Why Your Child Shouldn’t Skip Martial Arts Classes During the Holidays

Why Your Child Shouldn’t Skip Martial Arts Classes 

During the Holidays

As the holiday season approaches, many parents find themselves conflicted over a familiar dilemma. The bustling holiday schedule filled with family gatherings, travel, shopping, baking, and parties often leads parents to consider temporarily pulling their kids out of extracurricular activities, including martial arts classes. 

While this impulse is completely understandable given the busyness and chaos that can accompany the holidays, I encourage you as a child development expert to pause and reconsider before making that decision when it comes to your child’s martial arts classes. 

Here are several compelling reasons why consistency with martial arts during the holidays can provide important benefits for your child's development and wellbeing:

First and foremost, consistency is absolutely key when it comes to mastery in martial arts. By attending classes regularly, your child reinforces the physical and mental skills they have worked hard to build over time. Martial arts is a cumulative journey, each class building upon the last. Pulling them out of classes means disrupting this sequenced learning as well as their habit of discipline. 

Additionally, children thrive on routine and structure. Martial arts classes offer a sense of regularity amidst the often hectic and unpredictable holiday season. Sticking to their regular class schedule provides stability and predictability that is beneficial for their sense of security and overall wellbeing.

The holidays often involve more indulgent foods and sedentary activities. Maintaining their typical martial arts schedule ensures your child stays physically active and fit during this period of excess. The mental focus and physical exertion of class provides balance to holiday indulgences.

Just as importantly, martial arts imparts crucial lessons in emotional regulation and resilience. The mental discipline of classes teaches kids to manage stress, build confidence, and develop emotional intelligence. These skills become even more vital during the holidays when emotions and family tensions can run high.

The social bonds kids form with peers and instructors in class is another key developmental benefit. Skipping martial arts during the holidays can leave kids feeling isolated. Attending classes allows them to stay connected to their community and friendships when school is closed.

Furthermore, martial arts cultivates a mindset of continuous self-improvement. Encouraging your child to progress towards their next belt or skill level during the holidays reinforces grit and goal-setting. Achieving a tangible goal bolsters their self-confidence during this emotionally charged season.

For many kids, the holidays can be accompanied by increased anxiety and family tensions. Martial arts classes serve as a healthy outlet for managing these heightened stresses. The physical and mental discipline provide a productive channel for kids to release pent-up frustrations or anxieties.

Finally, martial arts teaches lessons that extend far beyond the dojang. The holiday period presents unique opportunities for your child to apply and grow those lessons in real-world scenarios – from managing emotions during family gatherings to maintaining self-discipline around holiday treats. Facing ‘real-life’ challenges allows kids to integrate martial arts principles into their daily lives.

In summary, pausing your child’s martial arts training during the hectic holiday season may seem prudent, but maintaining consistency in their schedule can impart developmental benefits that extend beyond just their physical skills. The routine, emotional regulation, social bonds, self-confidence and mental resilience cultivated in class becomes even more crucial during the holidays. Check with your martial arts school about options for more flexible scheduling over the holidays if needed. But if possible, keep your child’s training uninterrupted so they can continue progressing and harnessing martial arts’ lessons during this vitally formative time of year.

The Power of Connection: Nurturing Your Child's Emotional Wellbeing

The Power of Connection: Nurturing Your Child's Emotional Wellbeing

In our previous post, we talked about the importance of building a strong connection with your child through daily interactions and boosting their neurotransmitters. A deep parent-child connection not only leads to better communication and less stressful moments, but it also nurtures your child's emotional health. Here are some additional tips for creating an environment where your child feels secure and empowered:

Validate Their Feelings

Children often have big emotions that they don't know how to handle. When your child expresses difficult feelings like anger, sadness, or fear, resist the urge to downplay or dismiss them. Instead, name the feeling and empathize. Say things like "I see that made you really angry. I understand, that would make me upset too." This models emotional intelligence.

Practice Active Listening

When your child wants to tell you something, stop what you're doing and listen attentively. Maintain eye contact, paraphrase what they said, and ask thoughtful questions. Don't interrupt or rush the conversation. This makes them feel heard and valued.

Encourage Open Communication

Let your child know they can come to you about anything, without judgment. Don't grill them about their lives, but create openings for them to initiate discussions. If they confront you with an issue, remain calm and focus on understanding their perspective.

Allow Age-Appropriate Independence 

As children grow, they need space to make choices and take on new responsibilities. Of course you want to keep them safe, but also show you trust their judgment. Let them pick out their clothes, make minor mistakes, and voice their preferences. This builds confidence.

The parent-child relationship is so vital for healthy development. When you meet your child's emotional needs consistently with empathy and respect, the bond grows deeper. Keep nurturing that connection through their changing needs at every age.

Connection

                                                                Connection

One of the most important things that you can do as a parent is establish a connection with your child.  In fact, children need connection more than anything else. 

Here are a few ways that you can begin to build a great connection with your child:

Daily Interactions:

1.      Make one-on-one connections with your child.  Instead of asking a question from across the room, take an extra 15 seconds to walk to your child, get down on their level, maybe tap their shoulder or touch their arm, and ask the question.  Chances are they will engage right away (instead of ignoring you) and answer you because you have made that personal connection.   

2.      Connect with your child as many times per day as possible.  Every positive connection with your child means fewer disconnected or frustrating moments for both of you.  

3.      Begin positive connections when your child is young.  The more positive connections you make early on, the better they will respond and communicate as they get older. Over time they will have a strong enough connection with you that you no longer need to be right in front of them for them to answer your question.

4.      Reduce stressful interactions.  Good connections reduce stress or cortisol, which is the stress hormone.  If you get upset with your child, it makes them upset, too.  By improving your connections daily, you begin to eliminate some of the obstacles in your communication with them which also eliminates stressful interactions

Boost their Neurotransmitters!

You can “up” your child’s neurotransmitters to build a better parent-child connection, which means improving your relationship with your child by giving them positive reinforcement in a variety of ways that will allow them to thrive, feel happy, and be healthy. 

1.      Tell your child about something that is going to happen that is exciting, so they can look forward to it.  This improves the neurotransmitter Dopamine which is the anticipation chemical.   

2.      Hug your child and let them know they are important.  Oxytocin is the chemical that reacts through touching.

3.      Give your child praise for good behavior or a job well done.  This improves Serotonin which is about feeling satisfied.

4.      Finally, give your child the chance to run and play or engage in a fun physical activity, especially when they are stressed or feel anxiety.  Endorphins are engaged through active movement.

The last key bit of advice is to self-assess.  How connected you think you are with your child right now?  On a scale of 1 to 5 what grade would you give yourself?  Put these tips into action and make a better connection with your child because the more you connect, the better.