Category: Parent Skillz

“A few seconds can make a BIG difference…” Sometimes as parents we respond with too much anger, and that can be harmful and cause regression in our child’s behavior. When you take a few extra seconds before responding to poor behavior, you will make better parenting choices, and ultimately help your child develop better behavior […]

Over the years We’ve heard this statement thousands of times. To be very clear and honest about this statement. Children don’t quit things, parents do. This statement is usually a way to play mental gymnastics on who’s responsibility it is to make decisions on what’s best for our family. By saying “my child wants to […]

Working to strengthen the connection with our loved ones is something we all want and we all can do.  I know there are a lot of parents who feel like they’re just not as connected with their kids as in their past. It can be hard to find time for one another, when parents work […]

Your child needs to know that no matter what happens, you are always going to be a consistent parent. Maintaining consistency means that you are going to be patient, connected, adaptable, and edutaining with your child all the time so your child knows what to expect from you and you know what to expect from […]

Adaptability is about how you respond to your child, especially when things do not go as planned.  Your child will have a variety of great days, bad days, and everything in between. Here are a few ways you can apply adaptability to your parenting and keep your child motivated: Intrinsic Motivation   Choices What do you […]

How can you set your child up for daily success? One of the most effective ways to do this is to focus on prompting instead of punishment. Here’s what you need about prompting your child toward good behavior and decisions: 1. Friendly Competition One of the ways to prompt your child toward good behavior is […]

We live in a competitive world and most parents would jump at the chance to give their child every advantage imaginable. The world can also be unkind and, as parents, we feel a need to protect our children from everything possible. And yes, parents are supposed to help and protect their children but when does […]

Do you ever feel like you can read your child’s mind?  You know what they are going to do or say next because they have had the same reaction before?  This is attunement.  Improving your attunement skills will allow you to create a more patient and understanding relationship with your child.          […]

Hey Friends and Families,  The times when children are the most responsive and happy are when they are most connected with their parents. Everything from getting down on their eye level, physical touch, and committed attention makes a big difference. When it comes to fostering self-discipline and self-esteem, children need CONNECTION more than anything else!  […]

Parenting can be tricky. We want our children to be resilient, empathetic, and able to self-regulate. However, with the busyness of life, the experiences that build these characteristics fall by the wayside, and “no” becomes an automatic response. Children are continually being told what to do and what not to do. As a result, the […]

One of the biggest struggles in parenting is understanding why perfectly sweet and smart children can, in an instant, turn into the most difficult beings ever faced. It’s often as if a switch was flipped and chaos has ensued. This typically results in parents becoming frustrated at their child and disciplining them in the heat […]

There’s no doubt that children’s social skills have become rusty over the past year and not progressed as they should have. With more limited interactions than usual, children have experienced adverse effects on their social development. And while many children have had the opportunity to engage in some school setting and/or activity, there were still […]

Summer break is typically viewed as a time for relaxation, fun, and no schedules. However, considering the dramatic change in our lives over the past year and seeing communities begin opening back up in a full capacity now, this summer would be the perfect time to get children back on track. As unfortunate as it […]

All parents want their children to exhibit positive behaviors that will help them transition smoothly through the different stages of their development. And while parents have the best intentions, they often don’t use the most effective discipline strategies to achieve that goal. And granted, parents do their best to implement the knowledge and experiences that […]

Is it nature, is it nurture? That is the question. This age-old debate, in the world of psychology, has been a source of controversy for decades. At some point, all parents have toyed with thoughts of which one has most influenced their child concerning personality traits, abilities, etc. And while different psychology fields have distinct […]

“I believe that children are our future, show them all the beauty they possess inside.” Whitney Houston All too often, the magnificence of individuality is overshadowed by a need to meet the status quo. When a child exhibits behavior that is “problematic” or “difficult,” adults often assume the child is defiant. However, often, the child […]

Over the years, healthy connection levels between parents and children have decreased, leading to more challenging behaviors from children. Today’s modern lifestyle has interfered with the opportunity for the parent-child bond to grow. This vital aspect of a child’s life is essential for their emotional cup to be full, giving them healthy self-worth and self-esteem. […]

On any given day, we may experience moments of high emotion in reaction to an event, or we find ourselves trying to control everyone and everything around us. Either way, our mental well-being is in danger, especially if we find ourselves stuck in either scenario for long. It can be difficult for children to get […]

Becoming a parent is, for the most part, an exciting adventure to undertake. Along with this, however, comes an enormous amount of responsibility. And while most feel prepared, others may experience anxiety and uncertainty about how to begin this journey. But no matter what, parents ultimately want to raise their children to the best of […]

As we know, children can lose control of their emotions for various reasons, and the behaviors we witness are generally unplanned. And since anxiety can look like defiance, adults often respond in counterproductive ways. When children are stressed, the amygdala, in the downstairs brain, is triggered, and the “fight or flight” response takes over. This […]

