Forming Resilient Children

We can't protect children from all hardships, but we can promote healthy development that fosters resilience. In this interdisciplinary work, Holly Catterton Allen equips educators, counselors, children's ministers, and parents with ways of developing children's spirituality so they can persevere when facing trauma and thrive in challenging times.

As new research continues to show, the cultural gap between secularism and the convictional Church continues to widen. KidMin and youth leaders are asking, "Are we adequately discipling today's kids to lead the future of the church in a culture that's becoming increasingly hostile to the gospel?" For many, the answer is "no," and a new conversation around making Resilient disciples is emerging. Resilient is an honest calling to ask robust questions about the future; it is a timely conversation in the midst of changing cultural landscapes; and it's a love letter to KidMin leaders and disciple makers to walk this road of child discipleship together. Resilient Child Discipleship focuses on three key areas, essential for shaping long-term faith: Belonging - Highly relational ministry led by a loving and caring adult Believing - Deeply Scriptural ministry rooted in the truth of God's Word and the power of the gospel Becoming - Truly experiential ministry, designed to move kids from simulation to real-world application of faith-based living Resilient equips you with an innovative, biblical and proven child discipleship philosophy to build your ministry around - plus practical questions to equip you and your team! Inspires and facilitates the crucial conversation of our time that will shape the future of the church Loaded with content to help your pastor cast vision and elevate the importance of children's ministry Helps cut through the clutter of the many responsibilities of KidMin to get to the most essential and effective aspects of children's ministry that most influence long-term discipleship into adulthood Child discipleship is the leading factor when shaping the future of your church The culture is changing so rapidly and radically that the future is likely to look far different than the world we know today. The children's ministry community has new conversations to explore as we prepare today's kids to lead the fearless future of the church.

Children's spiritual development is currently a hot topic in Christian circles, as well as in other fields and disciplines such as educational psychology, medicine, developmental psychology, education, and sociology. The key question for Christian scholars and educators is How do Christian beliefs and practices uniquely interrelate with children's spirituality? In 2003 and again in 2006, a national conference entitled Children's Spirituality Conference: Christian Perspectives examined children's spirituality from a distinctly Christian standpoint. This book is a collection of the best materials from the 2006 conference. The first half of the book addresses definitional, historical, and theological concerns related to spiritual development in children. The second half explores best practices for fostering spiritual growth among our children--in our homes, families, churches, Christian schools, and among special populations of children--from a wide spectrum of Christian scholars and practitioners. The volume closes with John Westerhoff's moving keynote address and Catherine Stonehouse and Scottie May's eloquent, culminating plenary address. Nurturing Children's Spirituality provides a rich cross section of the current research and writing by Christian scholars on children's spirituality. Contributors: Holly Catterton Allen, Michael J. Anthony, Stacy Berg, Chris J. Boyatzis, MaLesa Breeding, Marilyn Brownlee, Linda V. Callahan, Jane Carr, Mara Lief Crabtree, Karen Crozier, James Riley Estep Jr., Jeffrey E. Feinberg, Stephanie Goins, Judy Harris Helm, Dana Kennamer Hood, Sungwon Kim, Kevin Lawson, Scottie May, Marcia McQuitty, Heidi Schultz Oschwald, Donald Ratcliff, Pam Scranton, Timothy A. Sisemore, Catherine Stonehouse, La Verne Tolbert, T. Wyatt Watkins, John H. Westerhoff III

Share this strategy-filled nine-session curriculum and 70-minute companion video with parents to help them ensure that their children are emotionally prepared to cope with life's challenges. Based on the authors' best-selling book, the chapters in the manual and their corresponding video segments discuss the seven key guideposts to raising resilient children. In-class and at-home activities are also included to help parents recognize the important role they play in their children's emotional health. After completing the Raising Resilient Children curriculum, parents will be better prepared to accomplish their most important job--raising a confident, self-reliant child!

Discusses the importance of fostering the qualities of resilience in children, and offers specific ideas and strategies designed to help parents raise strong, hopeful, optimistic children.

An introduction to the increasingly popular topic of children's spirituality, showing how choices made in churches and homes can stimulate or stifle a child's spiritual development. Suitable for anyone who works with children.

