ARCQEProfessional LearningBuilding Resiliency in Young Children Series: RIRO: Reaching In, Reaching Out

Building Resiliency in Young Children Series: RIRO: Reaching In, Reaching Out

Tools to Nurture Emotional Strength and Coping Skills in Young Children.

  • Child Development

Reaching In, Reaching Out (RIRO) is a professional learning series designed to guide development of resiliency skills in young children from birth to seven years. RIRO strategies focus on laying a strong foundation of thinking and coping skills that nurture resilience for both educators in their work “with” children and also through strategies intentionally introduced to children. RIRO teaches the “3Rs of Resilience” – _skills to help: Relax, Reflect and Respond effectively to life’s challenges.

Resiliency skills help adults and children develop several critical abilities associated with resilience:

  • Being in charge of our emotions
  • Controlling our impulses
  • Analyzing the cause of problems
  • Empathizing with others
  • Believing in our competence
  • Maintaining realistic optimism
  • Reaching out to others and opportunities

RIRO training gives professionals skills and theory to support a relationship-based reflective practice and provides a framework for creating a “culture of resilience” in programs serving young children.

How the Training is Delivered

Consisting of 12 hours of content in two or four parts, the program is flexible and can be successfully delivered through a series of modules designed to meet local needs. It can be delivered in two specialized PD days or four single 3-hour sessions.

Part 1 (one full day or two half days) helps adults build their own foundation of the critical resiliency abilities described above.

Participants learn resiliency skills they can model with children and families. Specifically, they learn to:

  • Identify and strengthen critical abilities associated with resilience
  • Use strategies to stay calm and focused in stressful times
  • Identify how their thoughts can affect their ability to cope with stress and challenges
  • Challenge thinking habits that hinder resilience
  • Generate alternative ways to handle conflict, problems and stress.

Part 2 (one full day or two half days) of the program, participants learn to apply the skills with children. They learn to:

  • Model the skills and foster resilience in the children around them.
  • Use their resiliency skills to increase their understanding of children’s behaviour.
  • Incorporate resiliency skills into their work setting by using child friendly approaches such as children’s literature, puppets, and play-based activities.

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