Kia ora Room 7 whanau/families...
Welcome to a BRAND new year in Room 7 - once again I get really excited about the beginning of a new year in Room 7 - and I think about all the amazing learning, relationships and growing that your child/ren will be doing.
I tell the children - "You are like a small seed - and throughout the year you will sprout, you will grow, you will be fed and watered, cared for and most importantly LOVED.
I have found this article which I think is a good read for the beginning of any time.
http://www.heysigmund.com/building-resilience-children/
This is the 1st, 3rd and 4th paragraphs:
All children are capable of extraordinary things. There is no happiness gene, no success gene, and no ‘doer of extraordinary things’ gene. The potential for happiness and greatness lies in all of them, and will mean different things to different kids. We can’t change that they will face challenges along the way. What we can do is give them the skills so these challenges are never able to break them. We can build their resilience.
Resilience is being able to bounce back from stress, challenge, tragedy, trauma or adversity. When children are resilient, they are braver, more curious, more adaptable, and more able to extend their reach into the world.
The great news is that resilience is something that can be nurtured in all children.
How does resilience affect behaviour?
Children will have different levels of resilience and different ways of responding to and recovering from stressful times. They will also have different ways of showing when the demands that are being put upon them outweigh their capacity to cope. They might become emotional, they might withdraw, or they might become defiant, angry or resentful. Of course, even the most resilient of warriors have days where it all gets too much, but low resilience will likely drive certain patterns of behaviour more often.
Can resilience be changed?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Absolutely resilience can be changed. Resilience is not for the genetically blessed and can be strengthened at any age. One of the most exciting findings in the last decade or so is that we can change the wiring of the brain through the experiences we expose it to. The right experiences can shape the individual, intrinsic characteristics of a child in a way that will build their resilience.
Arohanui,
Rachel
