It’s officially anti-bullying week in the UK. An opportunity to encourage our kids to ‘make some noise,’ to stand up to bullies rather than suffer in silence.
Growing up, of course, has always been tough. Aside from the usual hormones, children have an ever-growing list of daily challenges – each demanding resilience. Exams, finding their identity, society influences, pressure to succeed etc all take their toll.
How can we help our children to bounce back after failure, to grow strong in a world which often knocks them down? Here are some useful ideas:
1. Teach problem solving. Don’t always give them the answers. Only by working things out for themselves can children truly understand what works and what doesn’t.
2. Let them make mistakes. Hard to witness, but making mistakes is an essential part of growing up. If your child makes a mistake, it’s an opportunity to talk about making better decisions in the future.
3. Build confidence. It’s amazing how many children we meet here at 1-2-1 Home Tutors who arrive with with zero confidence. Children often feel useless and stupid compared to their peers (even siblings.) To combat this lack of self-belief, praise praise praise like mad… Even for the tiniest achievement.
4. Empower your child with skills. Sometimes, we’re so busy as parents that we forget our children look up to us. That’s why it matters to ‘show’ your children how to cope under pressure. Encourage them to break down a problem into steps to make it easier to handle.
This is what our private tutors across Manchester and Cheshire do. And it works! That’s why we love seeing smiling, happier children take on a challenge rather than be scared by it.
Get in touch with the tuition team here in Wimslow if you too need some help.