What are some of the most effective Resiliency skills observed?

Part of the challenge for children is that most of the factors which promote resiliency require the supportive involvement of their caregivers. That may or may not be within the child's control.

One thing that I did years ago to try and promote parental involvement with kids  was to let my students create books. Simple 4 page books  tied together with yarn which the students created themselves were always a big hit. Magazine pictures or family photos work great along with a hand written story will often encourage either the parent to read it to the child or the child to read it to the parent. Simple coloring sheets will also work to create a story.

Any project that can create a sense of accomplishment enhances a child's sense of efficacy. Planting seeds in egg cartons or a creating a chore chart for simple tasks like making beds or brushing teeth: things that are within a child's ability.

Here is a link to a resource I have found very useful to get ideas from for activities with kids:

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publ...isis_activity_bk.pdf

I particularly like the poem, In My Village, on page 24. I like it because it can help a child identify everybody in their life that can be supportive as opposed to just the parents.

Good luck!

Nicholas,

In my community of Northern Michigan we agreed solutions rested in engaging everyone in our community in a collaborative way to understand how resilience is built. It was our hope by informing schools, non-profits, community groups, and government agencies about the ACES study and how resilience is built everyone would move forward in their own circle in a trauma informed way. However, what we found is that informing was not enough to create systems change. We realized common language was needed and skills training. People needed concrete ways to translate the research into skills. This is what prompted Shenandoah Chefalo, author of Garbage Suitcase: A foster care memoir, and me to create a program to train everyone, especially non-clinicians, how to translate the research into skills to build resilience.

I agree that resilience comes from support - best  if caregivers are able to support their children.  However, when that support is not available, maybe we can ask children to learn how to get support from others - how to ask for help and know that people care and want to help.  How to identify who to ask.  Also, I have lately been thinking that we shouldn't discount the support that children sometimes get from a good book, an inspiring movie.  How to help kids look for role models that support their own moral development.  Just recently I read about someone who came from a very dysfunctional home but when he went to eat at a friend's house, he realized that there was another way to be a family and just that example helped him.  Maybe we could do a better job of asking kids about what examples they use that they would want to use in the future. 

Another great resource for kids is the Toolbox Project https://dovetaillearning.org/

This program has been proven to increase resiliency skills.  I have seen it implemented in local schools and it is amazing!

Hi Nicholas,

If you are interested in a social/emotional learning program for grades K-8 that is based on neuroscience, check out Goldie Hawn's Mind Up curiculum.