Resilience training for children

Children aged 7 to 10 learn with us in Hilversum to stand up for themselves more confidently — at school, with friends, and when a situation feels tense. We work on self-confidence, setting boundaries, and responding safely, in a way that fits this age: playful, personal, and without performance pressure.

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Resilience training for children at Double Defense in Hilversum

“I was bullied a lot, but not anymore. I have learned how to stand up for myself and that I am allowed to do that.”

David, 9 years old

Why is our training important for your child?

In today's society, children are increasingly confronted with situations where they need to stand up for themselves — including bullying, peer pressure, and other unwanted behavior. Many parents look for resilience training focused on bullying or preventive self-confidence training for their child.

Our resilience training in Hilversum helps your child grow stronger in thinking, words, and action. That builds confidence to set boundaries, respond safely, and feel more secure at school and with friends — in an open atmosphere, without macho culture or performance pressure.

How resilient is your child?

This is an important question for every parent. And perhaps even more important: how resilient do you want your child to become before the move to secondary school?

In our resilience training from age 7, children learn to become more resilient at their own pace. We look at what your child is dealing with now, the behavior you see, and what is needed to reach the agreed goal. Is your child already 11 or older? See <teensLink>resilience training for teenagers</teensLink>.

Mental, verbal, and practical sides in class

Every situation has more than one side. For children aged 7 to 10 we practise mental, verbal, and physical resilience together — with language and exercises that fit this age.

Mental resilience

Staying clear when something feels tense, making choices, and knowing what you can do. That is the mental resilience children in this group build step by step.

Verbal resilience

Saying no, naming boundaries, and communicating more clearly with words. Verbal resilience often helps before a situation escalates.

Practical responses

When words are not enough, we practise safe, age-appropriate reactions — not acting tough, but knowing what a next step could be.

How can our training help your child?

In fixed groups with personal guidance, your child learns skills for situations that fit ages 7 to 10. We use a lot of play in lessons — that matches how children learn and dare to try things.

Building self-confidence

Your child learns to gain more confidence in themselves, which helps them to stand more confidently and with more courage in daily life.

Setting boundaries

Your child learns to recognize and express their own boundaries, both physically and mentally, and how they can let others know when their boundary has been reached.

Dealing with bullying

The training provides strategies to better deal with bullying, and teaches your child to defend themselves against verbal and physical attacks.

Standing up assertively

Your child learns how to stand up for themselves in an assertive way, without immediately becoming aggressive.

Physical self-defense

In addition to mental and verbal resilience, your child learns techniques from the self-defense system Krav Maga.

Social skills

Your child learns to interact with other children and work together. And to become aware of what is happening in their environment.

That way your child grows stronger, more confident, and more resilient step by step — at a pace that fits them.

How has our resilience training helped children?

Several hundred children have already benefited from our training. Below you can read the most common reasons why children start with our training.

My child is being bullied

It will come as no surprise that this is a common situation. Children in this age group develop in multiple areas, and in doing so, they test boundaries. It is part of the development of social behavior and determining one's own identity.

Unfortunately, we now know that dealing with this appropriately is seriously lacking. Not only with the bullied child, but also with the bully, the bystanders, the parents and the teachers, there is insufficient knowledge (or motivation) to work on this.

Our position is clear: bullying is not okay, and a major problem in today's society — including for children this age. Through our Hey, this is not okay! programme we developed an approach to deal more effectively with unwanted behavior. We use elements of it in resilience training for children. For most children, the bullying stops in the short term.

My child has an ADHD / HSP / ASD diagnosis

Children with these diagnoses have also benefited from our training. But not all of them, we are open and honest about that. After all, one child is not the same as another, and for us it is important that the child themselves is mentally capable of processing the lesson material and seriously working with it.

When a child is able to do this, we see little difference in results compared to children without these diagnoses. The child needs a bit more personal attention during training, and sometimes a bit more time to internalize what they have learned.

In the case of an ASD diagnosis, it is important to have contact beforehand about the child's situation and the issues that are present. We can then determine whether the training is suitable for your child.

My child is very shy

Many children are shy when they first encounter a situation. That is a very normal thing. But when a child experiences anxiety along with this, it can have a major impact on their life. For example, by avoiding social situations, or isolating themselves and refusing to go to school, sports or parties.

Our training can help shy children increase their self-confidence. We focus on looking at what is going well, naming this, and indicating what can be improved. Unforced, understanding and in small steps, because that works better for shy children.

My child has difficulty saying no

The challenge for these children is recognizing and expressing their own boundaries. Often the underlying cause is that the child is afraid that the other person will get angry if they say no, that they will disappoint the other person, or that the child will be rejected by another person or a group.

In our resilience training, we teach children to verbally express what they want and what is not okay. But also that others sometimes think differently about things. By saying no and explaining why you say no, the other person can take you into account.

Saying no can sometimes lead to other unwanted behavior. Of course, we also teach children how to deal with this appropriately.

My child is a victim of a crime

Unfortunately, we have also dealt with this. This ranges from physical violence at home or at school, to serious boundary-crossing behavior. We do not find it appropriate to give examples here, but know that our training after a course of trauma treatment and/or victim support can help to significantly improve the physical and verbal resilience of your child.

In all cases where someone is a victim of a crime, we expect this to be reported in general terms, and that this person consults with the care professional or treating physician before starting with our training.

My child has never experienced anything yet, does the training also work preventively?

Absolutely! The fact that your child has not experienced anything yet does not rule out that they may encounter such situations in the future. From parents we often hear that becoming more resilient is a skill that can come in handy for the rest of your life, and that their child therefore wants to follow the training. And we completely agree with that!

What does your child learn in the lesson?

During our lessons, children learn a wide range of skills that go beyond just self-defense.

Defending themselves

Children practise simple self-defense techniques to protect themselves when a situation becomes threatening. Always safely and under guidance, matched to what a child aged 7 to 10 can handle.

Awareness and prevention

In addition to defending themselves, children also learn how to recognize and avoid threatening situations. They learn to be alert to their surroundings and recognize potential dangers before a situation develops into a conflict.

Respect and discipline

We teach children the importance of respect for others and self-discipline. They learn to work together with their training partners, listen to instructions, and behave safely and responsibly during the lesson.

Problem-solving thinking

We encourage children to keep thinking clearly and make decisions when there is tension. They learn to assess situations and find appropriate solutions to protect themselves or get away from a dangerous situation.

Social skills

Because the lessons are given in groups, children also develop their social skills. They learn to work together, communicate, and trust their group members, which helps them build positive relationships.

In short: with us, children develop practical skills alongside mental and social skills — in a safe group where making mistakes is allowed and growth matters.

Getting started with resilience training for your child

Not sure if our resilience training fits your 7- to 10-year-old? Book an introduction lesson in the group for that age. That way you can experience the atmosphere, pace, and coaches before you take a next step.

After that lesson we discuss your child's goal together and whether continuing makes sense. In a second introduction lesson we see how your child takes to the exercises. Every child completes at least two introduction lessons before enrolment is possible.

Book an introduction lesson