Preschool martial arts classes may seem like a bit of an early start… But they’re the best thing you can do for your young child, especially to regulate their temper tantrums! Check out these amazing ways that our instructors create a tantrum-free household with our preschool classes.
Temper Tantrums in Preschool Kids
Preschool-aged kids are going to act emotionally because a) they haven’t developed advanced logical reasoning yet and b) in their minds, their actions don’t have consequences- everything is NOW.
This is okay – it’s what makes them kids! We can’t fault them for having a temper tantrum because their brain just isn’t logical yet.
What we CAN do is help teach them emotional regulation, listening, self control, focusing, and refocusing. And these skills apply to so much more than just tantrums!
What is a Temper Tantrum?
Here’s how it plays out: Something upsets your child. They feel a very strong negative emotion- most often, frustration.
This frustration leads them to physically express how upset they are through crying, whining, screaming… It can even manifest itself in aggressive behavior like hitting or throwing.
Every child has been through this, and every parent knows what this is like, so you’re not alone! Many parents enrolled their kids in our preschool classes because they’ve heard about how martial arts can help with these behavioral issues in young children.
Getting Your Child Ready for School
In a temper tantrum your child is acting based on pure emotions. Your child is fueled by thoughts of how unfair something is, and their frustration just keeps building.
We want to teach them how to focus on the adult, listen thoughtfully, and then refocus on something different that is far away from the source of their tantrum. These are incredible skills, that your child is learning before they even get to school, that will set them up for LIFE success!
How Preschool Martial Arts Classes Can Help
This is why martial arts is so awesome, especially for young kids in preschool. Year after year, we see a MASSIVE difference in kids who start classes at the preschool level, and those that start just one year later.
Kids who start martial arts classes at ages 3 and 4 get to learn these emotional and behavioral skills much younger than their older counterparts. Then, as they progress through the ranks, they learn and retain more in their upper level classes because they’ve already gotten their emotions regulated.
They’ve already learned how to control their behavior, and the advanced material will stick better because they’re focusing better. Then, when they enter school, they have an incredible advantage because, well… everything we just said! It all applies to school as well. That’s why martial arts helps with so much more than just temper tantrums. It’s a tool we use to shape our students to become the absolute best versions of themselves, and it shows.
Focusing and Refocusing in Class
Okay, so here’s how preschool martial arts classes can help: First step is listening. We make listening FUN in our classes. How? Our instructors are pretty amazing and love to sneak listening skills, discipline skills and focus improvement into every lesson through fun and games. They’re basically life skill ninjas. Martial arts classes at the preschool level are less about self defense (which they’ll learn as they progress) and more about building foundational behavioral skills through FUN. This includes self control, which is the second step. Self control here means being able to control their bodies so that they can sit still without fidgeting. We teach self control the same way- through fun games and activities and positive reinforcement.
Conclusion
That’s totally key with tantrums- positive reinforcement. Preschool kids often throw temper tantrums because they don’t think you’re listening to them. They want attention from you. Once they learn through positive reinforcement that listening to you is a good thing, they’ll be less inclined to throw a fit for your attention. Reinforcing and praising our kids when they listen is really critical. We know that a lot of parents are busy… But we encourage parents to sit in and watch their kids in class so they can learn the techniques and strategies we use. Then when you practice it at home you can really watch your child transform!