Here is a great article from Master Melody Shuman:
Instructor Mindset: Understanding the Age-Specific Benefits of Martial Arts for Children ages 3 and 4-year olds (Part 1 of a 4-part Series)
In the article she begins to introduce the benefits of martial arts classes for this "pre-school" age group of children. In the SKILLZ program, like we have at Dragon Gym and Dragon Gym Main Line, the children's martial arts classes do not have all ages lumped together. Rather, the program is age-specific. Only kids of the same age group are in the same class. The SKILLZ system is broken down into 4 age groups per the recommendation of developmental psychologists:
Early - 3 and 4 year olds
Basic - 5 and 6 year olds
Core - 7, 8 and 9 year olds
Extreme - 10 through 14 year olds
The students are split into the four different age groups in order to ensure that the curriculum is appropriate for their physical, intellectual, emotional and social level of development.
In the article, Master Shuman points out the important milestones for a 3 or 4 year old student. (She also emphasizes the differences between 3/4 year olds and 5/6 year olds is so great that it doesn't makes sense for them to be in the same class)
Physical milestones for 3 and 4 year olds
- Holding positions for 10 seconds or longer
- Maintaining an alternating pattern for 10 seconds or longer
- Spatial awareness to catch an object
Intellectual milestones for 3 and 4 year olds
- Following verbal directions
- Being able to follow 3 steps of direction
- Being able to repeat patterns of 3 steps or more
Emotional milestones for 3 and 4 year olds
- Affirmative I can do it mindset
- Controlling emotions
- Willing to try something new, or meet someone new
Social milestones for 3 and 4 year olds
- Taking Turns
- Sharing Attention
- Joint activities with other kids
I highly recommend you read the whole article (first of 4 actually) to get some insight on how we teach martial arts to kids in an age-specific and age-appropriate at the Dragon Gym.
We have two Dragon Gym locations, both teaching the age-specific SKILLZ system of martial arts to children. This system has taken the best of Tae Kwon Do, Karate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and distilled these martial arts into 4 complete martial arts curriculums for each of the aforementioned age groups. And, it's totally progressive so a student can seamlessly move from one age group to the next as they age through the program.
If you're in the Exton, West Chester or Downingtown Pa area check out HQ school at the link below:
If you're in the Main Line area including Paoli, Berwyn, Devon or Wayne, PA check out Dragon Gym Main Line at the link below:
