Supporting Your Child’s Mental Wellness Millhopper Montessori School · Gainesville, FL

There is a trend for today’s children to have less resilience and higher-level learning skills than children have had in the past. This has become very apparent in schools. Not only do children appear more emotionally fragile but problem-solving skills have also declined. It is not completely clear what has shifted in society to cause this decline but it is evident that children would benefit from extra mentoring in the development of resilience and Florida is leading the way. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis has developed a nation-leading Resiliency Florida initiative that addresses this growing trend. This program prioritizes student mental wellness by focusing on hope, grit, and perseverance. Moreover, this program emphasizes eleven core characteristics, including critical thinking, problem-solving, personal responsibility, gratitude, empathy, and voluntary mentorship. The broader goal is to help teachers seamlessly weave these concepts into everyday classroom instruction. Proponents note that the program empowers teachers to build student confidence when facing inevitable hardships.
Families can also access aligned materials through the Resiliency Florida portal to reinforce positive decision-making and character development at home. For example, one of the resources on the Parent Portal suggests a way to help your young child learn perseverance is to encourage your child to not give up when he or she experiences a challenge. If your child says, “This is too hard. I cannot do it,” encourage your child to instead say, “This is hard, but if I keep trying, I will figure it out.” Help your child understand that it is okay to fail, but not okay to quit. For children a bit older, a suggestion is to encourage your child to learn a new skill, such as playing an instrument, trying on a sport or developing a hobby. These new skills will come with obstacles and require hard work. This a way for your child to learn how to set goals and persevere until their goals are reached.