5.4 Explain the need to work with children and young people to enable them to develop emotional resilience and mental well-being

This guide will help you answer 5.4 Explain the need to work with children and young people to enable them to develop emotional resilience and mental well-being.

Helping children and young people build emotional resilience and maintain positive mental well-being is a key part of supporting learning and development. Emotional resilience means the ability to cope with stress, change and challenges without long-term negative impact. Mental well-being refers to a person’s emotional state, sense of fulfilment, and ability to cope with everyday life in a healthy way.

Developing these skills and strengths gives children the ability to handle setbacks, understand their emotions, and keep a balanced outlook. Without resilience and good mental well-being, learning and social development can be affected.

Why Emotional Resilience Matters

Children face pressures from school, relationships, family life and sometimes trauma. Resilience helps them recover from difficulties faster. It allows them to think clearly in stressful situations and make constructive choices.

Key reasons emotional resilience is important:

• Supports learning by reducing stress and anxiety
• Improves social relationships and helps prevent conflicts from escalating
• Encourages self-belief and positive attitudes
• Reduces risk of long-term mental health issues

Some children may naturally have stronger coping skills, but many need guidance and support from trusted adults. A teaching assistant or learning support worker has regular contact and can model calm behaviour, problem-solving and self-reflection.

What is Mental Well-being?

Mental well-being is more than the absence of mental illness. It includes feeling valued, having a sense of purpose, and maintaining healthy relationships. For children and young people, this can mean liking themselves, feeling safe, and having the confidence to take part in daily activities.

Signs of positive mental well-being:

• Regular participation in school and community activities
• Confidence in making friends and trying new things
• Ability to express feelings clearly
• Healthy sleep and eating patterns

Signs of poor mental well-being:

• Withdrawal from activities and peers
• Frequent irritability or aggression
• Low self-esteem and negative self-talk
• Difficulty concentrating or completing work

Recognising these signs early means support can be offered before problems grow.

Impact on Learning and Achievement

Emotional resilience and mental well-being directly affect a child’s ability to learn. Stress, anxiety and negative emotions interfere with focus, memory and motivation. When children feel emotionally stable and supported, they engage better with lessons and achieve more.

For example, a pupil anxious about peer bullying may find it hard to concentrate in class. Building resilience through positive coping strategies can help them manage those feelings and continue learning effectively.

Strategies for Building Emotional Resilience

Working with children to strengthen resilience involves repeated positive experiences and skill-building.

Helpful strategies include:

• Encouraging problem-solving – Help children think of different solutions to challenges and choose a workable one.
• Providing consistent routines – Predictable structures reduce anxiety and uncertainty.
• Modelling positive responses – Adults who respond calmly to setbacks show children healthy ways to react.
• Practising emotional vocabulary – Teach words for feelings so children can express themselves clearly.
• Offering safe opportunities to fail – Activities where mistakes are allowed teach that failure is part of learning.

These approaches are most effective when adults build trust and spend time listening to the child’s perspective.

Supporting Mental Well-being in the Learning Environment

A supportive environment is a strong protective factor for mental health. Staff can create this through clear boundaries, respect for individuality, and encouragement of peer cooperation.

Examples of support in a school or learning setting:

• Encouraging friendships through group activities
• Responding to concerns without judgement
• Allowing quiet spaces for reflection or calming down
• Promoting balanced schoolwork with reasonable breaks

Children and young people need to feel heard and understood before they can fully engage with education.

Role of Communication

Good communication helps children express concerns and feel supported. This involves both speaking and listening, and being sensitive to non-verbal signals.

Practical communication tips:

• Use open questions to invite longer answers
• Listen actively without interrupting
• Pay attention to tone of voice and body language
• Repeat back understanding to check accuracy

Positive communication builds connection and trust, which strengthens resilience and well-being.

Building Coping Skills

Coping skills are techniques that help manage stress and emotions effectively. These can be simple strategies children can use daily.

Examples:

• Deep breathing exercises
• Counting slowly to ten before responding in anger
• Writing feelings in a journal
• Talking to a trusted adult before acting
• Planning small steps towards a big goal

Supporting children to practise these skills regularly makes them easier to use in real situations.

Addressing Risk Factors

Some children face greater risks to their emotional and mental health due to family issues, poverty, discrimination or trauma. These risk factors can make it harder to build resilience without targeted support.

Workers can help by:

• Identifying early signs of distress
• Providing a safe and consistent relationship
• Linking with specialist services when needed
• Offering reassurance while promoting independence

Being alert to changes in behaviour or mood can lead to earlier intervention and better outcomes.

Promoting a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through effort and practice. This mindset supports resilience because it encourages persistence despite challenges.

To promote this, staff can:

• Praise effort and improvement rather than only results
• Share stories of people who overcame obstacles
• Encourage trying again after mistakes
• Support peer cooperation instead of harmful competition

This helps children expect challenges and approach them positively.

Working with Families

Families have a strong influence on resilience and well-being. Supporting children often means including parents or carers in plans and activities.

Ways to involve families:

• Sharing progress updates and successes
• Offering advice on supporting emotional needs at home
• Inviting parents to workshops about positive coping and mental health
• Encouraging consistent communication between home and school

When families and staff work together, children receive clearer and more consistent messages about coping and emotional expression.

Cultural Sensitivity

Children from different cultural backgrounds may express emotions and mental well-being in diverse ways. Some may be less likely to talk openly about mental health due to stigma or cultural beliefs.

Staff should:

• Respect cultural differences in emotional expression
• Seek to understand the child’s background and values
• Use appropriate language that is inclusive
• Be mindful of customs when offering advice or activities

This improves trust and prevents misunderstandings.

The Role of Peer Support

Peers can be a valuable source of encouragement and belonging. Positive peer relationships strengthen resilience by offering shared experiences and mutual respect.

Steps to encourage peer support:

• Promote kindness and acceptance in group settings
• Set rules against bullying and discrimination
• Organise mixed-ability teamwork so all pupils contribute
• Provide social skill training in listening and empathy

Peer influence can work positively when guided carefully.

Why Focus on Skills Rather Than Avoiding Problems

Teaching children skills to handle difficulties is more effective than trying to remove all challenges. Life will always present stressful moments, and having techniques to manage them builds independence and confidence.

For example, rather than shielding a child from all conflict, staff can show them how to calmly negotiate and find compromise. This builds resilience that lasts.

Encouraging Positive Self-image

Self-image is linked to both resilience and mental well-being. Children who see themselves as capable and worthy find it easier to face setbacks.

Support positive self-image by:

• Acknowledging strengths and talents
• Giving responsibilities they can handle successfully
• Avoiding comparisons that cause insecurity
• Celebrating small achievements consistently

A healthy self-view reduces vulnerability to negative peer pressure and supports mental stability.

Creating Support Plans

For children who struggle with emotional resilience or mental well-being, an individual support plan can help track progress and actions.

This may include:

• Specific emotional goals such as expressing feelings to an adult once a day
• Strategies to practise weekly coping skills
• Clear steps for seeking help when upset
• Regular review meetings with staff and family

Having a plan allows everyone to work towards the same aims, supporting consistency.

Final Thoughts

Working with children and young people to strengthen emotional resilience and mental well-being is a continuous process. It requires patience, consistent support, and understanding of each individual’s needs. Positive relationships with trusted adults, respectful communication, and practical coping skills give children the tools they need to face life’s demands.

By nurturing these qualities early, we give children a stronger chance of maintaining good mental health throughout life. Emotional resilience does not mean avoiding all distress but learning safe, effective ways to manage it. With the right support, children can respond to challenges with strength, hope and the confidence to keep moving forward.