Resiliency and Pretend Play
With the type of stressors that kids currently have to deal with on a daily basis, the ability to be resilient is such an important skill to have. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back after experiencing stressful experiences or adversity. It is being able to fail or fall and get back up and move forward. Many things can help build resiliency such as healthy relationships and connection to others, having confidence, developing competence, feeling in control, having character, feeling like you contribute and make a difference to others, and having positive coping skills. REDgen is a local organization that helps promote balance and resiliency in children and teens. Check out their web site at http://www.redgen.org/ and http://www.redgen.org/web-sites/ .
How can we foster resiliency at a young age?
Pretend play is important. Have you seen ever seen your child take two stuffed animals and pretend the stuffed animals are talking to each other? When your child engages in imaginary play, they are experimenting with social and emotional roles. It is good for building empathy, language development, and problem solving. This type of play is most likely to occur during your child’s free time. In today’s world, it can be so easy to fill our children’s schedules with all sorts of fun activities. It is important to remember, however, to leave some “down time” in the schedule-even if it means scheduling it on the calendar!
