The #1 thing we hear parents wish for their child – more confidence! Every month during our karate classes at American Family Martial Arts, we focus on a life skill and self confidence is an important one. 
Those who have self-confidence tend to be more content with life. They bounce back faster from challenges; they are not afraid to take risks and learn new things; they accomplish more because they believe in their abilities; and they stay committed to sports and activities longer because they don’t let obstacles get in their way.
During our karate classes, instructors sit down with students and discuss self confidence during a mat chat. Based on age specific guidelines the mat chats range from a definition of the word (ages 3-4) to thought exercises with practice scenarios (ages 10-14). American Family Martial Arts has karate programs near you in Baton Rouge and Prairieville.
Here are some ideas for parents on helping reinforce these lessons regarding children and self-confidence based on age:
§ With children ages 3 and 4; they are learning about things that make them feel good. American Family Martial Arts wants to work with parents in teaching children how to believe in themselves by saying positive things about themselves.
Some things you can say:
That was really brave
I believe in you
I love how you said that
You are loved
You make me proud
I love you.
At this age, they are most interested in being a karate kid and having fun! American Family Martial Arts taps into that energy by using game based learning. RELATED: Game Based Learning
§ With children ages 5 and 6; they are learning how to process both positive and negative feelings. Teach them how to overcome negative feelings by focusing on positive feelings.
Some things you can say:
You are valuable
You can try again tomorrow
It’s good to be curious
I know you did your best
You don’t have to be perfect to be great
You are loved
I love you
RELATED: Making a connection with your child: parent skillz
§ With children ages 7 and 9; they are learning how to be persistent even when they are frustrated.
Some discussions you can have with them about good/bad decisions:
- You are learning how build a volcano and you keep messing up, so you ask your parents for help instead of getting mad and crying because it is so hard.
- You are playing a game of basketball with some kids in the neighborhood and one of the bigger kids keeps picking on your when you miss a basket, so you decide to never play basketball again.
- You’ve never read in front of your class before and you are nervous, but instead of thinking about the bad feelings you try you’re hardest to do a good job.
And some of those phrases for ages 3-6 can still help out for this age group.
Learn more about the psychological benefits of martial arts in the Baton Rouge and Prairieville areas in our blog post: 5 benefits of martial arts for kids….especially girls!
§ With children ages 10 and up; they are learning how to be self-reliant. American Family Martial Arts teaches them how to set and accomplish personal goals.
A common technique for goal setting is using SMART goals:
S = specific
M=measurable
A=achievable
R=relevant
T=time based goals
As a thought based exercise, ya’ll could pick a crazy goal like “fly to the moon” and break down the steps needed to accomplish it.
Other Life Skills blogs:
Self Discipline
Integrity
Sharing
Patience
One of the way we help American Family Martial Arts students become more self confident in karate class is by having small achievable goals. These include the weekly skills stripes and the rank testings. And another way we do this at American Family Martial Arts is BOARD BREAKING! We’ve seen many children (and adults) approach the board with lots of fear. And co-owner Jacky Tullier says “the best part of board breaking is the swagger AFTER they break the board!”
Check out our Facebook and Instagram accounts for lots of fun photographs of the many things we do in karate class to increase self confidence.
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