James Donaldson on Mental Health - How to Support Young Kids Who Are Struggling in School

Build frustration tolerance Kids, even those with no learning issues at all, benefit from learning how to deal with frustration and regulate their emotions .

Managing frustration without blowing up, or giving up, is an essential skill for kids (and grownups), and it helps kids feel more prepared and less upset when things are difficult for them.

“Difficulty is part of learning,” Dr.

“Your child will be frustrated, but you can help your child feel like the frustration was worth it.” Help kids build their resilience by doing small bursts of difficult work, such as five minutes of practice on writing their letters, followed by praise for their hard work and even points towards earning a small reward.

While kids are learning to work through frustration, parents might also help reframe frustrating activities.

Badaly also suggests making difficult activities as fun as possible for kids — for example, letting your child choose the book you’ll read together or turning the counting practice into a song and dance (literally).

“When kids feel engaged they’re more likely to keep going when things get tough.” Validate feelings Of course we all want to help kids feel competent and positive when it comes to schoolwork, but cheerleading isn’t always the best kind of support.

Saying, “You can do it!” when a child is feeling frustrated and upset can leave them feeling misunderstood and may have the opposite effect: “NO, I CAN’T!” Instead, validate your child’s feelings and try to empathize with what they’re going through.

“Validate the fact that it IS super frustrating!” says Dr.

For example, you might say: “It does sound really hard.