Tag: Karate for Kids

Training Hard for the Respectable Work Ethic

Posted on | by Jason

The old adage that “hard work never killed anybody” remains a fact today. Just like seeds need to be planted early in order to enjoy a timely harvest, children need to be taught the value of hard work very early on in life. Children today are constantly exposed to messages about doing things the easy way. Everything around them is nothing but a “get rich quick scheme.” With these sorts of ideas common in society, it has become more necessary than ever to introduce the benefits of hard work to the next generation.

Simple steps to make your kids work

  • It cannot be stressed enough that model behavior is one of the most effective methods for good child development. If you want your children to work hard, you need to show them how to work hard. Don’t whine and complain about your job when your children are around. Instead, tell them why you work hard and what benefits you get in return. Give them examples from your work life that show the benefits of hard work. Tell them how and why you got that extra bonus in your paycheck.
  • Stop complimenting your children for their inherent talents. Applauding them too often can make your children complacent and reluctant to give 100% in their tasks. If they perceive that your praise and appreciation is easy to get, they’ll stop challenging themselves. Praise them for their effort and not just their talent.
  • Teach your children to do their chores. Holding them to their responsibilities will prepare them to accept bigger ones in their adult life.
  • Teach them to learn from their failures and to never give up. Tell them that failures are just minor setbacks that force us to learn and try a different approach to stay on track toward our goals.

Teaching work ethics through karate

Karate is one of the most challenging, fun, and beneficial activities for children. The very philosophy of karate revolves around the concepts of discipline, goal setting, and most importantly, hard work. Karate is a complex art form that takes dedication and sincerity to master. Curricula for each rank and belt level help develop skills and physical and mental health incrementally. In karate, your children will learn to dedicate themselves to achieving their goals through hard work. As your child tries to successfully climb the ranks, he or she will learn to appreciate the values of hard work, focus, and perseverance. Karate will help your child adopt life-changing skills and qualities that they’ve never experienced before.

Teaching Children the Nature of Respect

Posted on | by Jason

In many ways it seems that we live in an ever-worsening culture of crude, rude, and vulgar speech and behavior. Respect now has the same status as a precious, limited resource like diamonds, oil, or clean water. Too often we hear ourselves complaining that “today’s children just have no respect for people or anything for that matter.” Why is this? Experts suggest that children usually mirror what they see and that means that they’ve learned a lot from us adults. The first step to teaching children about respect is to model it ourselves.

Respect your children

The first mistake that we as adults make is to assume that children are too young to understand what we say or do. On the contrary, psychologists state that children have highly impressionable minds that not only understand but “record” everything that adults do. So if you’re child just used foul language, there is a very high chance he or she picked it up from you. One of the biggest ironies is that adults disrespect children while trying to teach them respect. It is necessary to know that even children are human and they too have a desire for dignity, acceptance, and encouragement – not just scolding or correcting. The next time your child requires correction, try to a tack that’s less harsh on them – firm but gentle, praise- correct-praise.

As they say, good things have small beginnings and this is true for human behavior too. Start your children with small, basic manners such as saying ‘thank you’ and ‘please’. Encourage them to make polite requests rather than demands. If your child requests you to do or give something, ask him or her to state the reason and purpose. If the reason is valid, go ahead with the request. This teaches them that polite requests are much better than rude demands.

Teach your children to be polite and respectful to other people and explain to them as to why they need to be courteous. Explain the ‘golden rule’. Lectures usually aren’t enough to do the job. Witnessing and applying the rationale and results of living with respect for self and others will help them understand more personally.

Karate and respect

A good way to encourage your children to learn about respect through a year round, structured activity that is all about respect. Karate for kids is a martial arts form pretty much built on the values of discipline and respect. Karate classes are the perfect environment for physical, mental, social skills, and leadership training. Traditions and rules that your child will have to adhere to while learning karate make showing respect a natural habit through repetition. A series of ranks and belt colors help children understand where they stand, and that they have to put in, to achieve each new rank and belt. Karate teaches people to respect each other. For instance, the master is referred to as ‘Sensei’ or ‘Sah Boo Nim’ which means teacher, and he or she is most be shown respect through trained actions and responses. These are some of the methods that are proven to help children learn the value and adopt the practice and attitude of respect.

