For children, setbacks are an important part of their growth. When facing setbacks, the adjustment of mindset relies on a key ability – resilience, the ability to withstand setbacks. Parents should regularly give children a psychological “vaccine” to enhance their “immunity” to setbacks.
Cultivating Children’s Resilience
Storytelling and Role-Playing: Listening to stories and playing pretend are activities that children enjoy. Parents can select stories to tell their children, such as “Little Horse Crosses the River” and “The Ugly Duckling,” to help children realize that facing setbacks is a normal part of life. Additionally, parents can discuss the plots of stories and cartoons with their children, allowing children to understand how characters in the story overcome difficulties, helping children better understand and cope with setbacks. Parents can also organize role-playing activities with children, simulating scenarios like exam failures or conflicts in teamwork, to show children possible reactions to these setbacks. Children can then judge which reactions are better. Parents should focus on nurturing children’s resilience rather than deliberately creating setbacks for them.
Hobbies and Competitions
Children can experience success and failure through personal hobbies and competitions, learning how to face setbacks. Resolving difficulties encountered during participation is also an effective way to cultivate resilience. Parents can encourage children to participate in challenging activities and competitions such as chess games and sports competitions. When children face challenges and setbacks, parents should remind them that one failure does not define them. It is important to find ways to overcome difficulties when faced with challenges, and even if they do not ultimately overcome them, the effort and sweat shed in the process are admirable.
Group Activities
School sports events and artistic performances provide good opportunities for children to enhance their personal abilities and build resilience. In group activities, children not only face challenges to their individual abilities but also learn to cooperate with others and handle conflicts that may arise within the team. Throughout this process, children observe how peers handle conflicts. Parents should encourage children to communicate with their peers, as peer support and encouragement can often give children unexpected strength and confidence. Of course, while encouraging children to participate in group activities, parents should consider their children’s interests and preferences. Children should not be forced to participate in activities they do not enjoy. Instead, parents should choose group activities based on their children’s interests and strengths.
Authors: Yuan Feiya, Liu Jingran, Department of Psychiatry, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University
【Editor: Su Yiyu】
