The Importance Of Building Children's Resilience

Childhood trauma can have lifelong health, social and behavioral consequences. These experiences can increase the risk of multiple health problems throughout children's lifespan and hinder healthy brain development. For children, building resilience means learning skills that can increase their ability to manage and regulate their emotions and response to stress.

Healthy attachments.
One way to build resilience is to strengthen families. This can include teaching caregivers about child development, providing help in times of need and bolstering their abilities to manage stress and develop positive social connections. These are just a few ways to provide a safe and supportive environment for children to develop strong bonds with their caregivers. Plus, developing healthy attachments early in life helps children learn to self-regulate. They will display an ability to express their feelings openly and exhibit less fear and avoidance of the parent.

Helping children cope.
The home is not the only place where children can experience trauma - they could have problems at school or experience natural disasters that hit the community. Children need to be reassured that they're in a safe, supportive and caring environment. Adults can help children relax by providing sensory inputs that calm the stress response. For example, yoga, creative arts and journaling can all help children relax and process negative emotions.

Increasing awareness.
Once a traumatic event occurs, it cannot be undone. But early intervention can help children recover quickly and more successfully. The better informed we are about the signs and symptoms of trauma, the better we will be able to recognize them.