How Children Develop Resiliency

You might hear the word “resilient” thrown around a lot. People often talk about how resilient children are in the face of adversity and negative experiences. But how do children develop resiliency and grow these skills?

Did you know that mentoring a child could help them be more resilient? The development of resilience requires the presence of supportive relationships.  Experiencing the support of at least one stable and committed relationship with a caregiver, parent or other adult is the most common factor in children who do well during hardship. 

Mentor-like relationships help children learn to adapt to change and build skills that help them regulate their behavior. When children can do these things, they create a foundation for resiliency and are better able to create a balance in their lives where positive experiences are more powerful than negative ones.

Here is a useful informational sheet on the importance of resilience and how children develop it from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.