Teaching resilience to toddler???

[happychange]

DS is 2.5yrs and when another child snatched a toy off him, all he does is stand there and screams his head off.

I guess it's normal behaviour but I wondered if there's anything I can do to help him?

He's a very sensitive boy, and cries easily at small things (think he's picked that up from me!) but I would like to teach him some resilience and managing his emotion a bit more as I'm worried he will be bullied when he's older

I would aim to do a mixture of:

• Model/talk about how to respond in social situations.
• Don't fix all their problems. They need to experience disappointment etc and be able to move on from it. 'Problems' might include social things e.g. the toy scenario, but if that is too much, start with things at home e.g. a broken toy, something running out.
• At home model how you respond to problems e.g. Mummy's friend is ill and can't come round today. I feel a bit sad. I'm going to do X instead and that will cheer me up. (Obviously amend to his language skills).

It is great to be thinking about resilience, but definitely don't panic at 2.5. My daughter is 3.5. At 2.5 she would have just let someone take the toy. Now she will hang on to it firmly and sometimes shout 'no'. She has changed her response mainly through experience and I'm sure she will develop her skills further once she starts nursery. DD doesn't like admitting physical hurt so we do a lot of, 'Ow I cut my finger, never mind, I'll put a plaster on'.