This will be a place where we will share messages, resources, and links to places where you can learn about social and emotional well-being and help foster children's social and emotional development. A few of the videos focused on Resilience are linked below, find many other topics on the Sesame Streets in Communities Website.
Bounce Back
The single most common factor in resilient children is the presence of a caring, supportive adult… and you can be that adult!
You might share this song with children when they’re faced with any challenge big or small. Explain that having resilience means having ways to get through hard times and to become even stronger—not in our bodies, but in our minds and hearts.
Mention ways in which we can all build resilience, and, later, try one of these strategies together:
Naming, talking about, or drawing our feelings
Asking for and giving help
Taking care of ourselves by eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep and exercise
Taking a break to do things we enjoy
Sticking to a daily routine
Thinking of hard times we’ve had in the past and remembering that we got through them
Remembering we’re not alone (spending time with the people we love in person, on the phone, or on video chats)
Reminding ourselves that hard times are temporary (not forever)
Letting ourselves make mistakes and learn from them, then keep trying and practicing
… and giving and getting hugs!
You can sing the song together in any challenging moment, encouraging children to echo the words “bounce back.”
Communicating Through Feelings
When children learn to regulate their own emotions and behaviors, they’re more able to build positive relationships and experience success in school and life. We can help our children navigate their emotions by talking about feelings during our daily routines.
Watch this short video to learn simple strategies you can use with your kids.
Frustration is a normal part of life, but it can overwhelm kids and bring up a lot of big feelings. You can help them to use the “Breathe, Think, Do” strategy to calm down, identify their feelings, and work to solve their problem.
Breathe
First, help kids calm down.
Encourage them to put their hands on their bellies and slowly take three deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Ask them to whisper “calm down” (or another encouraging phrase) to themselves.
Think
Next, help children understand their problem and think about a plan to solve it.
Encourage little ones to tell you how they are feeling and why. You can help them find the words by telling them what you notice (“It seems like you feel frustrated because you’re having trouble putting on your sweater.”).
Help come up with a few different plans for solving the problem (such as unbuttoning the top button).
Do
Encourage kids to choose a plan and try it out.
Ask, “Which plan is best? Let’s try it!”
If the plan doesn’t work, ask, “How else could you do this?,” and then try the next plan.
Remind kids that learning new things takes practice. It’s not that they can’t do it; it’s that they can’t do it yet.
Practicing Patience
Little ones don’t understand time the way that grown-ups do! Sometimes even a few minutes can feel like an hour, and it can be difficult to wait patiently. Though kids can’t be expected to wait for long stretches, you can find fun ways to pass the time. Try to:
Give kids a special challenge such as spying things that are red, counting people in line, or making up a story about something they see.
Look around and do a letter or word hunt! Help kids search for the first letter in their name, or for a particular word, such as “stop” on a stop sign.
Explain time in a way that little ones will understand. If kids ask, “How long?,” you might say, “As long as it takes to brush your teeth,” or, “As long as it takes to walk to school.”
As kids learn more strategies for keeping busy while waiting, it will get easier and easier to be patient!
