What should a parent look for in a kids program?

[Carol]

Someone pulled me aside today and said they wanted to get their 6 year old involved in a martial arts program and asked me for recommendations.

I asked what was available in the area, the person said "Well, there is a Kempo school nearby, and you did Kempo, right?"

I could have a conversation with this person about the things that an experienced martial artist look for, such as strength of lineage, but this person doesn't really have that kind of concern. He was more concerned about what would be good for his child.

If you were to pass along suggestions to my friend, what would you say to him? What do you think is important in a kids program?

 

[still learning]

Hello, Visit the many schools around your area. First thing to notice is : How are the kids treated. Most kids have a short attention span. Watch how kids are told what to do.

If there are many different color belts...a sign that the kids are staying and enjoying the training.

There should also be a kids class only 5-12 years (separate class). Should not be expensive cost to sign up, Reason..you child may want to quit after a month. (many reasons).

The training should be only a hour long, and maybe 2-3 times a week. The physical part should be reasonable to the parent observations.

Kempo is an excellant program for kids...BUT you will find JUDO is better!

JUDO: they will learn how to roll ,fall, tumble, wrestle, and learn JUDO throw which all kids love to do. Plus it give them a great work out. PLEASE take them to a JUDO school! ..........Aloha

 

[Yeti]

Like still learning said, you can get a feel for the quality of the program just by visiting and watching the kids. Are they into it or are they bored? Do they follow directions of the instructors or do they do their own thing? Let's face it, the attention span of a 3 or 4 year old is just about non-existent (something I'm facing now with mine!). If something isn't fun they won't want any part of it.

I've seen programs where the kids are WAY into it. They get a sticker or a stripe frequently. They kiap with more spirit than the adults. They have fun. What they don't realize is they are also learning how to defend themselves. I think that's what you look for. Oh, and having several instructors during a class is important too. One instructor for 10 or 12 kids sometimes gets out of hand.

The opposite to that is the babysitting club. I've seen those too. Parents drop of their kids and go chat in the lobby while their children do nothing but run around the dojang uncontrolled.

Kempo can be a fantastic art for kids (so can Judo still learning...I haven't forgotten ya!). So can TKD. It really comes down to the instructor and program.

Hope this helps. Like a lot of things, it's going to involve some homework by the parents to make sure it's the right thing for their child.

 

[Kacey]

It really comes down to the instructor and program.

This is, I think, the key point. The particular art is, IMHO, less important than the quality of the instructor and program. No matter how good the art in general, if the instructor(s) do not teach a meaningful, age-appropriate program, the rest becomes irrelevant.

Like a lot of things, it's going to involve some homework by the parents to make sure it's the right thing for their child.

This is another very good point. Too many parents choose a class for its location or the times it's offered, rather than because they have really investigated the options and chosen the program that is right for their kid(s).

 

[Carol]

This is, I think, the key point. The particular art is, IMHO, less important than the quality of the instructor and program. No matter how good the art in general, if the instructor(s) do not teach a meaningful, age-appropriate program, the rest becomes irrelevant.



This is another very good point. Too many parents choose a class for its location or the times it's offered, rather than because they have really investigated the options and chosen the program that is right for their kid(s).

What should a parent with no martial arts experience look for in a meaningful program? Or one that's right for their kids? Can a parent go on more than just gut instinct? Personally, I've seen a few schools that have kids smiling and cheering and high fiving as they are running about the mat...but I'm not sure if those programs are good or not. Which makes it even harder for me to recommend something to my friend.

 

[shesulsa]

I coached kids for years, still do.

First of all, more info is needed. Is it the parent who wants their kids in the class or does their child want to be in the class? What do they want for their child out of a martial arts curriculum?

Most parents will tell you they want for their child to learn discipline and respect or how to deal with bullies - those are the biggies. So I always ask them if they want their children to have self-defense principles, if they want their child to earn a black belt or trophies or if they want their child to have an experience where they feel they've earned something.

THEN ... I ask the child what they want. If they're young, they don't know, but if they tell me they want to learn discipline and respect, I know they're echoing their parents and don't really care about being there.

