To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:
Encourage her maximise her brain’s performance by keeping her body in balance.
In their book Micro-Resilience, Bonnie St. John and Allen P. Haines explain how making some “minor shifts” in one’s life can lead to major improvements in one’s focus, drive and energy. One of these ”minor shifts” is to keep our body in balance by optimising our hydration and glucose levels.
Many studies have shown that our brain’s capacity for complex thinking and social interactions is highly-dependent on our body’s state of hydration. The brain actually dehydrates before the rest of the body, so it is important to drink water regularly, especially when you need to focus and concentrate, or when you feel stressed.
What’s more, our brain requires enormous amounts of energy to carry-out complex executive functions and to exercise emotional control and self-regulation. The best way to ensure that your brain gets a steady supply of energy is to eat a steady supply of low-sugar, minimally-processed foods, and to avoid both under and over-eating.
In short, to help your child learn and regulate her emotions better, encourage her to reach for her water bottle and a healthy snack!