We give our EXTREME Skillz kids choices in some of our drills and rank exams.
And we watch their interest and effort spike!
At Life Martial Arts Center, we build up 10 to 14 year olds by giving them choices as one way to develop their sense of ownership and satisfaction.
Kids fall under an amazing amount of rules in their daily lives. As we parents experience increasing busyness, we build more structure in our day to feel more successful. Through it all, children simply don't get enough choices.
These kids leave a rule-based school day to enter their home rules. We know this age group needs and wants structure; there have to be some rules for proper behavior and safety. (They act like they don't want structure, but they do.)
We at Life Martial Arts Center have found that by giving students some choices within our structure, they develop a sense of ownership and pride. They gain some control from their autonomy. Also at this age, we allow higher ranks to design some parts of their rank exams. We know how to positively affect their engagement and sense of satisfaction!
What happens to their brain and body with this control? Increased confidence helps their bodies generate serotonin, our natural mood booster. Several factors affect serotonin levels; as you can imagine it's complex. But exercise and reduced anxiety are two serotonin-producing factors we positively affect in our science-based classes. And the list of other benefits of increased serotonin in the body is long (1).
So, if you're watching our class and seeing our EXTREME Skillz students choosing their training and working hard, remember we're teaching kids the way they learn. They're busy boosting their mood by making choices.
(1) Cleveland Clinic, Serotonin
(2) freepik.com, Brain Graphic
When is it most fascinating to see a group of kids laser-focused? When it's your child in that group, growing to their greatest potential! If you're interested in an activity for your child to grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially, then reach out to us about our child development classes.
We're passionate about what we train and teach! We'd love to talk with you about your goals.
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