Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

Building resilience – part 1

Life can be challenging and may include many stressful situations. Parents and children can feel overwhelmed by different things at different times like sudden changes, relationship difficulties, serious challenges, hectic schedules, feelings of isolation, discrimination and financial hardships.

Resilience is the ability to steer through serious life challenges and find ways to bounce back and to thrive.

We are born with the capacity for resilience. But resilience is not something we have or don’t have. We work on it throughout our lives. And we need to start as early as possible. Parents are the most important people to help build their children’s resilience.

Children learn a lot by watching their parents. When parents cope well with everyday stress, they are showing their children how to do the same.

Why is it important to develop resilience?

Resilience makes a big difference in people’s lives. People who respond to hardships with resilience are:

• healthier and live longer
• happier in their relationships
• more successful in school and work
• less likely to get depressed.

What builds resilience?

Many of the things that support healthy development in young children also help build their resilience. These things include:

• a secure bond with a caring adult
• relationships with positive role models
• opportunities to learn skills
• opportunities to participate in meaningful activities.

We need both outside supports and inner strengths to build our resilience.

Outside supports include:

• caring relationships
• positive role models in families and communities
• community resources such as community centres, parent-child drop-in centres, faith groups, or support programs for children with special needs

Inner strengths include:

• self-control
• thinking skills
• confidence
• positive outlook
• responsibility and participation.

Building a close, loving relationship with your children is the most important thing you can do to support their resilience. Children do best when they feel loved, understood and accepted, and are protected from harm. Feeling wanted and loved helps us get through the hard times in life.

Children learn to feel safe and secure through a close attachment with at least 1 caring person. They also learn that their needs will be met. All of this gives them the confidence to explore their world.

Caring relationships provide accepting places where children can learn to regulate their:

• bodies
• feeling
• attention
• thoughts
• behaviour.

Positive daily interactions with parents teach children how to have caring relationships with other important people in their lives. And it makes it easier for them to reach out to others when they need help.

Taken from – Building resilience in Young Children – A booklet for parents from birth to six years

http://www.beststart.org/resources/hlthy_chld_dev/pdf/BSRC_Resilience_English_fnl.pdf

Parent talks

A reminder that our interesting and informative parent talk series is on again next week Wednesday evening 6 June from 7.45 pm – 8.45 pm in the Pre-school. 

Dr Sarah Robuck is a Clinical Psychologist (Registrar) with a combined Masters/PhD from the University of NSW and specialises in working with children/families and also in perinatal mental health. Sarah works with families helping children with various presentations including anxiety, depression, emotion regulation difficulties, defiant/aggressive behaviours, adjustment difficulties, learning delays and Autism.

Module 2: Managing misbehaviour
Why do children misbehave?
Planned ignoring
Directed discussion
Four-Step procedure implementation
Principles of time-out (or calm space).

Social event and fundraiser

Below is the link  to book your family ticket for our social event and fundraiser – Go Go Healthy on Sunday 17 June from 10 am to 12 noon in the Lehrer Family Building Multi Purpose Hall and Basketball Court at Emanuel School.

Please join us for a fun morning of non-stop activities organised by Go Go Healthy Kids. There’s fun for the whole family to join in, with activities including:

A giant Inflatable obstacle course, giant soccer and footy darts, hockey dribble course, basketball shoot out challenge, rope skipping challenge, soccer juggling and plank challenge and more.

Hot and cold beverages plus snacks will be available for purchase. Please wear comfortable clothing. Siblings welcome. Be ready for an action-packed 2 hours of family fun time.

Cost

$30 per family

We look forward to seeing all our Kornmehl families at this wonderful event.

The link is https://tinyurl.com/HealthyKids2018

Care Packs

Thank you to all the Kornmehl and Emanuel School families for bringing in your Care Packs. All Care Packs need to be in by Friday 15 June, so there is still lots of time to support this wonderful project for Aboriginal children in outback NSW.