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Welcome to the Little Ninjas Pre-school Martial Arts Program
Children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old are in a very distinct growing stage. They are embarking on new discoveries everyday and learning how to cope with all of the challenges. Their intellect, emotions, physical capabilities, and social competence all are growing at a rapid rate. So fast, that they often overlook what is important and sometimes don’t differentiate between right and wrong.
That’s where the Little Ninjas Character Development Program comes into play. Our program was specifically designed for the stages of development of pre-schoolers. Your child will experience training that targets the skills they are currently developing; skills such as large and gross motor skills, behavior development, and character development. These skills are broken down into age-specific exercises, games, activities and drills that complement their stage of development.
We use the martial arts approach to building their skills through these drills. The approach includes reinforcing good discipline, displaying confidence, and developing and maintaining a positive attitude. Basic martial arts techniques and concepts are introduced, which will later serve as a basis for your child’s more dedicated study of traditional martial arts.
With this in mind, we want to reinforce that martial arts training extends way beyond punching and kicking. That’s why it may appear that your child is not learning enough “martial arts” in class, but the fact is they really are. The customary discipline protocol is martial arts. This includes standing at attention when commanded, responding with respect by saying “yes sir” and “yes Ma’am”, demonstrating courtesy to instructors, parents and fellow classmates, and maintaining a positive attitude. With professional Martial Artists as the role-model instructors, and the mixture of fun games and activities with basic kicks, strikes, and blocks during class, your child’s first exposure to martial arts training will generate positive results!
You can look forward to your child learning:
1. Motor skill development
a. Throwing and executing
b. Pulling and retracting
c. Stepping and footwork (forward, backward, sideways)
d. Running
e. Jumping
f. Balancing
g. Rolling
2. Behavior development
a. Learning how to take turns
b. Learn how to manage frustration
c. Learn how to be respectful when others are speaking
3. Character development
a. Learn how to make friends
b. Learn how to tell the truth
c. Learn how to share
d. Learn how to maintain good manners
How the Little Ninjas Program works
Sometimes parents question why all their children seem to do is play. To a child, play is their work. It is essential to teach children how to learn through play. In the Little Ninjas Program, we use activities that they play in class as our way to teach them and build skill. The children learn important social skills and will begin to recognize their own emotions as well as those of others. They also learn how to think through play, and come out with better physical capabilities in the process.
Through play, your child will learn how to master the skills incorporated in the age-appropriate activities. While participating in these activities, they will discover things that normally would not make sense to them. Participating in these activities will help them make the adjustments necessary in their skill development and bring them to a higher level of thinking, making play very educational and beneficial.
About our Little Ninjas Instructors
Learning is a process. Our instructors understand the importance of the steps involved in learning and are skilled in encouraging and instructing a child while reinforcing the benefits of learning. Our instructors are trained to reinforce proper development and behavior with little or no disciplinary action. We have established a positive learning environment that makes learning and growing fun.
Where will the Little Ninjas Program take my child’s training?
The Little Ninjas Program provides consistency in each child’s development process. Through consistency in their training, they will properly develop the skills outlined in this course and prepare them for advancement to the Youth Tae Kwon Do program at age 6 or 7. The foundation set through the Little Ninjas Program will enable them to successfully transfer to the next program with the proper abilities and mindset. Once they enter the Youth Tae Kwon Do program, you will notice that they enter a new stage of development, which is the next phase of their growing process.
Your Role As a Parent
Self-esteem is very important in a child’s everyday life. Self-esteem refers to how a person feels about themselves. To a 3 and 4 year old, self-esteem is something that they personally do not understand, but experience crossroads with everyday. As a child, self-esteem plays an important role in how well they learn and grow. Studies have shown that children who think very little of themselves may do inadequately socially, emotionally, at school, and in extracurricular activities. By the same token, those children who truly believe in themselves can really excel.
With this in mind, your role as a parent is to consistently encourage your child to stay focused, never give up, and always look for positive solutions. Now this may seem like a difficult task to do with a 3 and 4 year old, especially with a limited vocabulary. But self-esteem is a learned attitude, and the sooner you begin to teach your child about self-esteem, the better chance you have of it sticking with them.
Here are three easy steps to help your child “learn” self-esteem:
- Avoid using the word “can’t”. When a child uses the word “can’t”, he or she is expressing that they “don’t know how to” or “they don’t want to.” Once they say the words “I can’t”, they usually don’t put any effort into the task at hand. Showing the child how to work through challenges or showing the positive out of doing something will prove to be a very important lesson that they will need throughout their life.
- Always have positive expectations for your child. If you express to your child that you believe they can do something, then they will probably think so, too. Keep in mind that your positive expectations need to be age-appropriate and attainable. You must also back up your support by working with them to achieve their goals. Avoid giving up on your encouragement and efforts to help them. By showing consistency in your support, you will create consistency in their effort and attitude.
- Teach your child how to see the positive side of his or her inadequacy. When your child is unsuccessful, help him or her discover from errors. Ask through provoking questions such as, “What would you do differently next time?” or “What do you think you need to work on to do even better?” Also, let them know that you are proud of their efforts by saying things such as, “You are already successful because you are showing courage by trying.” Reinforcement like this can make a big difference in how your child perceives challenges.
With these steps in action you will teach your child how to have high self-esteem, and reinforce the value that the Little Ninjas Program provides.
You are making a smart investment into your child's future by considering the Little Ninjas Program! We are confident that your child will enjoy our classes, and have wonderful experiences. Within weeks of your child’s training, you will notice measurable results!
Click here to learn how our Little Ninjas Program can benefit your child!
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