Training:
Fostering a Connected and Competent Self

Part 1: Creating a Safe Environment

What Makes an Environment Safe?

• Physical safety (secure surroundings, healthy habits).

• Emotional safety (free from judgment, a space to express feelings).

• Cultural safety (affirmation of identity and protection from discrimination).

Strategies to Foster Safety:

1. Physical Safety:

   • Create routines and practices that prioritize health and well-being.

2. Emotional Safety:

   • Validate your child’s feelings and encourage open dialogue.

   • Reassure them that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them.

3. Cultural Safety:

   • Celebrate your child’s identity and educate them about their heritage.

   • Equip them to recognize and address bias or discrimination confidently.

Activity:

1. What is one way you can make your home feel safer for your child?

 

1. How will you affirm your child’s identity this week?

 

Part 2: Encouraging Positive Learning Behaviors at Home

Why It’s Important:

• Fosters a love of learning and curiosity.

• Teaches discipline, focus, and responsibility.

• Builds confidence in academic abilities.

Key Strategies:

1. Set Up a Dedicated Learning Space:

   • Create a quiet, organized area where your child can focus on schoolwork.

2. Establish Routines:

   • Maintain consistent schedules for homework, reading, and breaks.

3. Model Positive Attitudes Toward Learning:

   • Show enthusiasm for learning by reading, exploring new ideas, or sharing your own challenges and successes.

4. Celebrate Effort Over Results:

   • Praise persistence and hard work, even when outcomes are not perfect.

Activity:
Write one way you will:

• Improve your child’s learning space: _____________________

• Establish or improve a learning routine: _________________

• Celebrate their effort this week: ________________________

 

Part 3: Cultivating a Strong Sense of Self

Why a Strong Sense of Self Matters

• Helps children develop confidence and resilience.

• Creates a foundation for healthy relationships.

• Encourages them to pursue their goals with purpose.

Key Strategies:

1. Celebrate Their Identity:
   Share stories about your family’s history, culture, and traditions.
   Example: Highlighting the resilience and accomplishments of ancestors or community leaders.

2. Affirm Their Strengths:
   Regularly acknowledge your child’s unique talents, interests, and positive qualities.

3. Teach Emotional Awareness:
   Help your child identify and express their feelings in healthy ways.

Activity:
Write one way you will:

• Celebrate your child’s identity: ________________________

• Affirm their strengths: ______________________________

• Teach emotional awareness: _________________________

 

Part 4: Building Self-Regulation and Frustration Tolerance

Why It’s Important:

• Self-regulation helps children manage emotions, focus attention, and make better decisions.

• Frustration tolerance prepares children to navigate challenges and setbacks with resilience.

Key Strategies:

1. Teach Calm-Down Techniques:

   • Encourage deep breathing, counting to 10, or taking a break when upset.

   • Activity Idea: Practice deep breathing together by pretending to "smell the flowers and blow out the candles."

2. Label and Validate Emotions:

   • Help your child identify what they’re feeling (e.g., "I see you're frustrated because your toy isn’t working").

3. Encourage Problem-Solving:

   • Guide your child to think of solutions when they feel stuck or frustrated.

Reflection Question:
What techniques do you use to calm down? How can you better demonstrate self-regulation and frustration tolerance for your child?

• ​________________________________________

Activity:
Write one way you will:

• Teach calm-down techniques: ___________________________________

• Help your child identify and validate emotions: _____________________

• Encourage problem-solving: _____________________________________

 

Part 5: Demonstrating Parental Warmth

Why Parental Warmth Matters:

• Builds a strong parent-child bond.

• Builds a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, and emotional security.

• Encouraged open communication and trust.

• Encourages positive behavior and cooperation.

Key Strategies:

1. Express Affection Regularly and Frequently:

   • Use hugs, affirming words, or simple gestures, such as small notes of encouragement, to remind your child they are loved.