Goal setting is a characteristic that significantly links an individual to their future success. Having the right mindset is crucial and encourages our behaviors as we encounter different challenges. Since our mindset incorporates our own beliefs about skills and abilities that we possess, we must have a growth mindset and teach children the power of […]

Creating good habits at a young age can profoundly have a positive affect on your child’s future success.   And, if you are like every other parent, you only want the best for your child. How do you help your child develop good habits? It starts with a 3 step process… 1 – Model the behavior […]

How can you set your child up for daily success? One of the most effective ways to do this is to focus on prompting instead of punishment. Here’s what you need about prompting your child toward good behavior and decisions: 1. Friendly Competition One of the ways to prompt your child toward good behavior is […]

If you are a parent, you probably have experience a time in which your child had a full blown meltdown.  To you it may have seem like something super small; however, by your child’s reaction it was something extremely major. Your child’s melt down is a results of many things including a limited vocabulary because […]

A do-over is exactly as it sounds – the chance to do something again. Using patience means giving your child the chance to act in a better way than they did the first time around. The perfect time to implement a do-over is when your child says something out of anger, such as “You are not […]

Take a few extra seconds when responding to poor behavior.  This demonstrates compassion, empathy, and self-control on your part.  Sometimes all you need to do is think about responding in the most patient manner to help re-direct your child.  A few seconds can make a big difference.   Ask, Listen, Explain Patience helps you to […]

We’ve all set goals, to some degree, throughout our lives. Some were easily achieved while others we just gave up on completing. This is because most plans are either set in the comfort zone or the danger zone. And while our initial motivation generally puts on a path to setting lofty goals, it can lead […]

When we are ‘tuned-in’ with our children, we can more easily understand how to help them become the best version of themselves . We can learn where our children are in his or her stage of development physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially so that we can understand what’s ‘developmentally appropriate.’ This involves getting inside the […]

How often have we asked our children to do something and right away you hear something along the lines of, “I don’t want to”  or “Do I have to?”. At Life Skill, we are teaching students that to have Discipline means to obey the rules and Do What Is Right. They learn that there should […]

Research shows that disciplined children have more opportunities in life. Why?  Because they learn how to take care of the simple things in life while also setting and achieving big audacious goals.  They take academic studies seriously, they treat others with respect, and strive to become better people every day. Now, there is a step […]

All children have their own unique way of interacting with the world around them. And while much of this is contributed by their temperaments, the degree of emotional nurturing plays a significant role. This essential piece is how attachment is formed. The emotional bond between a child and their parent lays the foundation for how […]

With the holiday season in full swing, families everywhere are struggling to make suitable plans for the pandemic. While our typical holidays are full of family gatherings, parties, and many other busy events this year, the pandemic has put a damper on our holiday traditions and, instead, increased our stress. And although our regular events […]

Children today are presented with varying types of stressors in almost every aspect of their lives. The infamous “bar” has been set so high that in order to achieve it, children are asked to forgo “fun” and work towards superiority in everything they do. And while goal setting is an essential skill for future success, […]

Sometimes children make poor behavior choices simply because they are not paying attention. Other times they make poor behavior choices because they have built a habit of making poor choices. So how can we foster PROMPTING good behavior as parents? We can deploy strategies which help set our kids up for success! 1. Catch Your […]

Boosting Dopamine in Constructive Ways Nowadays it seems that children are only interested in their video games, smart phones, and social media platforms. Parents are frustrated with their children’s lack of motivation for and attention to other activities that they are at a loss as to what to do. Therefore, parents often respond by taking […]

Reframing How We View Negative Behavior If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us to slow down and appreciate the moments we have with our loved ones. On the flip side, it has also caused some additional stressors for parents as they have had to play the role of teacher while also […]

Hardly a day passes without there being a story about a child who was at the receiving end of bullying – and it can have terrible consequences. When we look at the problem of bullying, it’s important to do it from both sides. Why are some kids the targets of bullies – and why do […]

Today, I’d like to shift my focus and talk about the mental benefits of martial arts, starting with – you guessed it – Focus. You know that our Childhood Development Programs provide students with a fun and intense cardiovascular workout. What you may not know is that they’re also good for our brains. You see, […]

In October of 2019, High School football coach Keanon Lowe disarmed a student who had brought a loaded shotgun to school. A security camera caught Lowe backing out of a room holding the shotgun in one hand and holding onto the student with the other. Someone then ran and grabbed the gun away from Lowe. […]

5 Tips To Keep Your Child Safe “Don’t talk to strangers” used to be the cure all to protect your child, but there are two sides to this.  If you child wants to make friends or is lost…they need to talk to a stranger. Instead of creating an encompassing rule of “Don’t talk to strangers”.  Teach your […]

