Coping Skills

Developing Children’s Self-Esteem

  • Don’t be a helicopter parent. Allow your child to make decisions on their own and see them through.
  • Allow your child to fail. Many parents don’t want their children to fail at anything. However, experiencing failure is actually a good thing. Failure is a part of life. Children need to understand they will fail sometimes.
  • To teach self-respect, you must show respect at all times. Speak to your child with respect—even when upset or angry. Never give in to the temptation to shout.
  • 仔细聆听你的孩子当他或她是trying to tell you something. Make it clear that you're interested. For example: Turn off the TV or put down the newspaper when your child speaks to you, and don't take phone calls during the conversation. Also, be sure to praise his/her efforts to communicate with you, whenever possible.
  • Focus on the positive. Praise the child's behavior when appropriate, but don't exaggerate.
  • Enjoy your teenager. Tap into his or her humor, energy and creative sense of possibility.

Developing Children’s Coping Skills

每个孩子都以不同的方式处理压力。其中的一个most important aspects of how a child deals with stress is the quality of their coping strategies. The more effectively a child responds to stress, the higher their self-esteem and self-worth will be.

General Coping Skills

  • Deep breathing – slow, deep breaths
  • Listen to music – relaxing or lively, depending on the situation
  • Write in a journal
  • Visualize imagery or look at a picture of a calm, beautiful place in your mind
  • Positive self-talk
  • Distraction – do an activity that distracts you from the stress, like read a book
  • Stuffed animal – hold a soft toy
  • Use humor - look for the humorous side of a situation
  • Talk with someone

How to Develop Coping Skills?

  • Every child is different. You may need to utilize different or multiple coping skills based on your child’s needs.
  • Focus on strengths. Determine what your child does well and enjoys doing. From there, help your child strengthen these skills.
  • Sleep right, eat well and exercise - children that get enough sleep, eat nutritious foods and get at least one hour of physical activity daily are more likely to have higher self-esteem and better coping skills.