How to Foster Prosilience in young children
WHAT IS ProSILIENCE?
There are 6 key factors which play a role in the fostering of prosilience in a young child.
Social competence
A child uses problem solving in order to successfully address and eliminate problems as they arise. This requires planning competence and decision-making skills. A child’s character can be affected by her ability to problem solve in the sense that she can use these skills to learn how to set realistic goals for herself, encourage herself to take risks, confidently explore her environment, and to come up with her own solutions to problems that come their way (Fröhlich-Gildhoff, 2015). Providing Rana with the skills, language and behaviour to use when trying to problem solve will help her in the classroom when she is unsure of what to do in certain moments of worry or frustration.
“Families can be mirrors, guides, sources of confirmation and much more. Families have an exemplary role, especially in terms of conflict behaviour, prosocial behaviour and coping behaviour. The child relies on social and emotional exchange to acquire resilience (Bodenburg, 2012). ”
“Use of positive language
In times of stress, adults can rely on a previously decided upon choice of words to use with children which will help to promote skills of psychological prosilience:
- “We can try it again soon.”
- “It is how it is, and we will make the best of it.”
- “We will find a solution.”
A child who is constantly relieved of the solution to a problem cannot develop her own solution strategies. Playfully confront the child with challenges:
- “We want to build a raft. How can we do that? Do you have any ideas?”
- “The light has failed. How can we still generate light?”
In daily life they encounter problems. Think about them together and find a solution together. ”