Bounce Back
- audriechad
- May 4
- 2 min read
Building Your Child's Toolkit
How our kids explain Bounce Back:
Bouncing back means that when something hard happens — a mistake, a disappointment, a tough day — you don't stay stuck. You feel it, you work through it, and you get back up.
Why is it important?
Life will always have setbacks. Resilience isn't just about being tough in the face of adversity — it's about learning to make connections with others, move toward goals, maintain a positive view, and accept that change is part of life. And crucially, resilience is not about burying or never experiencing any negative emotion — it's about knowing you can handle what comes your way. When kids learn to bounce back early, they build a foundation of confidence that carries them through challenges at school, in friendships, and beyond.
How does it help?
Setbacks can feel especially big — whether it's a social situation that didn't go as planned, a task that felt impossible, or a day that went sideways fast. Research has shown that, in both neurotypical children and those with neurodevelopmental differences, resilience acts as a key protective factor that boosts quality of life and subjective well-being. The good news: resilience can be built — and research shows that kids with a growth mindset, who believe their abilities can develop over time, tend to be more resilient. Teaching bounce-back skills gives kids permission to struggle and the tools to recover.
Build Bounce-Back Skills at Home with Your Child!
Resilience grows through practice — not perfection. Try these strategies together during calm moments so they're ready when things get hard.
Activities to try:
Name it to tame it — Help your child put words to what went wrong: "That felt really unfair" or "I'm disappointed because..." Naming the feeling is the first step to moving through it. (Explore more strategies like this in our Regulation block!)
Reframe mistakes as data — When something doesn't work out, ask: "What did you learn? What would you try differently?" — not "What went wrong?"
Celebrate "hard things" moments — Keep a simple list or jar of times your child did something hard. Looking back at it on tough days builds confidence
Model your own bounce-back — Share small examples of when you felt frustrated or failed and what you did next. Kids learn resilience by watching it
Create a "what helps me" list — Together, identify 3–5 things that help your child reset after a hard moment (a walk, a hug, music, drawing, time alone)
Remind them: feelings pass — Use a visual like a weather chart — storms come, but they don't last forever
Bounce Back:
How to Be a Resilient Kid by Wendy L. Moss, PhD
What Bouncing Back Really Looks Like
Hear from Audrie as she opens up about navigating a tough situation of her own, what bouncing back actually looked like and the practical ways you can help your child build the resilience to get back up when life gets hard.
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