid support system, they are less likely to be affected by
the opinions of others.
Foster happiness, or more specifically, optimism. This has been found
to be one of the key characteristics of those displaying high levels of
resilience. If you are more inclined to look for the positives in a
challenging situation, altering your approach with a view to success, it
can lead to a more triumphant outcome.
Six takeaways:
1. Play
Problem solving is a creative process. Anything that
strengthens a child’s thinking skills will nurture their
resilience.
2. The language of problem-solving
Self-talk is such an important part of problem-solving.
Teacher’s words are powerful because they are the
foundation upon which children build their own selftalk.
Rather than solving the problems for them, start
to give them the language to solve their own.
3. Don’t rush to the rescue.
Exposure to stresses and challenges during childhood
will help to ensure that they are more able to deal
with stress during adulthood. There is strong
evidence that these early experiences cause positive
changes in the prefrontal cortex that will protect
against the negative effects of future stress.
Risk-taking
Risk taking is the act or fact of doing something that involves danger or
risk in order to achieve a goal
The traditional school prospectus picture of risk-taking typically
involves children clambering on logs, and rightly so. Risk taking should
start young and often the outdoor environment can be a great place
for this to be nurtured. However, the mistake that is often made is that
the lessons learnt in this outdoor environment are not made explicit
enough to carry through to academic situations.
It’s a school’s responsibility to provide an environment, both inside and
out, where the children feel safe enough to take risks. As with
resilience, so much of developing a risk-taking attitude centres around
the appropriate use of language.
4. Be Scared
Facing fear can be stimulating. Overcoming fear is
empowering. (Providing that suitable coping
strategies are securely in place.)
5. Safe and considered risks
Age-appropriate freedom lets children learn where
the boundaries lie, it encourages them to think about
their decisions and teaches them that they can cope
with situations that go wrong.
6. Be a model
Imitation is a powerful way to learn. The small humans
in your life will want to be just like you, and they’ll be
watching everything. Let them see how you deal with
disappointment, and allow them to share in the
jubilation of your success.
Autumn 2019 | innovatED | Issue 3 | Page 31