How Does Structure & Predictability Support Healing?
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Creating Structure & Predictability in the Lives of Kids

Creating structure and predictability is important to giving kids from foster care a feeling of safety and security. By creating daily routines, kids are given the opportunity to maintain appropriate expectations and feel in control of their environments.  Ultimately, this will help to create a space where kids can feel safe working through trauma and healing.  In addition, creating family routine also allows children to feel secure in creating healthy attachment to other members of the family.

Building relationships with safe, loving, consistent adults is important for kids from foster care who, because of previous experiences, may associate trauma and abandonment with adult relationships.  As you consider the role you play in a child’s life, please make an honest commitment as your relationship can either be a source of healing and consistency, or another source of abandonment.

Ways to Create Structure & Predictability

  • Commit to spending consistent periods of time with a child. It may be one hour a week, or one day each month.  Once you decide on the time & frequency, mark off a calendar together & create a tradition such as going to ice cream, or playing at the park.

  • Commit to driving the child(ren) to a specific activity each week. While it’s only one extra task for you, it allows parents to have an opportunity to rest or serve their family in other ways.

  • Commit to delivering a family meal once a week/month.

  • Offer to tutor a child in one subject. Create a calendar planning the times and location where you’ll be working together to learn the subject.  

  • As you’re spending 1 on 1 time with a child, it’s important to implement Active Listening.  To refresh on active listening, click here

 
 
 
 

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