Teaching Children About Honor

Posted on | by Jason

“Honor” is a word that we hear today primarily in relation to the brave men and women of our armed forces, and perhaps occasionally in our personal lives. With notable exceptions, it’s far more common to observe “dishonor” from many politicians, business people, celebrities, and fellow citizens on a daily basis. Honor can either mean (1) respectability (e.g. “street cred”) that one has earned/won and deserves, or (2) the act of showing respect to those of high virtue or achievement. Both definitions of the word “honor” hold great value as a continual goal throughout our lives, as they are essential to having healthy self-image, self- confidence, and self-respect. Demonstrating and discussing honor with children is important, because the first step to earning honor is seeing it in action from the leaders closest to them. That’s why martial arts instructors are typically very fit and personable representatives of their schools and styles – they are terrific role models!

Practice what you preach

In order to teach our children about honor, we must learn to honor them first. Treat your children with dignity and respect so that they will reciprocate the same with you and with others. When you make your children feel important, they are motivated to do the same with you.

Tell your children that they are valuable to you. In a world filled with insecurity, children can sometimes feel lost. A little attention, genuine listening and engagement in their work and play, can do wonders for their self-worth. It inspires children to do the same with you. Teach your children to honor their commitments. Tell them to treat other people with respect and to not make false promises. Teach them to value other people and their time. Children learn from observing us, therefore, we must “practice what we preach” and behave honorably toward each other and everyone else. If you promised to play football with your son or basketball with your daughter on Saturday, make sure you honor them by keeping that promise. One day they will do the same for you.

Teach your children to do the right thing even in the face of criticism. Teach them to be strong and stand up for what they believe in. When they do this, they are honoring themselves, which is just as important as honoring others.

Karate is a sport of honor

Learning martial arts such as karate is a good way for your children to explore and adopt
the values of honor and respect. Honor was of tantamount importance in the cultures and philosophies of ancient societies in the Far East and Middle East where martial arts are believed to have originated. It is as relevant today as then, though far more rare a thing for kids to deliberately learn from their parents and other teachers. Karate teaches children and adults to have honor through discipline, patience, self-control, and mutual respect. One of the main philosophies of karate is to improve the individual’s character. This is exactly what students of all fitness levels experience in karate for kids.

Stand Tall and Stand Proud

Posted on | by Jason

We live in a world where the pressure to “fit in” is tremendous, magnified now by mobile and social media, fast food, consumerism, crime, and other daily challenges. Many believe the “peer approval” demand is affecting our children in the worst ways possible. Thanks to technology, peer pressure and bullying aren’t just limited to the school or the playground anymore. This has created an even greater need for us to teach our children the values of self- confidence and self-respect – demonstrated in belief and action!

Experts state that self-esteem and confidence are two of the most important traits that can shape a child’s entire future and help them succeed. Consequently it is of utmost importance for parents to encourage and teach their children to respect themselves and others from a very young age. Studies have shown that children with low self-esteem and poor self-image are much more likely to become victims of peer pressure and bullying. On the other hand, children with high levels of confidence tend to have better coping skills, higher resiliency, and better focus on their tasks for longer time periods.

Boost their confidence

In order to boost your child’s confidence, teach them to accept themselves as they are. Tell them that they are unique and nothing ever good comes out of comparing themselves with other people. Focus on their inherent talents and encourage them to pursue and persevere in their interests. Take a step back and allow your child to make decisions, face problems, and take risks. Tell them that failures are a part of our existence and they only help us learn and grow wise from experience.

Also, avoid overpraising your children. This does more harm than good as you’re basically teaching your children to be incompetent and mediocre. Being good at something takes time, therefore, encourage your child but don’t make them lower their standards or give up prematurely. Teach them to be humble about their strengths and to work on their weaknesses. Above all make sure that you communicate to your child that you love them unconditionally and that your love for them isn’t based on their achievements.

Encourage an activity

Encouraging and presenting opportunities to engage in interesting, constructive activities
is a good way to boost a child’s self-esteem. One of the best year-round sports/hobbies is karate for kids. It cannot be stressed hard enough how beneficial martial arts for children can be for growing confidence, positive outlooks, and amazing capabilities. Karate is more than just a form of self-defense and healthy lifestyle. It is an ancient art form deep rooted in the purpose of helping people lead more disciplined lives. Starting your kids early with karate can do wonders to their self-esteem. When children learn karate, it teaches them to defend themselves against both the physical and mental threats that they might face throughout their lives.