Week 6 in my series of tools and techniques to help children and young people through times of transition.
Resilience isn’t about avoiding difficulties. It’s about giving children the skills, confidence, and mindset to handle challenges, whether it’s a tricky assignment, a new social situation, or an unexpected change in routine. The techniques we’ve looked at over the past weeks all contribute to this: recognising and processing emotions, practising grounding and visualisation, managing energy, and problem-solving. Each of these helps children learn they can cope, and that setbacks are opportunities to grow.
This is the final article in my series of tools and techniques to help children and young people through times of transition. Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored recognising emotions, preparing for school, managing anxiety, grounding, visualisation, and coping with the first days back. Now it’s time to focus on resilience – the ability to adapt, recover, and grow from challenges – and how children can continue to strengthen it as routines settle.
This article is the sixth and final part of my weekly series of articles focused on supporting children and young people through times of transition.
-> Not All Change Feels Exciting – Supporting Children & Young People Through Transition
-> Week 1 – Helping Children Process Their Feelings
-> Week 2 – Helping Children Feel Ready for the New School Year
-> Week 3 – Visualisation & Grounding Techniques
-> Week 4 – The First Days of Term
-> Week 5 – Building Resilience in the First Few Weeks of Term
This week we focus on tools which can be used to further build resilience: through daily reflection & self-recognition and supporting autonomy and choice.
Daily Reflection and Self-Recognition
One powerful way to build resilience is through a short daily check-in that helps children and young people notice their strengths.
Encourage them to pause at the end of the day and reflect on:
- One thing they handled well
- One challenge they overcame
- Something new they learned about themselves
Younger Children can share their reflections out loud with a parent or caregiver, or draw a simple picture of their ‘proud moment’ of the day.
Older Children/Teens could keep a ‘resilience log’ – a small notebook or digital note where they quickly jot down their three reflections each evening. Over time, this builds self-awareness and reinforces the belief that their choices and actions make a difference.
Supporting Autonomy and Choice
Another practical way to foster resilience is by giving children age-appropriate responsibilities and decision-making opportunities. This helps them feel capable, trusted, and in control of parts of their world.
For Younger Children: This might be choosing between two outfits, deciding which game to play, or helping with a simple household task like setting the table.
For Older Children/Teens: They can be involved in planning family activities, managing their homework routine, or taking on bigger responsibilities such as cooking a meal, caring for a pet, or budgeting for a personal purchase.
Pair these responsibilities with plenty of opportunities for fun and recharging – through hobbies, creative projects, physical activity, or time with friends – so that effort is balanced with restoration.
Practicing daily reflection and learning to make meaningful choices, strengthens both their self-belief and adaptability. They begin to see that setbacks don’t define them and that they have tools to respond, problem-solve, and keep moving forward. These everyday habits lay the foundation not only for success in school but also for confidence and resilience in life beyond the classroom.
If you’ve seen a child or young person in your life benefit from these strategies, showing increased resilience I’d love to hear about it! Please share in the comments or send me a message.
