Children face so many challenges as they navigate through a school day, from academic demands, building friendships, and meeting parental expectations. Growing takes effort and breakdowns can occur when children are not equipped to deal with setbacks.

At Artz4Big💖z, we support children by teaching them strategies that build resiliency. We follow the exercises in The Grit Workbook for Kids by Elisa Nebolsine, a well- known cognitive-behavior therapist. We also use children’s literature to help students get acquainted with the narratives of characters and real-life heroes who have overcome obstacles.

We encourage students to track their grittiness level from the time they join the program. Journals, checklists, and incentives all work to provide students with proof of their inner growth. In the end, we want not only talented creatives, but also young people who are mentally stable and can contribute to their communities.

Here are some of the resources we use in our program: