Pick the kids up from school, drop them off at the pool. Eat dinner quickly, rush to hockey practice. Come home, pay registration fee for art class. Sound familiar?
Kids today are involved in more structured activities than ever before. Over-scheduled kids are often tired, less likely to eat healthy meals and have little time to develop their imaginations through free play. And rushing from one activity to another can put a strain on family life. That’s why it’s important for parents and kids to prioritize when choosing programs.
The first thing to consider when selecting an activity is what your child enjoys. No one is going to benefit from an activity if he has to be dragged to it. The second is to consider what your child will gain from participating in the activity. Here’s where karate stand out. Beyond getting muscles moving and hearts pumping, karate also:
- Reduces anxiety.
- Develops focus and concentration.
- Teaches peaceful conflict resolution.
- Instructs a child how to benefit from failure and mistakes.
- Shows the benefits of self-discipline.
- Empowers a child to protect herself.
- Builds self-awareness skills.
- Improves confidence and self-esteem.
- Teaches self-respect.
- Shows a child how to avoid, remedy, mediate and manage bullying situations.
- Teaches the importance of setting goals.
- Develops fine and gross motor skills, spatial skills and socialization skills.
- Teaches stranger awareness (not stranger fear).
- Builds self-control.
Can your child’s after school activity do that? To learn more about how martial arts give children a winning advantage, check out our WeeKick™ and KidSafe Youth Karate programs. You’ll see how martial arts build not only strong bodies, but strong minds too. Now that’s a worthwhile activity.
