The benefits of Kids Karate Class are countless- that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But for the purposes of this blog, the best 4 benefits are- healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. Not too shabby, right? Check them out below…
1. Stress Less
From juggling unprecedented issues like cyberbullying and social media pressures to making friends in a socially distanced world, kids nowadays are stressed way earlier than any kid should be. Stress is a part of life, so it’s worth teaching your child early on about how to cope with and manage the stresses of day-to-day life- in a healthy way. That’s where martial arts comes in! One of the benefits of Kids Karate Class is the mental and physical outlets for their energy. Our instructors are super sneaky (like ninjas!) in how they teach important life skills that help your little one succeed outside of the dojo, including stress management. Teaching martial arts to kids is their life passion, and they pass along their own sense of discipline and perseverance to their little ones with every class they attend! This leads us to…
2. Discipline and Perseverance
It’s so important for kids to learn not only stress management but also discipline and perseverance. Every person, including your little one, is faced with tough decisions and mountains they need strength to overcome, and kids are no exception! Whether it’s a math test they’re studying for or an audition for a lead role they want to knock out of the park, your child will need discipline and perseverance to see it through. Kids Karate Class is so fun- trust us!- but it is definitely challenging sometimes- and that’s intentional. There will be days when your child doesn’t want to come to class, just like there will be days when they won’t want to do their homework – they’ll say they just don’t “feel like” doing either of them. But our world-class instructors teach them how to cultivate the discipline they need in order to keep up their healthy habits. If a student is struggling to break a board, maybe they’re crying or feel like they can’t do it- we’re not giving up on them. All of us, instructors and classmates included, are going to rally around that student and cheer them on. Because they can do it, and when they do, they’ll have a gigantic smile on their face – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always puts a smile on parents’ faces! One of the best benefits of Kids Karate Class is that it helps improve your child’s grades. How? Well, as we mentioned, they learn how to persevere, which helps them stick it out when doing their homework or during a long school day. But perhaps one of the best benefits of Kids Karate Class is that it helps them improve their behavior. When our students learn self-control in their bodies and in their minds, we see those skills apply to the classroom. Instead of getting distracted by the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their deskmate is doing… They keep their attention on their teacher and actually learn better than their peers. Pretty cool, right? And that body coordination and focus are key components of kids martial arts that they’ll carry with them well into adulthood.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of Kids Karate Class, this one might be the most unexpected. We’re really keen on building our students up to be bullyproofed, meaning they learn how to stand up for themselves and others in a non-violent way. First, we help them grow their confidence. As our young martial arts students see themselves improving on the mat – perfecting their punches and kicks, gaining better coordination, and learning new moves after lots of practice- they become more confident in their ability to “do hard things.” We also instruct our students to never misuse their martial arts outside of class – instead of their fists, they learn that their voice is their weapon. We teach them how to speak confidently and assert themselves to our instructors, their peers, and the classroom bully, to stand up for themselves and others. It’s an awesome process, and we’re very proud of our Bullyproof kids!
Conclusion
So – did these benefits surprise you? We’re not surprised at all! We’ve seen it year after year- kids walk in the door with behavioral issues, low self-esteem, or difficulty focusing, and they walk out the door with improvement in all these areas and a huge smile on their faces. Hands down, it’s our favorite part of our jobs! Hopefully, now you see that the benefits of Kids Karate Class go far beyond just self-defense- martial arts is a life-changing tool that promotes success far beyond the dojo! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Karate classes right here at our school!