How to Teach 'Grit' - 5 Ways to Build Resilience through Forest School

A recent UK article announced that the government want to focus on teaching grit as a way of improving school attendance. But how do we teach ‘grit’? In this video I make a case that grit cannot be taught but rather nurtured through the environment and experiences a person is exposed to. Forest School being the perfect place to develop grit and resilience. We also look at Michael Rutters theory of resilience and share 5 ways to build resilience through Forest School.

This video was sparked by an article in the Telegraph on Friday 16th May 2025. Screenshots of the article have been used under fair dealing.

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:32 - Intro
04:48 - Definition of Grit & Resilience
05:39 - Rutter's Theory of Resilience
07:35 - # 1 - Warm Trusting Relationships
09:58 - # 2 - Autonomy & Responsbility
12:04 - # 3 - Sense of Mastery
14:55 - # 4 - Peer Connection
17:07 - # 5 - Cognitive Skills
23:13 - Summary
24:11 - Poem

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DISCLAIMER:
All information shared within the Forest School Lou channel is provided in good faith, and based on my own experience of Forest School in the UK. It is not designed to be a replacement for quality, face to face, accredited Forest School training, rather as a resource to support Forest practitioners and those in training. I am a Forest School trainer, but not your Forest School trainer, therefore no training contract exists between us. Ensure you are appropriately qualified and undertake your own risk assessments before undertaking any activity with groups, which takes into account the learners age, ability and level of understanding.