Amanda Dounis, is a leader in kids, tweens and teens coping skills. A professional award-winning leader in the early childhood industry, Amanda has added wonderful tools to her therapy practice. Amanda says it's difficult for these kids working through these challenging years.
In this article, you will learn about 10 qualities that can help children become less sensitive. You will be guided through each quality with a useful tip. I hope you enjoy the story in the end. This story that can be told to a young child sums up all the useful qualities.
1. Building self-confidence
Encourage self-confidence through their strengths. For example, enrolling your child in art classes and praising their creativity to help them recognise their unique talents and build confidence.
2. Developing empathy and understanding
Modelling empathy and understanding. Discussing characters' feelings and motivations in a movie or TV show to help your child understand different perspectives and empathise with others.
3. Enhancing social skills and conflict resolution
Teaching problem-solving skills. Encouraging your child to find a resolution with a friend by expressing their feelings calmly and promoting open communication.
4. Embracing diversity
Exposure to diversity. Taking your child to cultural festivals and community events to encourage conversations and interactions with individuals from different backgrounds.
5. Cultivating resilience
Teaching resilience. Discussing setbacks from losing a game or facing disappointment, highlighting the learning opportunities and ways to improve skills.
6. Shifting mindset towards challenges
Reframing negative experiences. Encouraging your child to focus on their positive qualities and see challenging moments as opportunities to cultivate strength and empathy.
7. Validating emotions
Validating their feelings. Acknowledging your child's feelings and providing comfort, reassuring them that it's normal to feel hurt and acknowledging their resilience in managing the situation.
8. Establishing personal boundaries
Setting boundaries. Teaching your child to assert themselves respectfully by practicing scenarios where they can express discomfort or ask for personal space.
9. Nurturing positive relationships
Fostering positive relationships: Encouraging your child to spend time with supportive and kind peers who share similar interests and demonstrate positive social skills.
10. Seeking professional support
Seeking professional help if needed: Considering consulting a child psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor if your child consistently struggles with sensitivity to outsiders or experiences significant emotional distress.
By employing these strategies in each of these areas, parents can guide and support their child in developing resilience, empathy, and a healthy self- worth, allowing them to navigate their interactions with others with greater confidence and understanding.
An illustrative tale for young ones, teaching how to make children less sensitive
Once upon a time, in a vibrant and diverse town, there lived a thoughtful young girl. Her name was Fay. Fay loved to create beautiful drawings and paintings, and she always felt happiest when she was expressing herself through art. Her parents, recognising her talent, enrolled her in art classes where she could further develop her skills.
One day, while watching a movie with her parents, Fay noticed how the characters in the story had different feelings and motivations. Her parents talked with her about the characters' perspectives, helping Fay understand the importance of empathy and realising that everyone sees the world in their own way.
At school, Fay faced a situation where she had a disagreement with her friend over a game they were playing. Instead of getting upset, Fay calmly expressed her feelings to her friend, and they worked together to find a solution that made them both happy.
Fay's parents also took her to different cultural festivals and events in their town, where she met people from various backgrounds and learned about the beautiful differences that make everyone unique. She made new friends and realised how interesting it was to learn about different traditions and customs.
One day, Fay participated in an art competition, but she didn't win the prize. She felt disappointed, but her parents encouraged her, telling her that she had done her best and there would be more opportunities to improve in the future. Fay realised that setbacks could be valuable learning experiences, and she felt determined to keep practicing and growing as an artist.
In another instance, when Fay experienced a challenging situation at school, she remembered her parents' advice. Instead of feeling down, she focused on her strengths and found the courage to address the situation with confidence, staying true to herself while respecting her own feelings and personal boundaries.
Fay also spent time with friends who shared her interests and were kind and supportive. They played together, shared stories, and laughed a lot. Fay found that being with positive friends who understood her made her feel happy and confident.
In the end, Fay's parents always made sure to listen to her feelings and provide comfort whenever she faced difficult moments. They reminded her that it's okay to feel upset sometimes and praised her resilience in handling tough situations.
Through these experiences, Fay learned the importance of self-confidence, empathy, and understanding, as well as the value of embracing diversity and nurturing positive relationships. She became a kind and resilient young girl who could handle challenges with a positive mindset, having the courage to express herself while respecting others.
By sharing this story with a child, parents can help them visualise the strategies of building self-confidence, developing empathy and understanding, enhancing social skills, embracing diversity, cultivating resilience, shifting mindset towards challenges, validating emotions, establishing personal boundaries, nurturing positive relationships, and seeking professional support. This story serves as a wonderful reminder of the valuable lessons that can help children navigate their interactions with others with greater confidence and understanding.
Amanda Dounis, Counsellor, NLP, Psychotherapist, Coach, Teacher
Amanda Dounis, is a leader in kids, tweens and teens coping skills. A professional award-winning leader in the early childhood industry, Amanda has added wonderful tools to her therapy practice. Amanda says it's difficult for these kids working through these challenging years. So she enthusiastically joins their ride to show them to smooth over bumpy roads and keep moving forward. In the end, it's the challenges that give them the opportunity to practice their coping skills. She certainly promotes self-empowerment through courage and curiosity.
