1.2. Explain the importance of resilience for children and young people

This guide will help you answer 1.2. Explain the importance of resilience for children and young people.

Resilience is the ability to recover from challenges, adapt to adversity, and continue developing. For children and young people, resilience plays a key role in their emotional, social, and mental well-being. It can shape how they respond to difficulties and impacts their long-term outcomes. Understanding why resilience is important can help those working with children provide better support.

Building Confidence and Emotional Strength

Resilience helps children feel more capable of managing problems. Life is full of ups and downs, and experiencing setbacks is normal. Resilient children are equipped to deal with disappointment, stress, or failure without letting it overwhelm them. They build confidence in their ability to overcome hardship.

This confidence improves emotional strength. Struggles, such as losing a game, not achieving a desired grade, or falling out with a peer, don’t crush their self-esteem. Instead, resilient children view these situations as opportunities to learn and grow.

Positive Self-Worth

Resilience contributes to a healthy sense of self-worth. Children who feel good about themselves are less likely to rely on validation from others. They are more inclined to value their own efforts and achievements. This becomes particularly important during school years, where comparison among peers can sometimes lead to feeling “not good enough.”

A positive perception of their abilities encourages children and young people to try new things, even if success isn’t guaranteed. It helps them to risk failing, knowing that failure is not a definition of their value.

Developing Coping Mechanisms

Stress affects everyone, even children. Being resilient means they can cope with daily stresses and avoid them piling up into larger problems. Children and young people who are resilient are less likely to develop unhealthy coping behaviours such as avoiding challenges, blaming others, or withdrawing from support.

Healthy coping mechanisms include:

• Talking about their feelings
• Breaking problems into manageable steps
• Asking for help when needed
• Practising relaxation techniques, like deep breathing

As they grow, these mechanisms prepare young people to take on adult pressures effectively.

Reducing Long-Term Negative Effects of Adversity

Life events, such as family breakdowns, bereavement, or bullying, can be deeply upsetting for children and young people. Resilience doesn’t prevent these things from happening. However, it can act as a buffer against long-term harm.

Resilient children are less likely to:

• Develop anxiety or depression
• Experience chronic low self-esteem
• Become disengaged from education
• Struggle with forming healthy relationships later

Their ability to bounce back allows them to recover emotionally. They learn to process what has happened and move forward rather than stay stuck in negative emotions.

Improving Social Skills and Relationships

Children with resilience often have stronger social skills. They learn to communicate effectively, regulate their emotions, and empathise with others. These qualities help them build meaningful relationships with peers, teachers, and family members.

Some skills linked to resilience include:

• Listening and understanding others
• Managing disagreements calmly
• Expressing emotions appropriately

Positive relationships become a key source of support. When children feel connected to people who care for them, it fosters further resilience. They understand they are not alone when dealing with emotional or practical difficulties.

Encouraging a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can improve through effort and learning. Resilience promotes this outlook. When children encounter failure, they are less likely to give up. Instead, they view mistakes as temporary setbacks.

This leads to:

• Perseverance in tasks they find difficult
• A willingness to accept constructive feedback
• Pride in their progress, even if it’s small

As they adopt a growth mindset, children and young people are more open to challenges and confident in their ability to achieve future goals.

Enhancing Academic Achievement

Resilience isn’t just about emotions and relationships; it supports academic performance too. Challenges like learning new concepts, preparing for exams, or working in groups can be stressful. A resilient attitude helps children approach these challenges more calmly and purposefully.

Some ways resilience enhances achievement include:

• Managing the pressure of deadlines without panic
• Adjusting to new routines, teachers, or school changes
• Balancing schoolwork with extracurricular activities
• Handling feedback without losing motivation

Teachers and educators see the benefits when students have resilience. Resilient learners stay engaged and bounce back from setbacks like a poor grade or an unsuccessful project.

Preparing for Future Independence

Resilience equips children and young people with the skills needed for adulthood. At some point, they will face decisions about living independently, managing finances, and handling work stresses. Experiences they face as children prepare them for these responsibilities.

When children grow up with resilience, they are more likely to:

• Look for solutions to problems
• Take accountability for their actions
• Adapt to unexpected or difficult situations

They are not reliant on others to fix things for them. Instead, they trust themselves to cope with independence.

Factors That Influence Resilience

Resilience isn’t something people are born with. It develops through experiences, relationships, and personal effort. Some factors that contribute to building resilience in children and young people include:

Supportive Relationships
Stable, loving relationships with parents, carers, or trusted adults provide a sense of security. When children know they can rely on someone, it increases their ability to face challenges.

Sense of Belonging
Feeling included in communities such as schools, sports teams, or faith groups reinforces their self-confidence. Belonging helps them understand they have value and play a role in something bigger than themselves.

Opportunities to Problem-Solve
Encouraging children to solve problems on their own builds their resilience. Allowing them to fail safely, learn from those experiences, and try again reinforces their belief that they can manage difficulties.

Positive Role Models
Seeing caregivers or peers handle adversity calmly and constructively helps children learn by example. Whether it’s a teacher demonstrating patience or a parent working through a financial problem, role models show what resilience looks like in action.

Safe Environments
Children who feel safe are more likely to take healthy risks that encourage growth. A safe environment involves physical safety (e.g., free from bullying or abuse) and emotional safety (e.g., feeling respected and understood).

What Happens Without Resilience?

A lack of resilience makes it harder for children and young people to manage life’s challenges. They may become overwhelmed by situations that others would find manageable. Struggles with emotional, social, or academic aspects of life are common.

Some potential outcomes include:

• Difficulty expressing feelings
• A tendency to withdraw when stressed
• Increased anxiety or sadness
• Hesitation to try new activities or take risks
• Strained relationships with those around them

In the long term, these patterns can reduce opportunities for success and lower their ability to cope as adults.

How Practitioners Can Support Resilience

Professionals working with children and young people have a unique role in promoting resilience. By offering understanding, encouragement, and guidance, they can create environments where resilience thrives.

Ways to support resilience include:

• Building strong, trusting relationships
• Introducing coping strategies, like mindfulness or journaling
• Praising effort rather than just results
• Encouraging children to discuss their emotions openly
• Providing a stable and consistent environment

Each child’s needs will be different. Some may need gentle encouragement, while others benefit from more structured support. Practitioners can adapt their approach to suit each individual.

Final Thoughts

Resilience provides children and young people with the tools they need to navigate life’s challenges effectively. It contributes to their emotional strength, social abilities, academic success, and future independence. Professionals who recognise its importance can help shape stronger, happier young individuals. By encouraging resilience from an early stage, we give children the best chance to thrive in an often unpredictable world.