What *I* would call a *good* kids program is one where the kids work out but have fun doing so. They learn effective and realistic self-defense skills as part of their curriculum, their fitness level is challenged, their attention span is challenged a little bit, their energies used productively. They also must be motivated to continue and place a minimal importance on rank. I like to make sure kids know where they are improving on a week to week basis. A good kids' teacher will talk to their charges about challenges older students have (kids who are older than the group taught) and what they've been through and instill confidence that this set of kids can get through those challenges too (confidence building).

A good kids' instructor knows that the child is the learning subject, but the parent is a client and must be dealt with on some level. Parents are going to want bang for their buck, but I've told parents right up front and have reminded them as well, that it is a DISSERVICE to promote children on an ongoing basis regardless of their skill. Memorization of material is not enough - they must demonstrate ownership of the material, not just be able to repeat it upon call.

This way, when children are called upon to grade, they know they've earned it, they understand the principles of practice and refinement.

Now, scheduling a grading opportunity every other month can motivate some to have a deadline to shoot for - I understand that practice, but have never used it. I think the point is HOW it is used.

Finally, kids classes shouldn't be outrageously expensive - adult classes should cost more, IMNSHO.

If I think of more, I'll post it.

 

[Bigshadow]

I would start by asking the parent, what it is that s/he would like to see their child get? What are their concerns? The parents may only want the child to get some exercise in a fun environment.

I would approach it from that angle to start with.

 

[Brother John]

Someone pulled me aside today and said they wanted to get their 6 year old involved in a martial arts program and asked me for recommendations.

He was more concerned about what would be good for his child.

If you were to pass along suggestions to my friend, what would you say to him? What do you think is important in a kids program?

Excellent....EXCELLENT topic Carol!!

First and foremost, find an instructor that is Very open with the parent about anything they ask. If they are in the least bit reserved or 'defensive' when asked many questions about their art, their background, their philosophy (of training children in MA) or their routines....then that's NOT the instructor for their (or anyones) child.

Also: Style is not only NOT the primary issue, it's hardly even secondary. TRUE........I'd highly recomend they not involve them in a system that is centered on the use of weapons (PMA, Kendo, Kenjutsu, Kobudo...etc.)..but other than that......GO FOR IT. Kempo...fine, Judo.....Great, TKD...wonderful...
etc.
I myself started in the martial arts when I was seven, and I've only taken about three years off total. I know several others like me who've been long term martial artists since childhood....and none of us stayed with the same art that we began in. That's rare indeed! (Nice if someone can do it, but it's not the norm) So what the style is doesn't matter overall. What matters the MOST are:
The care of the instructors. do they LOVE kids? Are they considerate? Do they hold high standards of behavior in and out of the classroom for themselves, their kids and their adult students.
Look at their advanced kid students, look at their advanced teen students and look at their advanced adult students....
scrutinize them!!!! Then...ask yourself, "DO I want my child to develop to be like them? To act like them? To move like them?" Because those are samples of what happens to people that train under that/those instructors! Those are the people who will be a big influence on and roll model for the kidos!!

I was highly influenced by the older people in my dojo! Greatly. There are aspects of how I move and how I believe and how I behave that I could go back in time, point out an adult martial artist from my past and show you where I gleaned that aspect of myself from!!!!

Check their experience with Kids.
Learn wether or not their training of children differs from their training of adults. If their thoughts are that their isolation of kids into a "Kids" program is just so that they don't bogg down the adult class....then that's not the school for them, because that instructor doesn't take into account the special needs of developing kids as martial artists. There must be some underlying philosophy as to HOW to raise up a preadolescent martial artist!! If not......move on.

last, but not least, don't wait for THE perfect school/instructor. They don't exist. Get them into the best you can find, encourage them, help them to feel good about their progress! Help them set goals, lead them to design a plan of steps/stages to achieve those goals (Watch the classes and learn what the instructors expect of them.....then expect those same things when you HELP your child practice!)....then CELEBRATE every stage of success With your child!!!
Never demand a child be perfect!!!!!!!!
....just improving.

This is a subject near and dear to my heart!!!