Tired of tantrums and tears? Discover a more mindful, attentive, and adaptive parenting style that instills a lifelong habit of resilience and confidence in your child. Being a parent isn't easy. From the ear-splitting temper tantrums of the terrible twos to the heart-stopping antics of elder siblings who should know better, sometimes the family home can feel more like a psychological battleground with a masterful manipulator of your emotions! One thing is for sure: a child's life is one of exploration, discovery, and wonder. But between those wondrous moments, even the most cautious of children will suffer the consequences of their youthful trial and error. As a parent, it's hard to say "no" to an eager little face that you love - and it only gets harder when resisting your natural, hard-wired impulse to rush in and save them from their terrible decisions. Does this make you a bad parent? Of course not: you are, like your children, a human trying to make sense of the world - and you alone have the power and responsibility to show them the best path forward. But Just Where Do You Draw the Line Between Liberty and Discipline? How Parents Can Raise Resilient Children is a new, step-by-step guide that shows parents how to navigate the precarious tightrope of raising independent, resilient, and honest children. Taking inspiration from some of the latest research in child development studies, Frank Dixon lifts the lid on just why kids will be kids and how parents can build an empathic, nourishing, and stable relationship with their children based on empowering behavior mentorship. Building on a foundation of 7 'C's - competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, and control - Dixon offers an easy-to-follow strategy that frazzled parents can immediately put into action. Childish Mistakes Are the Building Blocks of Adult Success How Parents Can Raise Resilient Children reveals seven core areas of parenting where you can act as a role model when dealing with setbacks and upsets. Through exploring these 7 'C's with examples, this book acts as a handbook for resilience parenting. With its easy-to-understand style, this guide offers step-by-step guidance to show parents how they can effectively: Foster the brilliant imagination of the young mind with strategic use of praise and providing resources to enable the development of innate skills and talents Understand the way the human brain is wired in childhood - and how to discipline mistakes with empathy and understanding rather than punishment Nourish and grow your relationship with your child as a trusted supporter and advisor through childhood and adulthood, empowering both sides with love Demonstrate desired behaviors when faced with hardships through your own actions and thought processes to give your child a powerful emotional toolkit Know when to intervene and how to intervene when mistakes and failures happen - and how to turn any situation into a powerful learning moment Make friends and develop strong bonds with peers with an ability to lead and influence through their character Develop an optimistic, cheerful approach to life where failure isn't a disaster but merely a challenge that can be resolved with creative problem-solving Click the 'Buy Now' button today to order How Parents Can Raise Resilient Children. Take the first step in investing in your relationship with your child today - and give them the extraordinary gift of lifelong resilience.

"In these changing and challenging times, giving children the gifts of resourcefulness, optimism, confidence, a growth mindset, and resilience are key. This reassuring book offers a logical, easy-to-follow plan born from scientific methods to guide kids to those goals.” —Booklist Help your child face all of life’s challenges with confidence. Based on the innovative Coping Cat program, this book offers a proven-effective “recipe” for raising resilient kids! We live in an age of anxiety. Amidst climate change and natural disasters, a troubled economy, and one of the largest global pandemics in modern history—is it any wonder our kids are anxious and stressed out? Add in the pressures inherent in social media and consumerist culture, as well as the pressure of academic success, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. The good news is that you can help your child manage anxiety and stress—no matter what life throws their way. This book will show you how. Written by two pioneering experts in child psychology and anxiety, The Resilience Recipe offers an evidence-based plan grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help kids build emotional resilience and adaptability, worry less, and thrive—despite the stressors of modern life. With this guide, you’ll learn to help kids feel more in control of their moods and emotions; cope with difficult experiences; and recognize the first signs of stress and anxiety in both their mind and body, so they can find quick relief. You’ll also discover a wealth of tips and strategies to help you manage your own anxiety. Most importantly, you’ll find a solid action plan to help your child feel strong and capable in the face of unprecedented challenges.

In their critically acclaimed parenting bestseller, "Raising Resilient Children, " Drs. Brooks and Goldstein introduced readers to their breakthrough parenting model. In this important Q&A follow-up book, they expand upon their theory of resilience with reasonable, jargon-free answers to dozens of questions.

"At a time when student testing is at an all-time high, Kate Thomsen reminds us that as educators we are in the human potential business. This user-friendly book provides an overview of key educational trends, so teachers can easily incorporate the best of what works." Rob Bocchino, Co-founder Heart of Change; Change of Heart Associates Author, Emotional Literacy "Kate Thomsen′s book is a must-read for every educator. She has synthesized the wisdom from educational megatrends of the past decades and shows us how to foster healthier, safer, and more resilient student by integrating these major learnings into what we already do. I love this book!" Beverly Title, Co-founder Teaching Peace Hygiene, CO Create a nurturing, supportive environment where students can nurture their own resiliency! What makes one student overcome obstacles, while another cannot seem to cope? What makes one student rise above difficult circumstances, while another flounders? Identifying the attributes of the resilient student is the first step in building resiliency in all of your students. This resource provides busy teachers with practical, concrete applications and activities for reframing the actions of even the most at-risk students, changing the focus from problems to solutions, from deficits to strengths. Building Resilient Students connects resiliency to five major educational megatrends—character education, multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, service learning, and violence prevention—and gives educators proven strategies for incorporating the "resiliency attitude" into everyday classroom experiences. Thomsen identifies a myriad of easy, yet innovative applications through six resiliency-building strategies: Care and support through meaningful relationships Opportunities to participate and contribute in meaningful ways High expectations, knowing that others believe they can be successful Pro-social bonding through positive connections with peers and adults Clear boundaries and expectations that are fair and consistent Life skills such as decision making, effective communication, and stress and conflict management There are seeds of resiliency in all of us. We can nurture those seeds in all students, giving them the life skills they need to become competent, healthy adults.