Category: Science and Psychology

Sometimes I can’t help but laugh when I hear people talk about teens. Although the teenage brain is still developing and it’s not uncommon for them to make really poor decisions, they are the smartest age group.  Yes, they are smarter than most adults! A teen may be a child at heart, but their critical […]

Happiness is a crucial part of life, but it’s not always simple for some children, teens, or parents to find. Parents take different approaches in order make their kids happy. Some seek ways that can make kids feel fulfilled, satisfied or just entertained. Other people believe that just positive thinking will bring kids joy; while […]

While fear can be helpful in some situations, such as motivating us to stay safe, it can also hold us back from reaching our full potential. To go after our dreams, we’ll have to face our fears. But, first we should investigate further to fully understand… What is Fear?  Most would say it’s the feeling […]

Can you guess the secret to a long and healthy life? It’s not expensive vitamins or pricey gym memberships. The answer is actually much simpler – eat better! By making small changes to your diet, you can drastically improve your health and well-being.  Many of us know that our best days are the days that […]

Programs for children are all around us. From day care centers to recreational sports and everything in between, options for parents to choose from are abounding. And although parents want what is best for their children, they often aren’t aware of the notable distinctions between the programs they are considering. To get the most out […]

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 […]

Children and teens are involved in a myriad of physical activities and sports. And whether they are at a competitive or recreational level, the basic physical requirements are the same. In order to achieve optimum training levels, it’s important that the exercises prepare the athlete for the best physical outcome. The safest way to begin […]

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 […]

Which scary scenario are you agonizing over the most? Fear Of: Getting sick from Covid Your child being able to stay masked Other kids keeping their mask on Administrators enforcing the mask mandate Kids ability to hear and communicate and behave with a mask on Getting childcare after a sudden school closing or quarantine Getting […]

Parents are an essential element to their child’s success in anything. The enthusiasm and support, or lack thereof, of a parent can make or break a child’s accomplishments. At LIFE SKILL martial arts, it is even more essential that parents be involved as part of the teaching team since the LIFE SKILL system applies child […]

LEADERS ARE READERS There are a few common habits that the most successful people keep. One of the most common is that they are voracious readers. The goal of LIFE SKILL classes is to help kids become the most successful versions of themselves. While our main tool for spurring development is age-specific martial arts training, […]

Have you ever tried to ask your 7 to 9-year-old, a question or to make a decision under pressure?  Or worse, had them try to tell you a story in a limited amount of time? “So this one time…. You know how like, sometimes, if you like, like sometimes… I mean, yesterday, like this one […]

Is Your Child Ready for School? The past year and a half of school have been such a tumultuous ride. From school closures to virtual classes to partial reopening, it seems as if our children have experienced every out-of-the-norm scenario we could come up with. And although the goal was to keep them safe, children’s […]

A healthy diet is essential for kids’ physical and mental health. Meanwhile, the busy life style and convenience food have impacted kids’ health negatively. The adverse effects on their health may continue to leave their marks till adulthood and develop weight gain and other problems. Therefore, it is essential to get kids to adopt better […]

There’s no denying that advancements in technology have made our lives easier. We can work from home, shop online, and watch newly released movies, among many other things, all without leaving the couch. And while this saves us travel time and hassle, it can lead to unexpected health consequences. The reason is that we are […]

There are a lot of activities that are available to children these days that will help them build confidence. In fact, confidence is one of the more common requests that we have from parents who bring their children to Life Skill Martial Arts. Parents want us to help bring the kids out of their shells […]

Although Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is such a prevalent diagnosis, there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. People often assume that ADHD results from poor parenting, laziness, or some learning disorder. And with these assumptions come a wide range of approaches to “fix” the problem. However, with the lack of proper understanding of this disorder, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Focus Takes Time. In the old days, it was expected that kids would know to be seen and not heard. Developmental science has come a long way since then, and these days we understand that the concepts of discipline and focus actually take time to learn, and that the perceived lack of focus in younger kids […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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. […]

Most Martial Arts all look pretty similar from the outside. But, what’s on the inside of Life Skill? It is something quite different. When I began teaching in 1986 and opened Life Skill in 1990, I taught traditional Chinese Martial Arts. Pretty good stuff actually! I even won a gold medal in China! But… I quickly […]

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 […]