As adults, we think a lot about stress. Modern life is difficult. We worry about paying the bills, doing our jobs well – and we worry about our kids. That’s part of our jobs as parents, but we don’t want our kids to be affected by stress. It’s not good for them physically or emotionally. […]

As the school year gets underway, reality is showing up and many of us parents have been scrambling to get ourselves and our children back on a productive path. In the book “The 7 Habits of Happy Kids” by Sean Covey habit three is “Work First, Then Play.” While time doing homework has always been […]

Over the past few months, interactions have been minimal, and our social skills are rusty. Since prolonged school closures have a negative impact on children’s social development, we are now faced with how to regain skills while moving forward with new skills. Though some children will return to a brick-and-mortar school, others will virtually engage […]

Let’s face it, kids receive homework assignments starting in kindergarten these days and after a long day at school (and your long day at work), the last thing anyone wants is a homework battle. Many parents dread their kids’ school homework as much, if not more than their kids do. It’s not easy to squeeze […]

As back to school plans continue to change almost daily, children’s emotions will remain unpredictable. One day they are thinking about returning to their friends and teachers at school, and the next, they are told they won’t be returning for another few months. Because of this, our children’s emotional needs have never been greater. And […]

It’s time to talk about our fourth Life Skill and it’s an important one. It can be hard to teach kids about the importance of Honesty and Integrity. Every day, they see celebrities and other public figures behaving dishonorably – and if you want your child to learn why integrity matters, then signing them up […]

Training Dates with your Life Skill Ninja You may hear your child’s Life Skill Coach speaking about practice time at home now and then. Why? Practicing at home will have a huge impact on your Life Skill Ninja’s ability to perform in class which will lead to more confidence. With more confidence comes the ability […]

It is becoming more and more apparent that no one is to blame for everything that happens. So, if this is the case, how do we get ourselves in such turmoil if no one is responsible? Although this seems ridiculous, the use of “blame-shifting” has become the go-to way of justifying mistakes. When we have […]

CONNECTION One of the most important things that we can do as parents is establish a connection with our child. In fact, children need connection more than anything else.   Here are a few ways that you can begin to build a great connection with your child: Daily Interactions: 1 Make one-on-one connections with your […]

Children of all ages are spending more and more time on devices. Online school work and staying connected to family members are positive ways children can use technology. And while video games and social media apps are ways for children to connect and “play” with friends, these platforms are also a breeding ground for inappropriate […]

Preparing Children to Return to School A Developmental Approach As we continue through the current pandemic and re-opening efforts show real challenges, school districts everywhere are trying to devise the best plans for children, teachers, and staff to return. And while there will be no perfect solution for each family, parents must consider all the […]

There was a little boy who was talented, creative, handsome, and extremely bright. He was the kind of person everyone would normally have wanted on their team or project. But, he was also self-centered and had a very bad temper. When he got angry, he usually said, and often did, some very hurtful things. In […]

With our country at somewhat of a standstill due to the current pandemic, it’s easy to get into a routine that is more laid back. Anything from going to bed late to increased screen time, habits may start leaning on the unhealthy side. And one of the major behaviors that appear when we are in […]

As we continue to navigate the uncharted waters of the current pandemic, many are looking to the future and what it holds. While it’s hard to predict how long our current daily life modifications will last, what we do know is that the experience of this trauma will have personal changes that could last for […]

The recent closures of schools and businesses are widespread and have led to major disruptions in the daily routines of families.  Children are trying to adjust to doing school at home and parents are now trying to balance their new work from home life with their role as teacher to their children. To cope, it’s […]

We are all human and our responses to our current situation vary. Some have hunkered down and sorted through their new reality in a way that has motivated them to complete tasks and put new goals in place. Others have become increasingly overwhelmed and feel like they have no control over their lives at all. […]

As the pandemic carries on, our coping skills are starting to unravel. For many people, this has become the ultimate emotional test. As we continue to maintain our distance from each other, not only have our social lives been halted, but our emotional support is wavering as well. And while we have been living this […]

LIFE SKILL Coaches guide children, both online and in our academy, to set goals. But to achieve these goals, they must establish and maintain a set routine that will put them on a path of learning and growing until the goal can be met. that’s why we created Life Skill Academy Online, where children of […]

Let’s face it, conflict is hard and is bound to happen no matter what ground rules are in place. Whether it’s on the playground or right in our own homes, children will clash. And while it can create challenging situations, it is a normal event that occurs between children. This inevitability is why conflict resolution […]

Remember when you wished the weekend would last forever? As weeks of the “shelter in place” order have passed, the eagerness for some “time off” has lost its spark. Children’s boredom is growing day by day and will continue, especially as many schools will be ending the school year earlier than normal. The rising monotony […]

