As parents, we know that self-esteem is key to a child’s success and happiness in life. A child who values herself and knows that she is lovable, capable and unique, will be more successful in navigating tough issues such as bullying, drugs and sex. So what can parents do to foster self-esteem?

Here’s what parents can do:

  • Showing children they are loved and accepted.
  • Giving them a sense of belonging to family and community.
  • Listening! Letting them know that what they think, feel and do is important.
  • Giving them a sense of personal safety.
  • Involving them in activities where they feel competent and accepted.

Because of its focus on personal safety and on building strong bodies and minds, karate is an excellent way to boost a child’s self-esteem. Self-discipline, pride and integrity are important components of the martial arts philosophy. Studios work hard to create an environment of courtesy and respect so that children can learn and grow from mistakes and feel competent and accepted.

Driftwood Martial Arts offers two programs that can boost children’s self esteem, WeeKick™, for pre-school and kindergarten kids and KidSafe Youth Karate for grades one to nine.

Instructors are specially trained to create positive environments where kids can learn effective techniques for peaceful conflict resolution, bully busting, personal safety and dealing with failure. Learning to respect themselves and others is a major focus of the classes.

By providing your child with a loving, supportive home environment and enriching them with confidence building activities like the martial arts, your child will have a definite advantage when it comes to navigating their way through challenging issues.