Inner Strength
This strength includes learning to stay flexible and calm during times of stress, taking care of your own needs, and growing from your experiences. Seeing this helps children learn from parents how to build their own inner strength.
Maintaining Inner Strength is important because it allows parents to…
- Manage their own feelings
- Solve problems with a clear head
- Think about their own needs
- Shelter their children from too much stress during difficult times
Ready to support your child? Find an FRC near you.
Inner Strength can mean …
Weighing pros and cons to help solve problems
Spending a few minutes without your children
Staying flexible when things don’t go as planned
Taking a breath or counting to 10 before you react
Taking time to recharge
Staying flexible when things don’t go as planned
Strengths in Action
There are no right answers. Thinking about these questions can help you understand your family’s strengths.
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• Thoughtful Parenting – Remind yourself that your child did not spill the milk on purpose.
• Strong Connections – Call someone you trust, like your partner, an older child, or a neighbor, to ask for help.
• Inner Strength – Close your eyes. Count slowly to ten while taking deep breaths.
• Practical Help – Order a pizza instead of cooking.
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• Thoughtful Parenting – Spend time thinking of fair ways to respond that will help your child learn from this.
• Strong Connections – Call a close friend or family member to share your worries and talk over what you should do.
• Inner Strength – Remind yourself that it probably isn’t something terrible and try to occupy your mind with something else.
• Practical Help – Call your child’s friends and/or their parents to ask if they know when your child left.
Ideas and Tips
Here are some Ideas and Tips for Inner Strength.
What does self-care really mean and why is it important for Inner Strength?
- It means taking care of yourself and your own needs in addition to others.
- It means treating yourself as well as the people you love.
- It means taking time just for yourself.
- It means taking the time to make good decisions.
- It means keeping good relationships strong and limiting problem relationships.
Misunderstandings about self-care
False: Self-care is selfish.
True: Â Â Self-care helps you have the energy to care for others.
False: Self-care takes a lot of time.
True: Â Â Self-care can be a quick break for a few minutes.
False: Self-care is only for people with problems.
True:   Self-care is good for everyone’s well-being.
False: Self-care is something extra.
True: Self-care is important for everyday living.
False: Self-care needs to be earned.
True:   Everyone deserves self-care. You don’t have to feel bad to need it.
Why Does “Me Time” Matter?
- It rests your brains
- It helps you relax and stay that way.
- It helps you think better and solve problems.
- You have more energy afterward.
- You can learn more about yourself.
- It makes your relationships better.
If you are looking for help keeping up your inner strength, check out the Family Resource Center section of this website and find an FRC near you.
Games that Help Children Build their Inner Strength
Parents can help children learn the skills that help develop their Inner Strength, like sticking with things, being able to adapt when things don’t go as planned, solving problems, and handling change. Parents can create games that encourage kids to build these skills while playing.
- Puzzle relay: Played in pairs or small groups, this game teaches children to wait and keep trying. Each child takes turns adding a puzzle piece. If they have trouble, suggest they try other ways or ask a partner for help. Encourage kids not to give up.
- Obstacle Course Challenge: Set up an obstacle course using things from around the house. Include moves like crawling, jumping, climbing, or balancing. Add a few harder obstacles that kids have to work at. Change the rules in the middle to help them practice “sticking with it” and handling changes.
- Mistake Art: This activity helps kids see that mistakes are okay and can lead to new ideas or changes. Give kids paper and art supplies and ask them to close their eyes and draw a line or circle. Have them turn this “oops” into something they like, instead of starting over.
- Block Towers with Limited Blocks: Challenge kids to build the tallest tower they can with just a few blocks. Encourage them to try different ways, especially if the tower falls. This activity helps children think of different ways to solve problems and to keep trying.
- Pretend Play with Setbacks: During pretend play, suggest situations where something goes wrong, like a spilled teapot, a lost puppy, or a sick patient. Encourage kids to come up with and act out solutions together. This activity helps kids practice how to handle setbacks and solve problems.
Fun Activities to Help your Child Boost their Inner Strength:
You can help your child learn how to take care of their own Inner Strength with fun, everyday activities. These activities can help kids learn to handle stress, feel good about themselves, and talk about their feelings. Â
- Let worries fly:Have your child write their worries on a piece of paper and make paper airplanes so worries can fly away or help kids burn the paper and turn worries into smoke.
- Accomplishments jar:Each day, ask your child to tell you something they did that they are proud of. Write it down and put it in a jar. At the end of the week, read the papers together and talk about all they did.
- Coloring feelings:Give your child paper and crayons. Ask them to choose colors and use them to show their feelings.
- Play “How Would You Treat a Friend?”: When your child feels bad about themselves, ask, “What would you say to a friend who felt this way?” Then remind them to be kind to themselves too.
Ways To Boost Family Strength
There are simple things you can do to help each member of your family feel connected, calm and loved. These feelings increase the inner strength of each person and for your family as a whole.
- Share happy stories and memories: Remind each other of the good times together.
- Make time to laugh and play: Just enjoy being together.
- Talk about what you like about each other: Help each person feel valued.
- Show love: Hugs, smiles, fist bumps … choose ways that feel right for your family
Simple Ways to Relieve Parenting Stress
Every parent feels stressed, sometimes more than others. It is important to try to find activities that make that stress easier to handle so it doesn’t affect your relationship with your child.
- Breathe slowly and deeply
- Step outdoors
- Walk around a store
- Take a drive
- Take a shower
- Plan a trip (even if you can’t go)
- Enjoy your favorite drink
- Call someone to talk
- Focus on your plants or pets
- Tidy something
- Scroll on your phone
- Play a video game
- Give yourself permission to cry
- Take a nap
Helping Kids Through Stressful Changes
Children often feel nervous or afraid when they face something new—like a place they haven’t been, a person they haven’t met, or an activity they haven’t tried. It can feel like too much to handle. Parents can help by preparing kids ahead of time, so that they are more likely to be successful and more confident the next time a challenge presents itself. Here are some things that you can do to prepare your child for something stressful:
- Talk with your child about what to expect.
- Practice with your child. Take them to a new place beforehand, act out what to say or do, or have them talk with a child who has been through it.
- Teach calming strategies, like deep slow breathing or thinking of a comforting, safe place.
- Show that you are confident that they can do it.
- Allow them to try things, make mistakes, and learn without having to be perfect or continue when it isn’t a good fit.
3 Key Skills that Help Children Grow Their Inner Strength
Inner Strength is often also called resilience. It is not something that we are necessarily born with, but that we grow and strengthen from babyhood throughout life. Here are three key skills that children need to practice as they grow to build their inner strength.
- Patience: Learning to wait.
- Persistence: Sticking with a task, even when it becomes difficult.
- Adaptability: Handling changes or problems by adjusting, trying again, or starting over.
Helping Kids Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
Gratitude is noticing the good things in life and being thankful for them. When kids learn to think about what they are thankful for each day, it can help them enjoy life more, feel better about themselves, and be kinder to others. Teaching kids how to stop negative thoughts and focus on the good helps build their Inner Strength.
- Talk to your child about how being thankful can help them feel good inside.
- Celebrate moments you are thankful for together.
- Do small acts of kindness for others.
- Say thank you by writing a note or sending a text.
- Make time each day to talk about good things.
- Think about people who help you during hard times.
- Notice and enjoy simple things like sunshine or time with friends.
If you need support to keep up your own Inner Strength or ideas to help your child with theirs, check out the Family Resource Center section of this website and find an FRC near you.