2. Be Present and Attentive:

   • Show interest by setting aside undistracted time to listen actively to your child’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

3. Use Positive Reinforcement:

   • Acknowledge good behavior, encourage their passions, and celebrate their achievements with specific praise.

4. Respond to Mistakes with Patience:

   • Use mistakes as teaching moments instead of reacting with anger.

Activity:
Write down three ways you will express warmth to your child this week:

1. ​________________________________________

2. ​________________________________________

3. ​________________________________________

 

Part 6: Developing Social Competencies

What Are Social Competencies?
Social competencies are the skills needed to interact effectively with others, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving.

Key Strategies:

1. Model Effective Communication:
   Show your child how to listen actively, speak kindly, and resolve conflicts respectfully. Role-play challenging scenarios to prepare your child for real-world interactions.

2. Encourage Empathy:
   Help your child see situations from others’ perspectives.
   Activity: Ask, “How do you think your friend felt when that happened?”

3. Teach Collaborative Skills:
   Provide opportunities for teamwork and cooperation, such as family projects or group activities.

Activity:
Write one way you will:

• Model effective communication: _______________________

• Encourage empathy: __________________________________

• Teach collaboration: _________________________________

 

Part 7: Building Relationships and Social Capital

What is Social Capital?
Social capital refers to the networks and relationships that provide support, resources, and opportunities.

Key Strategies:

1. Foster Connections with Positive Role Models:
   Introduce your child to mentors and community leaders who reflect their values and aspirations.

2. Encourage Community Involvement:
   Participate in activities that connect your child to their community, such as volunteering or attending cultural events.

3. Teach Networking Skills:
   Guide your child in making connections and maintaining relationships.
   Example: Encourage them to write thank-you notes or keep in touch with teachers and coaches.

Activity:
List three ways you can help your child build social capital:

1. ​________________________________________

2. ________________________________________​

3. ________________________________________​

 

Part 8: Teaching Responsibility to Others

Connecting to Proximal and Distal Others:

• Proximal Others: Immediate family, friends, and community members.

• Distal Others: Broader groups such as society, culture, or future generations.

Key Strategies:

1. Promote Acts of Kindness:
   Encourage your child to help others in the home in small ways, such as sharing or offering support, and discuss the importance of their actions.

2. Discuss Responsibility to the Community:
   Talk about ways they can contribute to their community and why it matters.

3. Teach Global Awareness:
   Help your child understand how their actions affect others beyond their immediate circle.
   Example: Discussing social justice issues and how they can make a difference.

Activity:
Write one way you will:

• Encourage kindness to proximal others: ___________________________________

• Teach responsibility to the community: ____________________________________

• Build global awareness: _________________________________________________

 

Part 9: Your Parenting Action Plan

Goals for This Week:

• How will you nurture your child’s sense of self?

• What new social competency will you focus on teaching?

• How will you help them build relationships and social capital?

• What will you do to connect them to their community or culture?

• How will you support your child’s self-regulation and frustration tolerance this week?

• What specific learning behavior will you encourage?

• What new way will you show parental warmth?

Reflections Question:
What challenges might you face in implementing these strategies, and how will you address them?

• ​____________________________________________________________________________________

What is one positive change you’ve noticed in your child’s confidence or relationships recently?

• ​____________________________________________________________________________________

Tips for Success:

• Be intentional: Incorporate these strategies into daily life.

• Be Patient: Building self-regulation and positive habits takes time and practice.

• Celebrate Progress: Acknowledge your child’s growth, no matter how small.

• Model the Behavior: Show self-regulation, curiosity, warmth, and how to build strong, positive relationships in your own actions.

​​

By focusing on these strategies, you will create a nurturing environment where your child can develop essential life skills, feel supported in their learning journey, and grow confident in their identity and abilities. The guidance you give to your child to develop a strong sense of self, meaningful relationships, and a sense of responsibility to others, will empower them to thrive as confident, compassionate, and connected individuals.