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 development and psychology. This approach can create extreme success for a child when their parents appreciate the program and are involved in the process.
Parents that enroll their children in martial arts want to see them succeed but most don’t know what is needed from them to make this happen. Often, children who are in martial arts do not have parents that are martial artists themselves. Parents usually know what the benefits of martial arts are but don’t understand the process of making these benefits a reality.  Since the goal of the LIFE SKILL program is to help children grow to be the best version of themselves, much emphasis is placed on the teaching team of instructors and parents. 
The LIFE SKILL KIDS curriculum is based on the developmental stages of children.
The skill requirements for each level were carefully designed to developmentally benefit the child the most while using martial arts as a vehicle to ensure success. Within this system, the child not only learns self-defense, but also develops physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. To help parents prepare for this journey with their child, they receive a parent manual for the level their child is enrolled in. This initiates the teaching team collaboration and sets the stage for success. 
In the LIFE SKILL program, communication is essential to helping children be the most successful. Throughout each testing cycle, information is distributed on the skills that are being taught in a specific week. This helps parents to know what is happening in each class so they can initiate a conversation with their child about it. During or directly after class, LIFE SKILL instructors do a quick overview of the skill of the day, with the parents that watching, so they can gain a better understanding of the benefits of the class to the overall development of their child. Therefore, it is important for parents to be present, as often as possible, when their children are taking class. 
Since parental involvement is an essential part of this program, the instructors work to educate the parents on the different aspects of the program by providing the quick overviews as well as implementing mat chats during class and using the supplemental program, Parent SKILLZ, as an additional resource.  Special class events are also held from time to time, so that parents can participate in class with their child. By doing this, parents are then aware of how they can help their child train at home. This also helps solidify the engagement of the parents in their child’s training, thereby, increasing their child’s excitement and enjoyment of the activity ultimately leading to success.
By fostering a good working relationship with parents, LIFE SKILL instructors make certain that parents have the resources they need to help their child. When parents are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the instruction their child is receiving, they can better help their child navigate through the training process. As an added benefit, the parent-child relationship is nurtured as all aspects of the LIFE SKILL program are implemented and reinforced. This ensures success for the child as they develop to be the best version of themselves.
I hope you found this information useful. Thank you ahead of time, for not giving up on your future Black Belt Leaders. I know that they’ll really appreciate it later in life. To learn more about the powerful Life Skill childhood development program that uses martial arts as the vehicle for growth, or to get your child started at our Millbury location, get your FREE TRIAL by clicking the button below:

 
 
 
 
 
Stan Tabor is a 6th-degree black belt and has been training in martial arts since 1972. He is the founder of the Life Skill curriculum and association. His goal is to build a future for the next generation of the Life Skill Instructors to use martial arts as a vehicle to teach life skills that develop children physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.
Life Skill is conveniently located on a three acre wooded campus in Millbury,  Massachusetts. Our academy provides high quality martial arts training classes to the residents of Millbury , Worcester , Grafton , Shrewsbury, Auburn and the surrounding areas, including Sutton , Uxbridge , and Northbridge. The Camus is located at:
Life Skill Martial Arts, 322 Millbury Avenue, Millbury, Massachusetts 01527
We have a few simple goals here. However, we put 110% of our effort into achieving them. Life Skill Martial Arts Millbury helps children to build these good habits that extend to success at home and school everyday. In short, these goals have but one purpose: Provide classes that are results-driven, while at the same time fun!