Your Brother
John

 

[shesulsa]

Adult to child ratio is another important factor. If there's one instructor with no assistant and the class is run well, then fine. I like for them to get a little more one-on-one attention than this, however, and special needs kids will require it.

 

[Grenadier]

I'm going to give a statement, based on what I know as an instructor, and also what I believe parents should see.

Shesulsa hit it on the nose. The parents should, first and foremost, look at the instruction itself. The style really doesn't matter.

Younger kids would ideally have a class of their own, and the instructor who teaches it must be "good with kids."

Most kids (say, around 5-7) are not going to have a very good attention span, compared to their adult counterparts. It's important to keep the minds of the children, focussed on the class in ways that the children can appreciate.

The instructor teaching the children should be available to speak with the parents and the child (all of them being present) on a reasonable basis, so that the progress of the child can be discussed. Some suggestions and especially comments coming from both ends (the parents and the instructor) should be given. If a child is doing well, then what can the instructor do to ensure that the child will stay interested? If the child isn't doing so well, then what should be done to at least make the child have a chance to enjoy it?

Does the instructor keep the parents actively involved? This really does help, since it can strengthen the bond between the parent and the child.

It is critical to keep the interest of the child. The child should *want* to enjoy doing the martial arts, since parental nudging and instructor's orders can only go so far. Does the instructor keep it relatively simple, and yet, make it fun for the child?

Does the teacher only focus his efforts on the best students? Or does he cater to the bulk of them? More on this, if you keep reading.



Throughout my years, both as a student and teacher, I've seen a good number of highly talented children lose interest, because they got bored with a program. I'm not going to sugar coat it here; it really gets disappointing when you see a child like that leave the program. Was it something you did? Was it something the child did? If the instructor and parents / child don't communicate, then the reasons will stay buried, and nobody learns from this.

If you are the instructor, sometimes, this means having to think like a child, and to put forth the lesson plan in a way that is fun and easy for the children to do. If it means being able to be a bit more playful with the children, while still keeping the class serious, then so be it. If it means having to speak in a more playful tone that the children will enjoy, then so be it.

Sometimes, it might even mean trying to design a game that the children can play, but one that is highly relevant to the lesson in the martial arts that you are trying to teach.

While it would be nice (as an instructor) to be able to dump the kids into the regular classes, and have them train with adults, you aren't going to retain that many of them. I know of one particular instructor who tried teaching the kids the exact same way that he did with the adults, and out of the 50 kids who joined him initially, only about 5 stuck with it after a year.

Sure, it's nice that those kids are excellent martial artists that can now bust out kata Nisseishi or Ni Pai Po, at a given notice, but what about the 45 others? Those 5 kids would have succeeded on their own, no matter how bad of an instructor someone may have been (I'm not saying that the fellow above was bad; he's actually an excellent teacher for adults).

Maybe out of those 50, 5 kids would have never succeeded no matter how good of a teacher someone may have been. The other 40? Those are the ones that should have had the efforts directed at them, since their fates are in the hands of the instructor's, to a good degree.

While many hardcore folks might scoff at me for basically paraphrasing what folks the likes of Dawn Barnes (she's amazing with kids, and her vids are worth watching) do, even they'll admit that at least such methods keep the kids training, and the longer they train the more likely that they are going to develop into solid, higher level students.

 

[Phoenix44]

I agree with those who say the particular art is not the most important factor. I'd look for the following:

1. Skill-based classes focused on age appropriate developmental stages.
2. Good student-teacher ratio.
3. Realistic length of class--most 5-6 year olds can't handle more than 30-45 minutes.
4. School requires a pre-enrollment evaluation of the child to assess current maturity level.
5. Does the instructor train? I'd never recommend a school where the instructors aren't actively improving their own skills.

Self-defense focus is good for older kids, but at the younger ages they have very little capacity to translate in-class training to real world situations.

 

[terryl965]

What they should look for me,I do mean this I'm like the stay puff mashmellow man and santa clause all rolled up into one. noe seriously what the other have said talk to the instructor find out about him/her they should be asking you question about what little johnny wants and what they expect to get out of classes, are they looking longterm or just though the summer months.

I know I ask the parents more question than they ask me.