It’s inevitable your child will face challenges in life and problems that need solving, and how they’ve been raised will influence the way they cope with and approach these bumps in the road. If we want our children to grow up to be resilient and capable, we need to impart some important lessons in their childhood about how to deal with hurdles. Here, a prep school in Middlesex explores how you can teach your child to overcome obstacles.
Demonstrate resilience
The best way to teach resilience is to model it yourself. Children learn so much from their parents in terms of how to navigate and cope with life, so it’s important we demonstrate the traits we want them to learn. Ensure your child sees you approaching challenges or setbacks with optimism and determination, even if it ends in failure. Try to limit how much you complain about things, and explain that each problem or obstacle is an opportunity for learning, even if things don’t go your way.
Encourage problem-solving
Developing problem-solving skills will benefit your child throughout their life; you can help them learn these by encouraging activities that test their ways of thinking. You can do this when you’re going about your everyday life by challenging your child to help you with a problem or think of a new way of doing something. You could also buy board games or puzzles that prompt children to actively solve conundrums or think critically.
Don’t rescue
It’s tempting to swoop in and rescue our children when we see them struggling with something (and sometimes it makes for an easier life!); if you do that all the time though, your child won’t learn that they’re capable of overcoming hurdles and rising to challenges on their own. Letting them solve problems or face obstacles independently will develop their confidence and self-esteem, which will in turn enable them to deal with future hurdles with positivity and determination.
Help them keep perspective
Encouraging your child to see the bigger picture where possible will help prevent them feeling overwhelmed by problems or disappointments. If they have a tendency to catastrophise when things go wrong or they don’t get their way, encourage them to step back and keep a sense of perspective. Remind your child that everyone faces difficulties sometimes and that isn’t a sign to give up – they need to persevere and work hard to overcome their problems if they want to reach their goals in life. If you have any tips on how to overcome obstacles let us know.
*Collaborative post
About Debz Louise
Debz Louise is a UK-based lifestyle expert and the founder of several lifestyle blogs, including Wannabe Princess and Under 5s. Specializing in everything from interior design and home renovation to body-positive fashion and early years development,