The Art Of Bouncing Back: How To Get Back On Your Feet After Failures

Teaching a child to find strength to continue learning even though they may not feel motivated is teaching a child to be resilient. Digging deep and using that sense of resilience when the child has lost their momentum is teaching a child to bounce back and be better. A child with such a mindset is more likely to succeed than one who fails and gives up. In this post, I Can Read (ICR) would like to give you some insights on raising a resilient child.

"When it comes to building resilience, two very famous quotes come to mind –

“Keep calm and carry on,” and “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

A positive approach ensures that any loss in confidence is turned around and we learn from our mistakes rather than dwell on them. After all, the point of education is not to purely highlight failure, but to take a lifelong path that leads to knowledge and success.”

- Samuel Bracking, Professional Development Executive

What is resilience and why can’t my child understand it?

Resilience is the ability to withstand difficulties and overcome it in spite of adversities. In experiencing setbacks, resilience is key to developing the necessary mental strength and willpower to get past obstacles.

For a child, this can be a very abstract concept to understand. Despite their young age, children face plenty of challenges in their everyday life, be it within or outside of the classroom. From academic setbacks and social expectations to bullies and peer pressure, each obstacle presents a possibility of failure and loss of self-esteem.

In these circumstances, finding resilience will be crucial to help the child succeed in overcoming these challenges. Learning to use their inner tenacity and determination to overcome their personal challenges will be a hallmark of the resilience they cultivate.

How learning at I Can Read helps to cultivate resilience in your child

At ICR, we focus a lot on building up your child’s resilience. We take an active role in helping students overcome their weaknesses and insecurities by consistently acknowledging their efforts.

Motivation and encouragement are our main methods of resilience building. Our systematic classroom approach allows students to practice and learn at their own pace, eventually gaining confidence in their own knowledge and experience.This helps them to work progressively towards attaining a higher standard of reading proficiency.

When teaching our students in Pre-Reading Levels 1-3, we also gradually guide students to develop their skill sets individually to further improve their learning outcomes. By doing so, your child’s resilience can grow as they work to improve at every level to unlock their full potential.

Encourage them to see mistakes as opportunities

At I Can Read, mistakes are never condemned but rather, seen as an opportunity to reflect and self-correct. By identifying past errors and applying the correct skills and techniques, students can gradually build up their confidence and unlock reading proficiency success. On top of helping your child to master reading skills, I Can Read classes also create a sense of independence within your child as they make weekly progress by learning from their past mistakes.

Appreciate their efforts regardless of the end result

Learning is a life-long process where mistakes are inevitable, and it’s important that students understand that rather than remaining fixated on the end results. As educators, we can guide them in overcoming challenges by sharing practical advice, tips and supporting them. This can be seen throughout our classes where our teachers make a mental note to praise students for their efforts and hard work to acknowledge the learning process and help them work towards their goals.

How you can help him/her develop resilience

One of the biggest challenges that your child may face in their early years is learning difficulties. However, you, as a parent, have the power to help them overcome it by being there for them when they need your support.

Start from setting aside allocated time for their homework, a quick 30-minute practice and review everyday in itself can help to build resilience and discipline within your child. As with I Can Read’s teaching ethos, this period can be a time for your child to learn from past mistakes and correct it systematically. More importantly, it is crucial that you show appreciation for your child’s attempts at identifying errors and digesting new knowledge.

Simply by observing the patience and understanding that you possess through these accompanied homework exercises, your child can learn to understand and build resilience slowly.

That being said, inculcating resilience within your child is never easy, and can be overwhelming at times.