Parents fear their kids will end up followers of the “Wrong Crowd”.  Life Skill uses martial arts as a vehicle to guide your children on a journey to become Leaders. As parents, most of us want to feel like we’ve done everything we can to help our kids develop the skills needed to make it […]

Good behavior is a learning process for children, and as parents and teachers, we are their guides for the roadmap to success. Children usually behave per their own emotions and impulses. At the same time, being a parent is also a learning process and sometimes we rely on our own emotions and impulses to teach. […]

Three and four year olds grow at a rapid rate in all areas of development. They are discovering new things daily, while also learning how to cope with new challenges. Additionally, they are in pursuit of autonomy, which can lead to behavioral issues that the adults in their lives often become frustrated with. The problem comes in […]

When you hear the term “school readiness,” the first thing most people think of is children knowing academic basics that will help them meet the demands of the classroom. While these cognitive skills are essential, teachers feel that skills in the other areas of child development are just as, or more important. Social, emotional, and […]

There are many reasons to enroll our child(ren) in a martial arts program. If you are a parent looking to find a program for your child that you can support, here are five reasons why parents find martial arts is a good fit for not just their children, but their entire family! Teaches Discipline. Martial […]

1. Every behavior has a positive intention and is a sign of our children’s individuality. Sometimes children may act strange or out-of-bounds during class only because he or she is simply finding his or her own path. Many parents and teachers have a distorted perception of strange or aggressive behavior. We shouldn’t assume that strange […]

Why? Here’s a few reasons: Life Skills: For us, martial arts is more than just punching and kicking, it’s a way of life. Our instructors use the martial arts as a vehicle to teach the valuable Life Skills of: Respect, Discipline, Confidence, Communication, Honesty, and Self Esteem. These are the real lessons that your kids […]

The world can be a scary place – as adults, we know this all to well. But when we’re children, we’re innocent. Perhaps, we may even be just a bit naive. When we find ourselves in a sticky situation, we’re reminded of just how unpredictable life can be and how the world around us can […]

Children are born Unstoppable! When we were small babies, we cried until we got our way. When we were toddlers, we kept trying to get up, then walk, even after falling down thousands of times! We grew more and more relentless, constantly chasing whatever we wanted. Learning a language, climbing over obstacles, drawing artwork, singing songs, […]

If you look at our Life Skill Alter, you can see Chinese character for Fire 火 turned upside down. Fire can be Spirit, which can save our life and make us have passion and success. But, too much fire destroys. For martial artists, this is important. We need to practice the Life Skill: Self Control.  […]

Bullying has become an epidemic in recent years. Yes, there have always been bullies, and yes, those bullies have always caused serious and lasting damage to their victims; however, bullying in the 21st century has changed – and not for the better. According to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, one in four students has reported […]

Every child is born with their own unique way of interacting with the world. Some are flexible in the midst of change while others may experience stress when presented with new situations or a change in schedule. This is what is referred to as temperament. While some temperaments are easier to handle than others, it […]

 Over the last 30 years we have helped thousands of kids in Massachusetts become stronger mentally physically emotionally and socially. Many parents come to me because their child seems to sit on the sidelines, so to speak. They are really shy around people. They child doesn’t make friends easily. The child doesn’t like to participate in sports […]

Hey Parents, Stan Tabor here from Life Skill Martial Arts. Over the last 30 years we’ve been helping parents help their kids grow stronger physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. I get to talk to a lot of parents and it seems like the stress, worry and anxiety level of parents is really high right now […]

Catch Kids Doing Good! A  good finder is a parent, teacher, or friend that is always looking for those good things that others do. It’s all too natural for us to look for the negative and certainly we’re going to find what we look for. Most parents and teachers constantly tell kids what they did […]

How Mirror Neurons Impact Learning Learning is a big part of child development and how children learn things is dependent on a variety of factors. Much of the time, observational learning contributes to how children learn information and behaviors. This type of social learning can be greatly influential because of the role that mirror neurons […]

Today, the world is moving extremely fast. People are achieving amazing things at younger ages than ever before. This consistent strive toward excellence has created insane levels of competition for children of all ages. While this can be a good thing, it can also lead to increased levels of stress and frustration among kids at […]

The times when our children are the most responsive & happy are when they are most connected with us… their parent. Everything from getting down on their eye level, physical touch, and committed attention makes a big difference. When it comes to fostering self-discipline and self-esteem, children need CONNECTION more than anything else! So, what can we […]

Have you ever wondered why children and teens seem to be so addicted to their smart phones and other devices? Parents are frustrated with their children’s lack of attention and motivation but what do their devices have to do with this? The answer is found in science! Often referred to as the “motivator molecule,” dopamine […]

You may hear your child’s martial arts instructor talking about practice time at home fairly often. This is because practicing can have a huge impact on a child’s ability to perform in class which will lead to more confidence. With more confidence comes the ability to achieve faster and farther! Another great benefit to practicing […]